des affligés, refuge des pécheurs, secours des Chrétiens, par vous nous offrons à votre Divin Fils l'hommage de nos adorations profondes, nos actions de grâces, nos supplications et nos vœux; soyez notre force dans les tribulations, notre ressource dans tous les besoins, notre étoile dans les dangers: que par vous nous arrivions heureusement au port du salut éternel."

Is it uncharitable to ask, if a Church which deifies Mary, can be a Church of Christ?

But Tours and its neighbourhood is not left to Romish teaching. It has a large English Congregation, with a zealous and useful Clergyman: there are also a French Protestant pastor and flock; additions to it have been rapidly made, and our readers will be gratified to hear that the Protestant worship in this place was founded by the late lamented and beloved Mr. Hartley.

At Loches Mr. T. found a few English families, but no public worship on Sundays, and but few visits of clergy

men.

He therefore conducted service and administered the Lord's Supper to nine communicants.

Here let us commend Mr. Trench's example to the imitation of all clergymen travelling abroad, and avail ourselves of his own words "to recommend an inquiry in each town which a clergyman visits, as to whether there are any of his countrymen in the place without the advantage of a permanent English minister." And surely, in such case, travelling arrangements should be ordered, and mere scrupulous feeling overcome, so that they who are isolated from "the great congregation" at home, may be sometimes furnished with the ministrations of the Sanctuary abroad.

We follow our traveller to Saumur, and we find him making such just remarks on a Protestant Church recently opened, that we lay them before our readers :

"I must now proceed to mention an edifice which, small as it is, and only just completed, gave us more gratification and interest than all the antiquities together, pleased as we are with observing the relics of ancient

days; and I make this remark without any depreciation of their claims on our attention, but only to denote the feelings which ought to be those of every Christian traveller when a building is before him, now in actual use for the glory of God and the good of eternal souls. We have especially to feel for, and serve that generation, in which God has appointed our lot; and antiquarian research, even though employed in churches, is indeed a small matter when compared with exertion and sympathy towards building up the "living stones" of God's true temple on earth-his Church of believing souls!"

Saumur was once celebrated for the number of its Protestant inhabitants ; but Romish persecution did its work so completely that "heretics" were silenced for upwards of 150 years. A change has now, however, taken place; and in a church built on the site of the old one, where Henry IV. used to worship, the pure and undefiled Gospel is preached. Mr. T. says

"I had a note of introduction for the pastor, Monsieur Duvivier, who received us in a very friendly and obliging manner. His ministerial post is evidently one at present of considerable difficulty and anxiety as are all the newly established Churches of Reformed worship in France; and much zeal and perseverance are requisite in order to form and preserve a congregation amidst the many obstacles which rise up, and the general depression of Protestants in the land. Let us, however, hope that the light of divine truth, once more kindled in the town, will so shine in the surrounding darkness that the present little flock will year by year become

real clothes, and occupying the middle niche over one of the altars. I am thoroughly convinced that had a heathen entered the place, he would at once have concluded that she was the divinity of the Christians. In another church at Saumur, the pulpit has inscribed on it these words alone, 'Jesus Maria', thus combining and equalizing the two names with most unholy disparagement to the dignity of God. At the door of this Church old women were sitting with heaps of long, showy wax tapers before them; they asked me to buy them, and to light them in the church to the honour of the Virgin. I observed that just except at the thin and tapering top, they were hollow, like the system in support of which they are employed."

Having arrived at Angers, our Author says:—

"Our first object to-day was to find out our fellow-countrymen, and to give them notice of my holding service on the morrow. I had previously obtained from Monsieur Dof Saumur, a list of some English residents in the place; but on asking my landlord for some additional information on the subject, he at once referred me to Madame P-, the wife of a confectioner carrying on an extensive business in the town. I found her a most pleasing and amiable person, and being herself a countrywoman and a Protestant, she was well qualified and disposed to facilitate my object. She gladly entered into the design, and after speaking in the highest commendation of the place as healthy and prosperous, she said, 'The only want we have is that of a Protestant clergyman.' * * It gave me much pleasure to supply this want even for a short season. was told that public worship had not been held by an English clergyman within the memory of any of the residents; and one of my informants was able to answer for a period of twelve

got in about thirty chairs, and arranged all things needful for our pure and simple form of worship. Thirtyfive came. Three or four of the number were French; but, being Protestants, they were desirous of this Christian union with us and were able to understand and follow a considerable portion of our services. About the same number came in the afternoon, and among them was Colonel P-, who, on that occasion, joined for the last time an assembly of worshippers on earth. He was an officer in our army, rather advanced in years, and of very calm and mild bearing. He sat next to me, and I exchanged with him a few words, little thinking that out of our small company he was so soon to be summoned away. Not being pressed for time, and seeing how much the services of our Church were needed, and, I will add, valued by my countrymen here, I engaged to remain at Angers at all events for another Sunday, gave notice that I should administer the sacrament of the Lord's supper, and arranged for the baptism of a child during the ensuing week."

The above is rendered peculiarly affecting by the fact, that Col. P. died suddenly on the following Tuesday, and Mr. T. had the melancholy duty of reading the burial service over his remains. While in the same tour, one or two controversies which he had, suggest the following remarks :—

66

'Alluding to all the educated men of the Romish Church with whom I have hitherto spoken at length on such subjects in France, not excepting one, I may confidently say that the real and virtual point at which ere long we arrived was this-whether the Bible alone, or the Bible and the Tradition of the Church, ought to be the rule of faith. And in every conversation in which I have contended against the Sacrifice of the Mass, the Worship of the Virgin, Purgatory, &c., my opponent has finally appealed to Tradition as his warrant. Most fully do I believe that what our Saviour said to the Jews is still doctrinally applicable on this matter: "Ye do

make the Word of God of none effect

by your traditions." And may we,

as Protestants, be warned now and continue to be warned by this and every other warning afforded by the Church of Rome! May we resist with zeal and determination every effort made to raise Tradition out of its due place! Many such efforts are now made, and in proportion as they succeed, true doctrine must fall, and false doctrine must rise."

Mr. Trench endeavoured, before he left, to stimulate exertions towards a permanent Protestant ministry. His efforts have been successful; for a Bible depôt has been formed, a colporteur appointed, and the services of a clergyman obtained.

A visit to a friend on the banks of the Loire, afforded the next opportunity of gathering a little congregation on the Sabbath-day. At Nantes, Mr. T. attended the French Protestant service, held in what was once the chapel of a Carmelite monastery. The congregation was good; but the establishment of an English clergyman seemed very desirable.

We should like to notice a conversation which our author had with a French seafaring-man, in order that we might give an instance of the mischief done by the Popish doctrine of Tradition, but our limits forbid more than a mere reference to it as one of

much interest. We pass, to describe a Sunday spent at Bourbon-Vendée :

Protestant service is held in the town once in three Sundays, and it happened that this was the day for public worship. Accordingly, at 12 o'clock we went to the Mairie, or Town-Hall, where a comfortable, simple apartment is assigned for this purpose. We found a congregation composed of about thirty persons. There are, in fact, only three or four French Protestant families in the place, and it speaks well for their conduct and zeal in behalf of their religion, that where there are so few they have obtained and maintain a service."

At La Rochelle, Mr. T. attended the

service in the Protestant Church, and in the evening

"I sent out," he says, 66 my invitations for evening service in my room to all the English residents in the town of whom I could hear. About twenty attended."

At Bordeaux, Mr. T. again meets with one of those proofs of Maryworship which crowd around the traveller in popish countries :—

"At one of the chapels in another church-that of St. Michael—are the following words in large and conspicuous characters, so placed as to meet the attention of all who pass by, "Allez a Jesus par Maria:" an exact parody of the words and testimony of Scripture regarding our Saviour's office as the one mediator between God and man-an office so valued, so sacred, and so unapproachable in the estimation of every enlightened believer in the Lord Jesus Christ."

How vain are the attempts of Popery to refute the charge of exalting the creature into the Creator's seat; we need only to point to the crown on Mary's head, with which the churches abound, her titles, her pictures, her altars, her devotees. These speak a fearful but intelligible creed.

During his stay at Bourdeaux, Mr. Trench's sympathies were aroused in behalf of the religious condition of the sailors, and he held a service for them twice, and had a very serious and attentive audience.

The spiritual state of Bergerac is thus described :

ments by means of Colporteurs. He told me that at Périgueux, a Colporteur had sold in one year seventeen hundred bibles and testaments, and at another period thirteen hundred in eight months. My informant and his young colleague, whom I also saw at Luz, had sold at Barèges, Luz, and in the neighbouring mountains, in the three weeks previous to my seeing them, one hundred and seventyseven testaments and four bibles. They select a certain district, and offer the Scriptures for sale almost from house to house. The usual price is tenpence for the testaments, and from two shillings and a penny to two shillings and sixpence for Bibles."

An excursion of 34 miles from Pau to Puyoo suggested to our traveller's mind a reflection, very common when observing localities where Protestantism exerts any influence :

"The whole district which we traversed to-day to our sleeping-place, Puyoo (thirty-four miles) offered, in unbroken succession, that attractive scene which good country houses, neat cottages, cherished gardens, and highly cultivated fields must always compose. Such a scene is not merely gratifying to the outward eye, but may fairly be viewed as no slight evidence of moral and social happiness among the inhabitants. And when I mention that this day we were in a very Protestant country, (for France,) and that we naturally compared the appearance of this people and districts with many other departments, entirely Popish, which we had lately traversed, the observations almost universally formed by travellers as to the respective mien of different cantons in Switzerland, according to the prevalent religion, naturally recurred to my mind, and received here a testimony corroborative of their truth."

And now, Mr. Trench passes from France to Spain, whither we do not intend to accompany him. We must, however, say, that in Spain Mr.Trench endeavoured, as far as it lay in his

power, by the distribution of Tracts, and by religious conversation, to spread the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus.

We conclude our review-if review it can be called-with some general remarks on the actual position of Protestantism in France. Efforts are making there which, as they are based on zeal with knowledge, cannot fail to be extensively successful. Much has been done, in a quiet but effective way. The instrumentality has often been humble, but the results have been glorious. The lowly colporteur as, "bearing precious seed," he passes from village to village, is distributing the agencies of an immense vitality. The quickening process has been sometimes a very rapid one; and we have looked with the astonishment of delight, on whole communes passing from the false to the true faith. Indeed the spread of Evangelic truth has been so great that Rome has trembled at the sight, and her hierarchy in France has found it a matter of grave concern; and the checking of its progress, a project of the deepest moment. An extract from the last Report of the Foreign Aid Society, will clearly establish this interesting fact :

"At the fall of the empire, in 1815, the Reformed worship, including the Lutherans, reckoned four hundred and sixty-four pasteurs. In 1830, when Charles X. was dethroned, the number had risen to five hundred and forty-seven; in 1843, it was six hundred and seventy-seven; and at this time it may safely be affirmed that they exceed seven hundred. The public grants made according to the Charter for the maintenance of those pastors have had a proportionable increase. In 1815, the sum total was 306,600 francs. In 1843, it amounted to 1,219,000 francs; and this year it will, in all probability, be still greater. So that a sum of £50,000 is now granted annually out of the public treasury of France for the salaries of Protestant pasteurs; varying from one thousand eight hundred to three thousand francs per annum each. The number of Churches have increased in the same proportion, and yet the Protest

ant population is far from being supplied. There are one hundred and eleven places where Protestant congregations are obliged to meet for worship in the open air. Of the eighty departments into which France is divided, there are yet twenty-six in which there is neither Church, nor consistory, nor pastor. The Protestants scattered in those extensive provinces have no means of grace to which they can have access.”

We see from this statement, that Protestantism has taken considerable hold of France, and that it enjoys to a certain extent the support of the state. But we are not unaware how precarious is its condition; we know that the subject of religious liberty is now agitating France, and it is a question of national legislation, whether Protestants shall be allowed to propagate their peculiar doctrines by the agencies they choose to employ. We also know that the elements of oppression as regards Protestants are capable of being very actively worked; for the communities of Protestants are often small and weak, and the vague power

which rests with the local authorities of each district, relative to the "autorization" of the Reformed worship, furnishes a source, under Romish influence, whence arise perpetual annoyances and frequent impediments. We think it far from unlikely, that the Church of God in France may have a large amount of suffering to undergo. The political ascendancy of Rome in that country is such that we may without any extravagance look to see her again quaffing that dreadful libation of holy blood which she loves to drink. When that time comes, may the good confession of the French Church be the cordial and the stimulus of the Universal Church of God! In the meanwhile, let us exhort our readers to avail themselves of the present opportunity of comparative liberty, by aiding in diffusing Gospel Truth throughout the fair but guilty country of France; and let us beseech all Christian travellers there, to let no occasion pass when they may say or do something for their Master. Fas est ab hoste doceri ;-let Romish zeal be grafted on Protestant principle.