GERMANY. The Protestant Churches.-THE REFORMED CHURCH of Germany has been more successful than either the Lutherans or Roman Catholics in effecting a national organization, and has held annually, since 1857, a General Conference, attended by deputies from all parts of Germany. The conference of the present year met, in June, at Enden, Hanover, and was attended by about ninety members and several guests from Holland. It is hoped that these annual conferences will gradually prepare the way for a closer union of the Reformed Church of Germany with the Reformed and Presbyterian Churches of Switzerland, France, Holland, Great Britain, and America. THE GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS ASSOCIATION, the most popular among all the religious societies of Germany, has had no general assembly during the present year. The revenues of this association are more and more assuming a dimension equaling that of the leading religious societies of Great Britain and America. In 1857 they amounted to 101,000 thalers, in 1858 to 107,000; during the financial year just closed to 130,000. As the Austrian government has recently given the permission, so often refused in former years, that in all the Protestant Churches of the empire an annual collection may be taken up for the purposes of the Gustavus Adolphus Association, it is likely that the year now entered upon will witness a still greater increase of its receipts. The partial influence which the Church of Rome has gained over the courts of several German princes, has occasioned, on the part of the bishops, some ATTACKS ON THE LEGAL RIGHTS OF PROTESTANTISM, which have made a deep sensation among the Protestant population, as indicating the intentions of the Catholic hierarchy. In two Protestant States, Hesse Darmstadt and Baden, Protestant authors have had civil suits brought against them for articles against doctrines and practices of the Church of Rome. In Hesse Darmstadt two lower courts, consisting mainly of Catholic judges, found the defendant guilty, but the Supreme Court at Darmstadt acquitted him. The long-expected decree of the Austrian emperor on the reorganization of the PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN HUNGARY and the adjacent countries, has at length been published. Some of the grievances are redressed by this decree, which concedes in general to the Churches for which it is given a greater amount of self-government than any European State Church, except those of Scotland and Holland, enjoy. Yet the Hungarians fear, by an unconditioned acceptance of the imperial decrees, to forfeit the claims of the Church to autonomy, and they demand as a right what the government offers to them as a gift. While thanking the government, therefore, for its good intentions to improve the situation of the Protestant Church, they have resolved to petition the emperor that a General Synod may be convoked as soon as possible, and the imperial decrees submitted to it, in order that thus, by a compromise between the wishes of the Church and the proposals of the government, a Church constitution may be formed that will give general satisfaction. Roman Catholic Church.-The eleventh GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CATHOLIC ASSOCIATION met at Freiburg in September, and was attended by deputies from all parts of Germany and Austria, and guests from France and Switzerland. This assembly has now the character of a diet of all the various associations established for religious purposes. The proceedings consist mostly in reports on the progress of the several religious associa tions and on the condition of public opinion among the Catholic population; and the main advantage expected from them, is to awaken a new interest in religious associations, especially in the district in which the General Assembly is held. The place for holding the assembly changes therefore every year. For next year Prague is chosen, and in case of any hinderances, the capital of Bavaria, in which country no General Assembly has been held as yet, as it was feared that the government would refuse permission. The assembly of the present year received letters of approbation from the pope and a considerable number of the German bishops. A marked progress of some of the religious associations was reported from Prussia, where, for example, in the archdiocese of Cologne the Society of St. Boniface has seen its income raised from 3,000 thalers to 22,000 thalers. THE CONCORDATS with some of the states in southwestern Germany still occupy the public attention to a high degree. That with Baden has not yet been published, but the general expectation is, that the concessions made by the government to the Church are very large, and that, for example, all the faculties of the state university of Freiburg will be placed under the control of the archbishop. A rumor prevails that the concordat with Baden, as soon as officially published, will be adopted also by the Duchy of Nassau, whose Catholic population belong to the same ecclesiastical province with Baden. The government of Wurtemberg has commenced to carry out a part of the provisions of the concordat, without heeding the very decided opposition of the Chambers to it. THE REFORMATION OF THE MONASTIC ORDERS in Austria had at length been brought to a close, and the resistance of a majority of the monks to a reinforcing of the old discipline has, after a struggle of seven years, succumbed. All the orders will be gradually brought back to their old rules, by introducing the reformation into the novitiates and successively in every convent in which the monks pledged to the reform shall have a majority. An important point in this reformation is the restoration of the connection between the Austrian convents and the Superiors General and General Assemblies in Rome. The cardinal archbishop of Gran, in Hungary, informs the clergy of his diocese that a part of the reformatory decrees will be obligatory for all the members of the religious orders, expressing however at the same time his regret that the sharp iron has been made use of, instead of pouring the oil of mercy into the wounds. SWITZERLAND. Protestant Churches.- THE MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF BASEL reported at the last General Assembly the income of the past year as amounting to 642,000 francs, a sum considerably exceeding that of any preceding year. All the missions except one have made progress, and the number of baptized pagans has increased to four thousand seven hundred and nineteen. At the annual meeting of the EVANGELICAL SOCIETY OF GENEVA, at which usually the foreign attendance is more comprehensive than at the meetings of Basel, there was this year a great want of visitors from abroad. There was, however, no lack of interest, and the meetings received an additional interest from the circumstance of the ordination of four young ministers, prepared in the theological school, and one of whom will soon be employed in Canada, his native country. The School of Theology, which was founded and is still controlled by the Evangelical Society, continues to prosper under the presidency of Merle d'Aubigne. This year seven young ministers have been licensed, making up for the last three years sixteen ministers. At the same time the number of students has increased, and ranges now between thirty and forty, who belong, as formerly, to various countries and Churches. The school tends in particular to become more and more the theological seminary of the Protestant French Churches in Canada. THE RATIONALISTIC PARTY is improving its organization, and thereby gaining ground in a number of cantons, especially among the younger clergy. In the Canton of Berne the members of this party have formed a "Theologic Ecclesiastical Society," whose meetings have been attended by about thirty clergymen. At the twentieth annual meeting of the General Preachers' Society, held at St. Gallen, in August, the influence of the party made itself felt more strongly than in any preceding year. Some of its representatives avowed their disbelief in a personal God and the immortality of the soul. They display a great literary activity, and some of their works, as 8 "System of Christian Doctrines," by H. Lang, the editor of their central organ, and a "6 Manual of Religious Instruction for the higher Classes of Colleges," by Professor Biederman, of Zurich, are attracting some attention both in Switzerland and Germany. It is believed that a hard contest between the Rationalistic and the Orthodox parties throughout Switzerland is approaching. As yet, it seems, greater forbearance is shown to the Rationalists within the State Church than to the FREE EVANGELICAL CONGREGATIONS. After the precedence of several other cantons, the Synod of Berne recently resolved, with thirty-two votes against twenty-four, to petition the Grand Council of the Canton for a new law, protecting the State Church against the progress of the Free Churches. The Roman Catholic Church.The second GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE PIUS, OR CATHOLIC ASSOCIATIONS met in August at Schwyz, under the presidency of Count Schezer. It was attended by about two hundred members, representing eighty associations. The most conspicuous part of the proceedings was a speech of the celebrated Capuchin monk, Father Theodosius, the most prominent and active man of Catholic Switzerland, on the task of the association and the duties of Catholics with regard to society. According to a work recently published on the STATISTICS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH of Switzerland, the number of Roman Catholics amounts to 971,809, among whom there are 4,047 ecclesiastics, or one for every 243 inhabitants. The number of monks amounts to 527, that of nuns to 1,411. Among the monks the Capuchins are the most numerous, counting 378 members. SCANDINAVIA. The Protestant Churches.-The SECOND SCANDINAVIAN CHURCH DIET was held at Lund, Sweden, in September. The attendance was not as numerous as was expected. Many of the leading High Lutherans of Sweden and Norway showed themselves opposed to it, and even the theological faculty of the University of Lund refused to attend. It was presided over by Bishop Thomander, of Lund, who is regarded as the most prominent representative of evangelical principles among the Swedish bishops, and by Professor Hammerich, of Copenhagen. The proceedings consisted mostly in accounts of the religious life of the three countries, viewed from the two different standpoints (High Lutheran and Evangelical) which were represented in the assembly. Visitors were present from the Lutheran Church of France, and from that of Finland. Among the suggestions thrown out we mention one by Dr. Kalker, to unite in the establishment of a common Scandinavian Foreign Missionary Society. The Roman Catholic Church. THE VISIT OF THE BISHOP OF OSNABRUCK, who is at the same time Provicar Apostolic of the Northern Missions in Denmark, is considered an event of some importance, as it is the first appearance of a Catholic bishop in that country since 1542, when the last Bishop of Roeskild died. The bishop met with a favorable reception on the part of the king and the crown prince, was invited to the royal table, and declared himself entirely satisfied with regard to the result of his visit. FRANCE. The Roman Catholic Church.The DISSATISFACTION OF THE CATHOLIC PARTY with the government has been greatly increased by the policy of the emperor in the Italian question. In pursuance of an invitation of the pope, the bishops have issued circulars to their dioceses, in which they prescribe public prayers for the pope, denounce "the wicked attempts" to strip the head of the Church of a part of his temporal power, and treat every effort to induce the papal government to grant political reforms as an encroachment upon the rights of an independent sovereign. The differences which have occasionally shown themselves among the bishops have disappeared in this question, and it has been remarked with general surprise, that one of the most violent documents has been issued by Bishop Dupanloup of Orleans, who was heretofore considered as one of the most moderate and learned French bishops. Some of the bishops have even taken the ground that the papal states belong among the best governed of Europe. The government have repeatedly reprimanded the manifestations of the Catholic party. In a reply to a public harangue of the Archbishop of Bordeaux, the emperor has emphatically reiterated his belief in the necessity of reforms in the government of the papal states, and requested the bishop to calm rather than to excite the public sentiment. The leading Catholic papers, the "Univers," the "Ami de la Religion," and the " Correspondent" have again received official warnings, the two latter for having published an article of Count Montalembert on the Italian question. Next to the embarrassed position of the pope, the DEATH OF THE CURE D'ARS, a village priest, who recently died in the odor of sanctity, has been the most talked-of event in the Catholic Church. The examples of medieval and ancient asceticism have become in modern times exceedingly rare, and it was therefore natural that a man who imitated and equaled the strictest ascetics of former times, would become a subject, partly of curiosity, partly of admiration. His diocesan, the Bishop of Belley, in a circular letter addressed to the clergy on the day of his death, says of him that he neither slept nor ate, contenting himself with three or four ounces of nourishment per day and one or two hours' sleep. He entered the confessional long before daybreak, and except to say his mass, give a short instruction, and eat his meal, rarely left it much before midnight. The influx of pilgrims from all parts of France was so great, that they had generally to wait at least forty-eight hours before they had a chance of speaking to him. Already powers of healing and conversion have pilgrimage has been organized to his been imputed to his earthly remains, a tomb, and it is the general expectation of the people, that these imputed privileges will soon meet with an official seal and recognition from the authorities of his Church. The Protestant Churches.-THE PERSECUTION OF PROTESTANTS still continues in many parts of France, mostly owing to the great influence of the bishops on the subaltern officers of the state. In a town of northern France a soldier has been punished with fourteen days of imprisonment, for refusing to bend his knee before the elevated host. He had previously applied in vain to his officer to be exempted from doing military service during the mass. The minister of war, however, who is a Protestant himself, has annulled the punishment. THE FRENCH BRANCH OF THE EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE has held an annual assembly at Lyons from October 31 to November 2. The interest of the French Churches in the objects of the alliance is still very great, and many efforts are made to establish a closer union between the several denominations. To the same end a monthly is devoted, which was established in January, 1859, under the title, La Croix, feuille mensuelle, consacree à l'union Chretienne et au develloppement de la vie dans l'eglise. ITALY. The Protestant Churches.-FULL RELIGIOUS LIBERTY for all Protestants has been proclaimed by the legislative assemblies of Parma, Modena, Tuscany, and the Legation. Naples, Venetia, and the Papal States remain now the only Italian States in which the free organization of Protestant congregations is still forbidden or impeded. At Florence the Italian service, began by Mr. Malan, late Moderator of the Waldensian Church, has been regularly continued. Father Gavazzi has recommenced preaching in Bologna. In Milan the necessary arrangements have been made for the establishment of a Waldensian Church. SPAIN. The Protestant Churches.-PERSECUTION still continues. A Spanish Protestant, Senor Escalante, has been arrested in Andalusia, at the instance of the priests, for hawking copies of the Spanish New Testament. He is an agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society, and said to be a native of Gibraltar, which would entitle him to British protection. He was at first put into a local prison with the first malefactors, but he has since been removed to the prison of Cadiz, where he has been well treated and allowed to be visited by his friends. TURKEY. The Greek Church.-THE REORGANIZATION OF THE GREEK CHURCH has, ever since the beginning of the present year, continued to be the subject of grave deliberation. The Council of Reform, consisting of the most prominent laymen of the Church, has remained in permanent session, and is supported by the sympathies not only of the Turkish government but also by those of the Patriarch of Constantinople. A passionate resistance, on the other hand, has been made to the measures of the Council of Reform by those metropolites who are members of the Holy Synod, and who have long been accustomed to live in Constantinople. When the lay representatives resolved to abolish the taxes heretofore levied by the higher Greek clergy on the laity, and to assign to the bishops fixed salaries, they entered a solemn protest. To overcome their resistance, the Turkish Minister of the Interior, Fuad Pasha, ordered them to leave the capital, and to take their residence, in accordance with the canons of their Church, in their own dioceses. The metropolites again protested against this measure, representing it as an attack of the Mohammedan government on the immunities of the Greek Church. They communicated their protest to the Synods of St. Petersburgh and Athens, and in the latter place they met with an almost unanimous support of the press. But the Council of Reform at Constantinople have prepared a refutation, and intend to carry through the reorganization. Already the salary of the Patriarch of Constantinople has been fixed at six hundred thousand piastres. Simultaneously with these efforts of abolishing old abuses, the DECENTRALIZATION OF THE CHURCH is constantly engrossing the attention of large portions of the Church. The Bulgarians have again sent petitions, covered with more than six thousand signatures, to the government, to obtain their independence of the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the appointment of a national patriarch and national bishops. Their indignation against the Greek clergy has been recently greatly increased by a decree of the patriarch to close their churches in Constantinople on account of one of their priests having failed to pay certain customary fees. The "Presse d'Orient," a French paper of Constanti nople, reports even that a whole Bulgarian district, in order to get rid of the oppressions of the Greek clergy, has declared its intention to join the Church of Rome. The National Assembly of Servia has prohibited the begging of the monks, and subjected the administration of their property to the inspection of lay committees. All the convents are moreover to be transformed into parish churches. NUMEROUS ADDITIONS to the Greek Church have been made in the pashalic of Trebizonde, in Asia Minor, where about seven thousand members of a tribe which since 1461 has been apparently Mohammedan, have declared themselves publicly as Christians. The Turkish government has laid no obstacles in their way, mostly induced by the consideration, that in case of the continuance of compulsion, the whole tribe would have emigrated to Russia. The Roman Catholic Church.THE GREEK CATHOLIC (MELCHITE) BISHOPS, who are opposed to the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar, have held a synod at Endor, near Zahle, and declared themselves independent of the authority of the papal delegate, Valerga, who attempted to force them to submission. They have organized themselves as an independent ecclesiastical body, and sent delegates to Constantinople, to obtain from the government the recognition as the Eastern Melchite Church. The Protestant Churches.-THE NUMBER OF PROTESTANTS IN TURKEY, according to a recent Turkish correspondence of a Church gazette of Berlin, amounts to about seventeen thousand, comprising about eleven thousand evan gelical Franks and six thousand natives. It has been recently increased by the immigration of a number of Molokans, from Russia, who are believed to possess, to a large extent, a sound Protestant creed. Driven by persecution, several of them have entered Turkey, and arrived in the neighborhood of Sivas, and there is every probability both that they will be permanently resident in Turkey, and that their numbers will be from time to time augmented by new accessions from Russia. The Auxiliary Bible Society of Constantinople has already taken steps which may lead to the supply of their wants. THE PROTESTANT ARMENIAN COMMUNITY is greatly suffering from pecuniary embarrassment. When they were excommunicated from the Patriarch of the Armenian Church, they had to choose a civil head, who, as their official organ, represents them with the government. On account of their poverty they find it hard to collect the tax levied on them for supporting this civil organization, which, therefore, it is feared, may be entirely dissolved, a circumstance which would expose them to new persecutions. THE BULGARIAN MISSION OF THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH has been much encouraged by the reception of two thousand copies of the New Testament in the simple Bulgarian language, and by the circumstances under which their circulation has been commenced. ART. XI.-SYNOPSIS OF THE QUARTERLIES. I.-American Quarterly Reviews. I. THE THEOLOGICAL AND LITERARY JOURNAL, October, 1859.-1. Rev. Mr. Lee's Eschatology: 2. Notes on Scripture: Matthew xxii-xxiii.: 3. The Judgments Foreshown under the Vials: 4. The Deluge a Cause of Geological Change: 5. The Doctrine of Christ's Coming and Reign soon to be held by the Evangelical Church generally: 6. A Designation and Exposition of the Figures of Isaiah, chapters xlvi, xlvii, and xlviii. II. THE SOUTHERN PRESBYTERIAN REVIEW, October, 1859.-1. Revised Book of Discipline: 2. Life and Writings of Maimonides: 3. Natural Science and Revealed Religion: 4. An Educated Ministry: The Board of Education: 5. The Church a Spiritual Power: 6. The Revival of the Slave-trade: 7. The General Assembly of 1859: 8. Breckenridge's Knowledge of God, Subjectively Considered. |