used to suppress them. Constant restraint, unwearied patience, and unceasing assiduity, are necessary to control the disorderly elements of human nature; and when these do not form a prominent part in the character of every early guardian of youth, symptoms of degeneracy, examples of vicious excess, and unprovoked rudeness, will make frequent appearance, and acquire uncontrolled predominance.

Now, if this be a correct view of human nature, and that it is, experience, aided by the powerful support of Bible authority, most unequivocally maintains, there is an awful responsibility laid on parents, from which nothing can exempt them. Early, unremitting, and vigorous superintendence is required of them, for if indolence, with its numberless and pernicious train of evils, be permitted to paralyse their exertions, the golden opportunities they have lost will never return. Now, when in walking through our villages or towns, or on entering, in the ordinary course of social intercourse, or the discharge of duty, the houses of our neighbourhood, we meet with roughness of character, the petulance of childhood, the scream of passion, the language of railing, the sullenness of suppressed rage, the look of dissatisfaction, or the thousand effects of overweening indulgence, we are warranted in tracing all these glaring and unhallowed deficiencies of character to the want of discipline that prevails, and the indifference that reigns, under the roof of a parent, and the fostering care of the mother that gave them birth. Let proof support the assertion now made. When a father is incapable, from ignorance, to communicate religious instruction, he can have no conception of that orderly and decent deportment that piety, brought to early maturity, invariably inspires; not brought himself under the influence of the Gospel, he must, as there is no alternative, be the slave of sin and Satan. Now, wherever the spirit of evil reigns, disorder must take up its abode; and when a father is the willing servant of innate corruption, he must either join with his children in their wild extravagances, or, if the mere want of animal spirit prevent him, he can calmly contemplate them, even on the Lord's own day, enjoying themselves in sinful gambols, and preparing themselves, even in his own presence, by banishing the fear of God from their minds, to become the undoubted subjects of the kingdom of darkness. In this state of things, what can be expected but disorder, the loud laugh of indifference, the romping of insensibility, and a damping of the excited spirits, if any ill-omened guest should venture to talk of the soul and its immortal interests? But perhaps the irregularity that prevails in many families, with respect to religion, and regard to solemn days, may originate more frequently from unwillingness rather than inability. Some are so much wrapt up in their own importance, or impressed so deeply with an idea of the slavery or the drudgery connected in their minds with all instruction, that they shrink from the ungracious employment, and

commit it to others, who, happily, for the benefit of society, are found to relieve them from the task. Day after day will pass over their heads, and no word of religious instruction will ever pass their lips; nay, thousands descend down to the grave with a lie in their mouths, and without ever having redeemed the pledge they gave at the baptism of their children. Is it thus that thoughtless men tamper with the Almighty, and madly expose themselves to his vengeful arm? Now, when parents make the world their chief concern, and when they have no other acquaintance with religion than that which they have acquired in our schools or our churches, they would consider it taken out of its place were it permitted to act influentially in the family circle. They think and talk of every thing but God; and even on his own holy day they will teach their children,—not to make them wise unto salvation,-but to render them accomplished in the ways of the world. Now, witness the effects of this conduct, not in exaggerated statement, but in strict conformity to the experience of many an unprejudiced observer.

The very elementary principles of piety are not taught in such a family, because the service of God has not acquired a due prominence in their estimation; or if the salutary requirements of society call upon them not to neglect the spiritual interests of their children, they look abroad for what they do not relish at home, and if they understand that the matter is attended to, they do not consider it any part of their business to discover in what manner it is performed. Of course, when religion is so lightly esteemed, that book on which it is founded must be neglected, the family circle is never assembled to hear it read with reverence by its head, the language of prayer proceeds not from the lips, and day after day succeeds without ever witnessing a Creator honoured, or a Saviour loved. In the higher ranks of society, such conduct may be followed without producing such effects as we deplore, because there is a polish, a smoothness of manner, that may to a certain degree keep within bounds the antipathy that must be felt to religion. But at other times, when this artificial restraint does not exist, or is occasionally removed, you will soon see piety branded with every opprobrious epithet, and behold the follower of Jesus classed with hypocrites, or treated with coldness and disrespect. When we witness the conduct of those in other ranks of society, who are not indebted to artificial rules for the regulation of their manners, the genuine sentiments of the heart will be expressed, when piety is ridiculed, and when the bitter and sarcastic sneer is seen playing on the countenance, whenever the servants of religion make their appearance.

Now, suppose a parent who had hitherto neglected his duty, should determine to amend his conduct, without feeling any real necessity for doing so, but merely because it was decent to wear the very convenient garb of the semblance of religion. Such an individual may be seen sitting in the chair of authority, and with an air of con

any inconsistency in conduct, or error in judgment. | Take care then, as you value the immortal souls of those dear pledges of affection, that no impure word ever circulate in your dwelling, or pollute the chamber where innocence reposes. Repress, with the look of authority, and the frown of disapproval, the graceless jest or the corrupting idea, that the man of guilt would bring forth to gratify his own depraved taste, and to infect all within his pestilential reach. Too easily are the inflammable materials of which human nature is composed brought into action, and if once the fire be kindled, grace alone can extinguish it. In your dwelling God is reverenced, and you cannot permit Satan to establish his footing. The Bible, that was the support of your fathers, will be handled with pious reverence, and with laudable satisfaction; you will look to it as the brightest gem in the inheritance he has left you, and with pious delight you will read again and again in the hearing of your children, those pages which he, who has now entered into his master's joy, taught you to admire. When religion is thus made a daily guest, and when you feel deeply interested in the important work, your children, like young vines, will grow up around you, and become, through the blessed influences of the Spirit, those little children of whom consisteth the kingdom of heaven.

But, again, if parents are really anxious to prevent early depravity in their children, they must look around them with the glance of unwearied vigilance. In no circumstances is this quality more requisite; when evil passions are inflamed, there is a cunning that would baffle the keenest inspection, and an art that points out the teaching of the father of mischief. A father, therefore, who is desirous to do his duty, will look into the souls of his children, and when he discovers there the corrupting principle in full activity, alive to the dreadful consequences of its entire ascendency, he will earnestly intercede with God to arrest the progress of the fatal contagion, and to pluck those he loves as brands from the burning. Unwearied activity will characterise such a parent; he will give no slumber to his eyelids; he will court mental and bodily exertion, and while hope, with cheering prospects, animates, it will be satisfaction, only to be felt to be appreciated, to find, that, through the instrumentality of divine grace, he is adding another member to that spiritual kingdom which Christ has ransomed with his own precious blood.

The prayers of such a parent will ascend with ardour to the throne of the Eternal; and no petition will be presented with more intense interest, than that which beseeches God to shower down his blessings on his tender offspring. In such a family, the service of God is a source of the purest pleasure: to the joys it promises, every eye turns with delight; and heaven, where a Saviour reigns, is that happy country, where all shall meet when the pilgrimage of life comes to a close. Religion, instead of being considered a morose companion, throws a hallowed joy over every place where it takes up its residence; content beams on every

countenance of the family where it resides; a happiness is experienced to which the men of the world are strangers, and a delightful foretaste experienced of that pure joy that awaits the righteous at God's right hand. Order and regularity prevail in every department of the family circle; and those hours are the sweetest, when the father, collecting his children around him, tells them why God is to be loved, the Saviour admired, the Holy Spirit to be trusted to, and an entire reliance placed on the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, the only Mediator between God and man. Now, when you meet with children who have had the happiness of being reared under such godly parents, you run no risk of witnessing those melancholy exhibitions of early depravity that assailed the prophet as he journeyed to Beth-el. If you meet them by the way, the smile of graceful modesty will be observed playing on their cheek; if they are addressed, innocent ingenuousness will mark their reply, truth will flow from their lips with unvarying regularity, and such an attractive charm will appear thrown around their characters, that you must mark them down as the children of God. Piety, in their hands, will meet with unvaried respect: it will be loved for its own sake, and the

man will be honoured in whom it resides. The weakness of age will be commiserated, its wants relieved with kindness, and no harsh word will ever visit the failings it exhibits. The children who have been trained with the greatest care in the fear of the Lord, will ever form the best members of society, and act with the greatest propriety in every relation in life. They are the peculiar care of the Most High: they are followers of Jesus; they endeavour to copy his blessed example, and because they have the fear of God before their eyes, you run no danger of finding them rude in their manners, unguarded in their language, or contemptuous in their conduct. Anxiety should be felt by every pious mind, in honouring children who love their Redeemer in early life. Active efforts should be made in aiding them in the acquisition of higher degrees of spiritual knowledge. Society has its best interests promoted in the religious education of youth. No man can be a sincere Christian, who is indifferent to the rising generation. Public corruption commences from small beginnings, and youth are frequently exposed to the vengeance of an angry God.

THE EARLY PROTESTANT CHURCH OF
FRANCE.
No. I.

BY THE REV. JOHN G. LORIMER, Minister of St. David's Church, Glasgow. THE friends of religion are at present much interested in the symptoms of revival which are appearing in the Protestant Church of France, and well may they be so. The influence of that country, with its thirty-two millions population, and high state of civilization, must be immense, throughout Europe. Few centres of Christian influence can be more extensively powerful, and the new life and growth of Popery in various parts of France, render the present revival of the truth the

more interesting. In these circumstances, it may not be unseasonable to recal the public attention to the state and character of the early Protestant Church. It is always pleasing to trace the steps of the Great Head of the Church towards his people, and memorials of past mercy are fitted, when gratefully acknowledged, to draw down the divine blessing, and to suggest plans of present usefulness. My authority for the following statements shall be unexceptionable, consisting chiefly of the public acts and decrees of the national councils of the Reformed Churches in France, collected by Quick, in his Synodicon, and published in two folio volumes, at London, in 1692.

Many are imperfectly acquainted with the early history of the Protestant Church of France. It is imagined that it was small and poor, and that its annals contain little to interest the Christian student; but the truth is, it was one of the largest and most glorious Churches of Christendom, supplied an immense host of martyrs, and furnishes the most interesting and valuable instruction to Christians in every age. I can refer only to the more prominent facts. The doctrines of the Reformation were early introduced into France, and, as in other continental countries, the professors of them were not a little indebted to the countenance and support of persons of rank and influence. At a period when the Church of Rome was so completely paramount, it is not easy to see, humanly speaking, how the Gospel, or its profession, could have made progress at all, had not ministers and people been favoured by the powerful. Accordingly, so early as 1520, the sister of Francis I. was a zealous Protestant, while her brother was a bitter persecutor. Fifteen years later, the Scriptures were translated into the French language, by Olivitan, the uncle of the celebrated Calvin, and shortly after, the Psalms of David were turned into verse by one of the popular poets of the day, and set to melodious music. This last undertaking was attended with remarkable success. There had been nothing of the same kind before, and so the whole music of the people had been perverted to superstitious and sinful purposes. Now, the national genius was enlisted on the side of truth. "This holy ordinance," says Quick," charmed the ears, hearts, and affections of court and city, town and country. They were sung in the Louvre, as well as in the Pres des Clerks, by the ladies, princes, yea, and by Henry II. himself. This one ordinance only, contributed mightily to the downfal of Popery, and the propagation of the Gospel. It took so much with the genius of the nation, that all ranks and degrees of men practised it, in the temples, and in their families. No gentleman professing the Reformed Religion would sit down at his table without praising God by singing. Yea, it was especial part of their morning and evening worship in their several houses, to sing God's praises.' Such offence did this sacred verse and music give to the Popish priests, and so much did they dread its power, that a leading man of their number had the Odes of Horace

translated and set to music as a counteraction. Let us hope that the turning of the Irish Psalms into verse, an honour which has been reserved for the present Moderator of the General Assembly, will be as extensively useful in displacing vindictive and licentious songs, and conveying a saving knowledge of divine truth, in the most interesting form, to a people not less susceptible of the charms of poetry, nor less deeply sunk in the moral degradation of Popery. About the same period in which the Scriptures were translated into French, the celebrated" Institutes" of Calvin were published, and extensively circulated. These means, together with the labours of faithful men, were crowned with the divine blessing, and the Gospel made such decided progress, that persecution was awoke in a very virulent form. The king himself assisted at the burning of six martyrs at Paris. These proceedings, as has often been

the case in similar instances, instead of hindering, accelerated the cause they were meant to destroy, and in so important a degree, that in 1559, the first General Assembly of the Protestant Church was held at Paris, in the very face of a hostile Court. It is remarkable that this was the very year before the first General Assembly of the Protestant Church of Scotland was held at Edinburgh, so nearly contemporaneous was the progress of the Gospel in the two countries. In spite of all the persecution which had been sustained, the following is Quick's account of the Protestant cause at the time the first Assembly convened at Paris :--

"The holy word of God is duly, truly, and powerfully preached in churches and fields, in ships and houses, in vaults and cellars, in all places where the Gospelministers can have admission and conveniency, and with singular success. Multitudes are convinced and converted, established and edified. Christ rideth out upon the white horse of the ministry, with the sword and bow of the Gospel preached, conquering and to conquer. His enemies fall under him, and submit themselves unto him. O, the unparalleled success of the plain and zealous sermons of the first reformers! Multitudes flock in like doves into the windows of God's ark. As innumerable drops of dew fall from the womb of the morning, so hath the Lord Christ the dew of his youth. The Popish Churches are drained, the Protestant temples are filled. The priests complain that their altars are neglected, their masses are now indeed solitary. Dagon cannot stand before God's ark. Children, and persons of riper years, are catechised in the rudiments and principles of Christian religion, and can give a comfortable account of their faith, a reason of that hope that is in them. By this ordinance do their pious pastors prepare them for communion with the Lord at his holy table. Here they communicate in both kinds, according to the primitive institution of the Sacrament, by Jesus Christ himself."

The General Assembly of the French Church consisted only of eleven members, that of Scotland of twelve. The French ministers met in secret, and proceeded forthwith to draw up a confession of their faith. This was particularly called for, owing to the misrepresentations of their real sentiments and views which were current among their enemies. It is understood that the great Calvin bore a part in the preparation of this most interesting and admirable document. And two things are worthy of notice, first, that it was solely the work of the Church; and, secondly, that, without any concert with other Protestant Churches, it remarkably harmonizes with the confessions of all, shewing that, under the teaching of God's Spirit, no good men, wherever they may be scattered, and whatever their circumstances of trial, seriously differ in their interpretation of Scripture. It is a state of ease, and a season of speculation, which lead men to doubt and disagree as to what is truth. Persecution drives to first principles, and when the heart is right, it keeps the head clear and sound. Upon another occasion, I may give extracts from the Confession of Faith, and compare it with the early confessions of the Protestant Church in this country. In the meantime, I shall allude to a few of the points of Church discipline in the Church of France. That discipline, as might have been expected, from the strong views of doctrine, was strict and comprehensive. Ministers, on pain of deposition, were required actually to reside beside their Churches, and to be entirely devoted to the work of the ministry. This, at a period when there was so much distraction from persecution, and when a pastor's temporal provision was so slender and precarious, shews how high was the sense entertained of the importance of the ministerial office, and how great was the anxiety that the people should reap its full advantages.

"No minister, together with the holy ministry, shall