were sold for very small sums, and the separate Gospels were given away. The gentlemen who had charge of the depôt were full of zeal and cheerfulness, and such an outpouring of the Word of God had never been experienced in France before. It is seed sown plenteously and widely, and must make a great impression for good. I was told about 10,000 a week were disposed of, and surely so much bread cast upon the waters will be heard of after many days. Protestantism in France has during this century made rapid strides to regain its influence, suspended and crushed, but not exterminated, by two hundred years of cruel persecution; and it expects, with good reason, great facilities for action by the freedom from bigotry of the present Government, five of the leading members of which, I was informed, are Protestants; and very early it is expected a law will be introduced, and it is hoped carried easily, granting full liberty of religious meetings, which are now restricted to less than twenty persons. Nineteen may meet in a house or room, but they must not be more. There are more Protestant temples (for temples they call their churches, however humble) now in France than there are Roman Catholic places of worship in Great Britain, and they are rapidly increasing. When, a few years ago, I noticed the Protestant Annual, their number was about twelve hundred. What is also very gratifying is that Protestantism now seems to be very liberal, not restricting its communion by very close fences, but enabling all to work together who admit the general truths which are absolutely essential to a religious life. I have before me the Twentyninth Report of the Central Protestant Evangelical Society, and it is stated that the doctrines professed by them are the following: (1) The misery of man in his natural state, his sinfulness and his inability of himself to rise out of that condition; (2) Redemption by the blood of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God, and truly God; (3) His regeneration and sanctification by the Holy Spirit; (4) Salvation offered by Divine Grace to every member of the human amily and assured to every one who accepts it by faith; (5) The necessity of good works as a result of faith, and not as meritorious before God. These articles seem comprehensive enough, and would exclude no one who is really in earnest in religion; while in other things there would be full freedom to teach what is manifestly taught in the Divine Word. I cannot but hope that this comprehensiveness may continue, that religion amongst them may be rather the operation of truths leading. to love and goodness than of speculative opinions on subjects of little edification or profit. One result of this liberty of thought came under notice very promptly. It was mentioned in my former paper that we took apartments at St. Denis, about a quarter of an hour from Paris by rail. On Sunday, Oct. 6, we inquired where the Protestant temple was, and found our way to it in good time. The Sunday-school was assembled, and we entered to notice their proceedings. In a short time the pastor, a gentleman about thirty-five years of age, commenced to address the scholars, and chose for his subject the Garden of Eden. He excited and kept up their attention by telling them about the travellers who had gone from time to time to find the Garden of Eden and could not succeed, and then he asked the children to tell him why the tree of knowledge and the tree of life could not be discovered. And when they could not inform him, he explained to them that they were not natural trees at all, and gave them the leading points of the spiritual explanation. We were very much pleased with the address and with the service and sermon afterwards. The next day we called to speak to the pastor, whose house is next door to the temple, but unhappily he was from home, and we left the following morning to pursue our travels. We had looked into and admired several times the magnificent Cathedral of St. Denis, now completely restored from the destruction it sustained in the Great Revolution; and the fête St. Denis was going on at the time with pompous parade, promised forgiveness and empty ceremonies. We very much preferred for worship the humble temple of the Protestants, with the Word of God and spiritual intelligence. My daughter, Mrs. Rawsthorne, returned to Calais for Dover on Tuesday, Oct. 8, and I left for Orleans, where I slept, and the next morning at six pursued my journey on the way to Montauban. About the middle of the day, in beautiful weather, I arrived at Limoges, where the train stayed for about two hours before the journey could be continued. Limoges is a spirited town of nearly 40,000 inhabitants, with a considerable activity in manufactures, especially in porcelain. It has some good streets and squares. There is a cathedral, said to have been built by the English, which has been since half rebuilt in quite a different style. Formerly it was a sort of rude Byzantine, but more than half has been rebuilt in the Gothic style, and now they are endeavouring to complete it. I have seen a similar thing several times in France. The cathedral at Toulouse has stood half one style and half another for centuries. It is the same at Mans, if I recollect rightly. At Limoges a very intelligent priest, the Abbé G-, joined me in the train, and with him and two priests who entered later I had much conversation as we rode through the beautiful country. The abbé pressed me before leaving to come and spend a few days with him at his parish near Poitiers. The account these gentlemen gave of the prospects of the Roman Catholic religion in France was of the gloomiest character. The priests, they declared, were treated every. where in the towns with the utmost disrespect. They stated that it was expected a law would be passed to permit priests to marry, but they declared no one would take advantage of it. They believed that the country was hastening on to some dreadful catastrophe; for the people, they said, had no regard for authority, no esteem for religion or for anything good. So strong were their expressions, and so dark the picture, that I afterwards inquired from the Protestant pastors at Montauban if there were really facts to justify such a description. They assured me there was a good share of truth in it, but some exaggeration. The clergy generally had so identified themselves with opposition to the Republic, and evinced so great a desire to go back to the old order of things, that they have greatly excited against them all who desire progress, as well as all who prefer the Republican form of government. I could not but sympathize very greatly with the difficulties these gentlemen are experiencing; for, notwithstanding the errors of doctrine prevalent among them, every one who is acquainted with the French priesthood must know that ordinarily the French priest is an amiable Christian gentleman; and the world has never seen brighter examples of self-sacrifice, of devotion to duty, of persistent regard to the best interests of humanity, than have been manifested by the Fénelons and Vincents de Paul in their own country, and the missionary priests in America and China of the noble French nation. These priests pointed out to me, as we passed along, anything that had been connected with the rule of England in those parts in former times, for all over the south of France and to the borders of Spain for nearly three hundred years the country was under English authority. Edward the Black Prince spent most of his time in those regions, some times passing into Spain and taking part in the quarrels there, infatuated with the idea that it was his business to rush right and left, and intermeddle in every squabble, instead of setting a better example by promoting in his own country order, peace, industry, and the cultivation of goodwill and general progress. Richard II., his son, was called Richard of Bordeaux, because he was born in that city. About four in the afternoon the priests directed my attention to a dilapidated castle in the distance, which I did not quite make out, as the Castle of Chalus, which was the one Richard Cœur de Lion was besieging when he received his death-wound from an arrow. This was at least four hundred miles beyond Paris to the south. I could not but think how few of our young people, who read the history of England at school, realize the idea that the Government of England at that time reached so far-covered, in fact, two-thirds of France. What a blessing it was for both nations that eventually we were beaten out! If Henry V.'s complete victory had been perpetuated, England would have become, though nominally the ruler, yet really a province of France. Our monarchs, entangled in Continental ties, could not have defied, as Elizabeth did, all attempts to subjugate our island home, and keep safe and open a refuge for free thought. There are losses which are great gains, and great gains which are real losses. My object in selecting that particular route in France was partly to observe a portion of that beautiful and fertile country, which I had not seen on any former journey, and partly to stay a few days at Montauban, the centre of those horrible persecutions which were sustained by the Protestants, called Huguenots, in the reign of Louis XIV. From Grenoble to Nîmes, from Nîmes to Toulouse, Albi, Montauban, Montpellier, and Bordeaux, the vain, voluptuous, and bigoted monarch harassed with dragonnades, confiscation, banishment, chaining to the galleys for years night and day, and varied forms of death, thousands of upright men far better than himself. Their temples were destroyed in all directions. I wished to see their country, and to learn what was now the condition of Protestantism in those parts, and I was happy to find that the good cause was rising everywhere. Let those who would know how hideous, hateful, and infernal a thing is self-love when it takes the form of religious persecution, read Dr. Smiles' two works, the "History of the Huguenots in France," and the "History of the Huguenots in England and Ireland." I arrived at Montauban late in the evening, but found myself comfortably placed at the Hôtel de l'Europe. The next morning I inquired for the Protestant College, and one of the Protestant pastors. I soon obtained information of both. The college was in vacation, but on calling upon one of the pastors I was cheerfully received, and every information given. After an interesting conversation, I paraded the town and neighbourhood, and found much to admire in both. The Rue du Temple indicates where the large temple was which was ruthlessly destroyed, in the terrible times; except its tower, which is still used as a clock-tower. There are now three temples again, and one will hold about 800 people. There are day-schools and Sundayschools. I was glad also to find an orphan school, containing about sixty girls, supported by subscriptions from the Protestant congregations in all the country round. I was shown over the establishment, and found all very plain, but healthy and good. The girls are taught to do all the washing, cleaning, cooking, and sewing of the establishment, and they solicit work to be sent to be done besides, and I gathered that a considerable amount was executed. : which was On my return to my hotel I found a note awaiting me, an invitation to dine in the evening with the Pastor Durand, and meet a company, including a Russian gentleman, a physician, and Professor Monod. I accepted of course, and spent a charming evening. On my explaining that I was a New Churchman, Professor Monod stated that some time before a New Church lady and her daughter had stayed two years at Montauban. He esteemed them very highly, and on their departure they presented him with two volumes of the works of Swedenborg, which he had read with very great interest, and in which he found much that he valued. Altogether I was extremely pleased (with my visit to Montauban, and I thought, as I left the next day, that all that country is a living and lasting evidence that persecution, however triumphant for a time, fails in the long run. "For freedom's battle once begun, Bequeathed by bleeding sire to son, My route took me over a very remarkable and interesting country, to the great capital of the south of France, and of claret-Bordeaux. This city is situated on the noble river Garonne, wider than the Thames in London, contains 150,000 inhabitants, and has a vigorous and noble air about it. The cathedral, a very fine one, and some other buildings which still remain, were built by the English. There are two Protestant churches, besides an English church. I |