RELIGIOUS DEPARTMENT. INTERESTING LETTER FROM GERMANY. The recent change in the state of religious sentiment in Germany, as described by Mr. Kurtz. Dear Brother Shaeffer, Erfurt, Kingdom of Prussia, Augustin Monastery, From the heading of my letter, you will perceive that I have selected a very interesting place to write in. Yes, it is a fact that I am at present in the Augustin Monastery, in Erfurt, seated in the monastic cell of the immortal Reformer, at the same table at which he so often sat and wrote, with his Bible lying at my left hand, his inkstand to my right, and manuscripts of him and Melancthon his coadjutor, suspended in a frame to the wall, in my front, and several other Lutheran relics, which are carefully preserved in the cell, to gratify the curiosity of strangers and travellers, who when they come to Erfurt never fail to visit this little room with one window, and record their names in a book which is kept here for that purpose. It was within a short distance of this town where, in a promenade, that eventful act of Providence occurred, which proved fatal to Alexius, the friend and companion of Luther, and induced the latter solemnly to renounce the world and its vanities and become ́an Augustin monk. Modern historians (and among others Milner) doubt the truth of this providential occurrence, and attempt to disprove it; but here in Erfurt, where I should suppose the people ought to be best qualified to determine the matter, it is universally believed; and what at once puts an end to all scepticism is the fact, that I read a letter shown to me in the monastery, in which Luther himself relates the circumstance to his father, and offers it as an apology for his be coming a monk. It was also here that Luther in the Providence of God, for the first time, found and became acquainted with the Holy Scriptures, and thus discovered the fallen and corrupt state of the church, and the indispensable necessity of a radical reformation. The monastery is at present occupied in part as an Orphan-house, and in part as a school for reclaiming, and educating poor, neglected and wicked children. The latter institution is under the direction of Mr. Reinthaler, a pious, wealthy, and intelligent gentleman, whose whole life, is devoted to the laudable work of reforming and instructing children, and whose wealth enables him to preside over this institution gratuitously, and to do a great deal of good at his own individual expense. Indeed no country abounds more with benevolent institutions than Germany. maries, hospitals, orphan-houses, asylums for poor widows, for clergymen's widows, for superannuated and sick servants, institutions for the benefit of the deaf and dumb, for curing those who have been born with any bodily defect, with contracted limbs, crooked backs, &c. for the punishment and reformation of juvenile criminals, bettering houses of every descriptions, &c. &c. &c. are to be met with in all directions and neighbourhoods. This excellent state of things is evidently owing entirely to the influence of Christianity; and yet there are men to be found in the world, who are selfish and cold hearted enough to withhold their Infir support from those societies whose || and he who dared to declare his beobject it is to spread abroad among lief in the Scriptures as the inspir the heathens that blessed gospel which alone is able to infuse such human principles in the minds of men, and to call them so effectually || into action! nay, who are such enemies to the comfort and happiness of the human family, that they even oppose those societies and exert all influence to retard their progress and defeat their object! But let them rage, it is all in vain, they are kicking against the goads, and in spite of their opposition, the gospel will, and must prevail, and the time will soon arrive when its victories will extend from pole to pole, and when from the rising to the setting sun the earth will be full of the knowledge of Jesus Jehovah.In Germany the religion of the Redeemer is gaining ground. Rationalists, so called, by which is meant a large and learned class of people in this hemisphere, somewhat similar to our Unitarians, yes, whose principles are often even more objectional than those of the rankest Socinians, are beginning to be ashamed of themselves, and though they formerly glorified in the name of rationalists, they now entirely disclaim the appellation, and their ranks (a few years ago so formidable,) have of late been considerably thinned by the increasing and overpowering influence of true evangelic religion. In Berlin, the metropolis of Prussia, a very populous and splendid city, where I spent seven weeks, and therefore had an opportunity to become acquainted with the state of religious matters, the cause of Christ is triumphant. A few years since this great city was in a most deplorable condition both in a moral and religious point of view. Christ was banished from the pulpit as well as from the desk of the professor,* unbelief and scepticism were the order of the day, *There is a flourishing university in Berlin with about sixteen or seventeen hundred students, and a proportionate number of professors. ed word of God, was laughed at as a poor ignorant mystic; and now the very reverse of all this is the fact. In no city have I met with so many humble and cordial followers of the Lamb; in the University a mighty change has taken place, and from almost every pulpit the cause of the Redeemer is ably vindicated, and the efficacy of his atoning blood is held forth and proclaimed in strains at which the very angels cannot but rejoice, and which the stoutest heart is often unable to resist. We also meet with Bible Societies all over Germany, and in Saxony the Lutheran church is at this moment forming a missionary society for the evangelization of the North American Indians. [Lit. & Evan. Mag. SABBATH SCHOOLS IN SCOTLAND. Sabbath School instruction meets with efficient support in Scotland. In connexion with our Sabbath School Union there are at present one thousand five hundred and seventytwo schools, attended by seventyeight thousand three hundred and ninety-one children; and it is worthy of notice that there are many other schools in different parts of the country, between which and this society no relation exists. Religious instruction is the only object of our Sabbath Schools. [Ibid. RELIGIOUS SECTS IN EUROPE. The following estimate appears in a work (said to be compiled from official documents,) which has been recently published in France, on the subject of religious persua. sions of the population of Europe: England and Wales, 6,000,000. Church of England; 6,000,000 Dissenters. Scotland, 1,500,000 || all the Primary Schools, for the Presbyterians; 500,000 other year 1815, and certainly, considersects. Ireland, 500,000 Church ing the extent of the kingdom, it of England; 5,500,000 Catholics; does not give a very high idea of 800,000 Presbyterians; 300,000 the condition in which the publick Methodists, &c. Spain, 11,660,000 instruction then was :— Catholics. Portugal, 3,173,300 of Sciences, Catholics. way, 3,550,000 Lutherans.-Den- [Ibid. PRIMARY EDUCATION IN FRANCE. The Primary Schools of France may be divided in different ways, according to the point of view in which they are considered. They may be divided into schools of the first, second, or third order, according to the degree of extension or perfection to which instruction is carried; they may be divided into those kept by individuals and those kept by associations, and particularly by the brotherhood of charity; they may also be divided according to the system of teaching adopted in them, and, lastly, into gratis and paying schools. In the following table is given a statement of the numbers of the University of France, including Secondary Ecclesiastical Schools, 26 7 9 Do. of Medicine, 3 52 Do. 2113 of Medicine, 4216 9000 28,000 5233 39,623 737,369 825,554 Students of Law, Do. But since this period a rapid in- years. was 737,369; in 1820 it amounted | shown himself decidedly hostile to to 1,070,500, being an increase of the system. The clergy, too, have 333,131 in the short space of six strenuously opposed its progress, and have gone so far, in some cases, as by their influence to abolish several schools in which the education was conducted upon this principle. An opposition of this kind, if the system be a good one, will not, it is probable, do much harm. It may be checked for a time, but its superiority, if it be superior, will soon appear; in which case, it is likely, this opposition will rather prove beneficial than otherwise to its extension. There is little fear of publick education not improving, when the head of publick instruction is heard to pronounce such words as these: There is an instruction necessary to all men; it consists of the elements of religion and morality, of the arts of reading, writing and arithmetic. The present state of existence is one that can be neither happy nor well regulated, except when this knowledge is possessed by man." It is to be hoped that future Grand Masters may think and speak in the same spirit, and then there will be little to dread. Into the armies of France the system of mutual instruction has been introduced by M. Appert, and the benefits that have arisen from it are visible. Many regiments now possess a school founded upon this principle; and many officers of high rank and distinguished abilities are using their utmost endeavours to extend their numbers, and have formed a sort of society solely with this view. Most of the young men now in service had been brought up at a period when education in France was held as but of secondary importance, and had indeed been called to arms whilst yet children. But many are making up at present for what had formerly been despised or overlooked. The want of instruction may not be felt during the bustle and thoughtlessness of a military life, but when disabled by disease, or retired from service, then it is that all the advantages of an early education will be felt, and the curse of ignorance will be experienced when it is too late to remove it. [The following account of the state (1827) of education in France is from a Report of the Society for Elementary Instruction. Of the accuracy of the account there can be no doubt, in the minds of those who are acquainted with the fact; that the above society numbers among its most active and responsible members, such men as De Gerando and Laborde, and has pursued its beneficent labours for twelve years, not without a jealous watchfulness and a systematic opposition, on the part of those who dread the consequences of general education and popular improvement.] It is with profound regret, that, out of Thirty-one Millions, Six hundred Thousand inhabitants of France, we find from Fifteen to Sixteen Millions who can neither read nor write. Four Millions, Five hundred Thousand children out of Six Millions, that is to say, precisely three fourths of those who are of age to be admitted into the Schools, are deprived of every kind of education. It is true this deplorable want is very unequally felt. In some Departments of the north and the If the advocates, however, of east, the number of children who mutual instruction be numerous, attend the Schools may be one its opponents are not less power- tenth of the population; while ful; and it has been said of late in others, it is not more than the that the Minister of the Interior has two hundred and twenty-ninth APRIL, 1828. 15 CATHOLIC CHURCHES. Extract of a letter from the Rev. Mr. Bird, of the Palestine Mission, to the Rev. Mr. Kimball, of Townshend, Vt. dated Beyroot, May 2d, 1827. frequent returns of the day of Pertecost. I am going to add to the missionary field all those portions of the globe that are overspread by churches not Protestant, especially that of which the Pope of Rome is the head; so that instead of 200, 000,000 of Christians to unite in the vast work of converting the world, we have left at most, only 60,000,000, or rather, instead of 600 millions to whom the gospel needs to be sent, we have 740 millions. There is indeed a shade of difference between the besotted heathen, and those who know the crucified for men, but the difference name of Christ, and that he was will not appear so great if we are assured that these very christians are but another class of idolaters. The use of images and pictures in the churches, introduced under I think I have suggested to your the specious plea of honoring God consideration, in a former letter, and assisting in his worship, prethe tract written by the Bombay vails you know in all the east, and Missionaries, some years since, in from whatever motive they may which a reasonable calculation is have been introduced originally, made of the labour and sacrifice and however cautious some individnecessary to bring the heathen uals may be to lift their hearts from within the sound of the gospel in the image on earth to the original the course of 20 or 30 years. You in heaven, yet it is a fact, not dehave read the tract, and have nied by these Christians themdoubtless wondered how the Chris-selves, that the common, ignorant tians of America could possibly ex- multitude pay their worship to the cuse themselves from making the image itself. It is also evident, to trifling sacrifice there specified; any one who perceives their manhow any person, who professes to ner in their acts of devotion, that have given up all for Christ, could the best of them have little or no possibly refuse to bear his propor- thought beyond the idol. tion of sacrifice to accomplish the last command of Christ, when this accomplishment has been so evidently shown to be within his reach. No doubt you feel, that when the churches shall come out of this state of plain disobedience in which they are at present, they may expect that God will receive them, as he always did his ancient people, when they returned from their idolatry; that they may expect, not the mere ordinary outpourings of the Spirit of Grace, but But that these people do actually worship the images themselves, can no more be denied, than it can be that they believe in the Trinity, for one is as plainly taught in their catechisms as the other. In a catechism I purchased in Malta, are these questions and answers, viz.: Why do we adore as holy, the cross on which our Saviour Ans. died?" 66 Because Jesus Christ has sanctified it by the touch of his most holy body, and his most precious death." Ques. "Must 66 |