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suffer yourselves to be carried away by the errors of wicked men, and to depart from your stedfastness; but rather grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

"Pray also for me, and you in particular, my dear catechumens. I have always felt a peculiar affection for you. It has been my greatest pleasure and enjoyment to be among you; and the remembrance of you will be my greatest consolation. Keep in your young hearts that which you possess, and pray for me your ever devoted friend and fomer pastor, J. E. G. LUTZ."

M. Lutz, having retired to Untermaxfeld, sustained severe conflicts of mind, till he had decided as to what appeared to him the path of duty. The struggle being over, he wrote the following letter to one of his friends.

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"Untermaxfeld, Dec. 15, 1831.

My dear Brother,-At length, every thing is decided. About seven hundred and fifty people of my parish have, of their own accord and with great joy, declared that they will unite themselves into a distinct church. All the signatures are collected, and the confession of faith and other acts completed; and they have this day been sent, with the petition, to the minister of the interior. My path is now clear and fixed. The Lord acts wonderfully. I have not allowed any Christians of other parishes to sign the declaration. The number of these amounts to a hundred, who are waiting with impatience to be permitted to unite with the others. Communicate this intelligence to all the brethren in Christ. Let them pray as the case requires for Satan will be enraged, the world will be stirred up, and flesh and blood, as has ever been the case, will be shaken. But it is said Commit thy way unto the Lord.' The understanding, decision, and joy of these people it is impossible to describe. How powerful is the Lord! To this is joined entire deliverance from the fear of man within themselves or others."

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The following is an extract from a more recent letter written by M. Lutz to Dr. Pinkerton, the agent of the British and Foreign Bible Society, dated Jan. 1, 1832.

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'Dear Sir, much honoured and paternal friend, I ought long since to have written to you, to thank you for the great kindness which you have shewn to my poor parish, in supplying it with the precious Word of God. But such was my situation, and that of my parish, that it was impossible for me to make the communications which I wished. Now the Lord has altered this, and with gratitude I bless his holy name for it.

"On the 15th of last December, more than seven hundred of the parish of Carlshold declared their separation from the Roman-Catholic Church. More than two hundred others are going to follow their example; and many more are so much

impressed by Scriptural truth, that I doubt not they will at length possess and enjoy it fully. On the 18th of December I declared my separation from the RomanCatholic Church. We have now but one

wish, which is, that the Lord will please to reunite us and to form us into a church purely evangelical.

"These nine hundred people have charged me to communicate this fact to you, and to thank you cordially in their name for the word of God which you have sent among them, and earnestly to recommend them for further assistance. It is to execute this commission, that, with a heart penetrated with gratitude, I offer you my thanks, noble and great benefactor of my poor but beloved parish, and through you to the noble Bible Society of London. What this venerable society has done for Carlshold, has not been in vain. Nine hundred souls have been led to the full knowledge and enjoyment of the truth and grace of the Gospel. May this result be to you, noble friend, and to the venerable Bible Society, a fresh proof that your zeal to spread every where the word of God, is not useless, but that, on the contrary, it is accompanied by a rich blessing from the Lord.""

We have in our hands a still more recent communication from M. Lutz, (dated Augsburg, March 11) in which he gives an interesting report of his proceedings. After detailing the wretched moral and political state of the colony at Carlshold, when he came to be the officiating Catholic minister there in 1826; and after remarking on the important changes which, by the blessing of God, followed, in consequence of his introducing the Scriptures among them, he proceeds thus:

"In this manner the colonists had attained to no inconsiderable degree of acquaintance with the truths of the Gospel which lead to godliness. They examined still further for themselves; and in the summer of 1829 began to perceive that in the Catholic Church, there was much founded on mere human ordinances; again much which, when made a proper use of, was not objectionable, but yet utterly unnecessary for obtaining salvation; whilst at the same time, there was much which was in direct opposition to the doctrines of the Holy Scriptures. When they met together on Sundays, and festival days, they would read such passages and chapters in the Bible as referred thereto,conversing together thereon, teaching and consoling one another, and occasionally appealing to me for my opinion. As I saw with unfeigned delight that the Lord himself brought on the poor people in the knowledge of his holy word, I considered it to be my duty to direct their attention to the principles of the Protestant church in such particulars; to explain them with all possible clearness,

simplicity, and caution; and to deduce
the whole from the Bible. In this man-
ner I proceeded, and several hundred
persons comprehended the subject, clearly
and distinctly, entering more and more
deeply into it, so that they grew in grace,
and in the knowledge of our Lord and
The written
Saviour Jesus Christ.
word of God and the preaching of the
Gospel, now became of primary impor-
tance to them, and they found it to be
daily more valuable, more consolatory,
and more indispensable. The Bible was
their favourite book of reading, and their
sole guide and director in faith, doctrine,
and conduct. They proved every thing
by it, and rejected whatever did not accord
with it. The number of those who in-
quired after the word of God daily in-
creased. My stock of Testaments was
several times exhausted; but at my re-
quest, the venerable British and Foreign
Bible Society always sent me fresh
supplies.

"The persecutions which had commenced at an earlier period, now grew stronger and stronger. The cause of the Lord was represented to the people from different sides, as being founded in error and heresy. Through the grace of God, however, they remained firm, without wavering, and were more and more convinced of its truth and Divine sanction. "It is established,' said they, on the word of God, and is the cause of Christ and his holy Apostles. If Christ and his Apostles were, according to your opinions, heretics, we should prefer being called heretics with them, rather than, without Christ, to hold with the pope and his church.'

"In 1830, the work of the Lord continued silently to advance, gaining deeper root, until in the spring of 1831, it broke forth in full vigour. The grace and blessing which the Lord vouchsafed to the congregation at that period, was great and abundant. The people's minds were in a general state of agitation, and some hundreds were enabled to attain to victory. A greater degree of life, grace, and knowledge, was now manifest among young and old, than I had anticipated. If I may so express myself, they became more Bible-pious, and knew well how to avail themselves, with benefit, of the word of God.

"At the very time when this remarkable visitation of grace took place, the fury of the great enemy was excited, and burst out in a flame. Twelve men in the parish, to whom the preaching of repentance had long since given great offence, lent themselves to the work, and uniting with four of the bitterest Catholic clergy in the neighbourhood, circulated the most abominable reports concerning those who were better disposed, and overwhelmed the Catholic ecclesiastical authorities with memorials of complaint. The pulpits and tavern benches reechoed with fulmi

nations against the new heretic. The storm raged during the whole of the summer; but the Lord was with us in the midst of the struggle, and the congregation attained to still greater degrees of evangelical grace and truth. During this period of distress, the people learnt to understand the Bible better and better, for tribulation taught them to attend to the word of God.

"We now waited from one month to another, for a judicial examination of the matter to take place, but all in vain. At length, in October last year, I received an order, removing me from Carlshold to the living of Bayersein, on the confines Both my congregation of the Tyrole.

and myself sent in several urgent peti-
tions to be permitted to remain at Carls-
hold; but instead of their being favoura-
bly received, an order was sent down, by
virtue of which I was to be expelled by
This was the
force from Carlshold.
signal for our making a formal declaration
of our sentiments. Accordingly, on the
14th, 15th, and 16th December last,
about 750 persons notified their intention
to forsake the Roman-Catholic church,
and on the 11th of January, they declared
themselves members of the Protestant
communion. On the 18th of December,
1831, I also abjured the Roman-Catholic
religion, and on the 11th of January, be-
came a member of the Protestant church.

"After my violent removal from Carlshold, every possible attempt was made to mislead the people, and to cause them to waver, in the hopes of restoring them again to the Roman-Catholic church. This, however, did not only not succeed, but by the proceedings of the Roman Catholics they were rendered more and more established in the truths of the Protestant religion which they acknowledged, and the grace of God which they had experienced. The storms which outwardly attacked them only drove them more powerfully to the Lord and to his sacred word; by which means they acquired a clearer, surer, and more lively insight into it.

"A circumstance, not proceeding from the Catholics, operated more injuriously than all the rest; and such were the melancholy consequences of it, that from 300 to 400 persons also belonging to the Danube Fens, and residing in the neighbouring Catholic parishes, dared not to signify their abjurement of the RomanCatholic church in person,—a condition which, under the existing laws, is indispensable to their being allowed to enter the Protestant church. I trust in the Lord, however, that he will be pleased in mercy to remove the circumstance here alluded to, which has proved so injurious to His cause; and I feel convinced, that when that has taken place, the congregation will, in a short time, consist of 1000 or 1100 souls.

"The 600 persons who had forsaken Roman Catholicism, are now anxious to constitute themselves into a Lutheran congregation. This is absolutely necessary, if they are to be suitably led, and duly cared for in spirituals. The peculiarity of their situation likewise renders But they are destithis very desirable. tute of every requisite; they have neither a church nor a school,-neither a minister, nor the means of maintaining one,-neither the furniture wanted for a church, nor money to purchase it, for nearly all live in great poverty and indigence. They are, however, filled with filial confidence towards the Lord, who has abundantly supplied them with the greatest blessing which can be bestowed upon us here below, the possession and enjoyment of his saving Gospel; and I trust, that here and there he will raise up affluent friends of his kingdom, who may be disposed to assist in its advancement among the Fens of the Danube. Perhaps such friends to the cause may also be found in England. "The congregation is well supplied with New Testaments, but is in want of a supply of whole Bibles. A grant of Bibles was made to it from Bâsle, but they are far from being sufficient for all who stand in need of them.

"The religious sensation which has been produced by these 600 persons embracing the Protestant faith, not only in the whole diocese of Augsburg, but also in a great part of Old and New Bavaria, is very great, and I am certain that it will be attended with the best consequences for the promotion of the cause of the Lord in the said bishoprick, if the new Protestant congregation at Carlshold be only properly treated and led.

This event is mainly and principally the fruits of the distribution of the sacred Scriptures, and affords a conclusive proof of the blessings which in these our days attend the Bible Societies. And, oh, may the friends of the Lord in England regard this result as the most acceptable thanks which we can offer for their generous and benevolent grants of the word of God, so affectionately and so disinterestedly bestowed upon the poor people of Carlshold. Many were the prayers which were offered up with tears of gratitude to the Lord by them in behalf of their generous benefactors, and the Lord will graciously listen to the earnest entreaties of his children, and pour out the choicest blessings of his Divine grace May the upon our distant friends. friends of the Lord also not be weary in disseminating richly the word of God among the Catholics of all countries, and particularly among the Catholics in Bavaria. I am fully convinced that in due season it will, by the blessing of the Lord, produce fruit a thousand fold. By the distribution of the Sacred Volume in the Fens of the Danube alone, and the

neighbourhood, the British and Foreign Bible Society has enabled several hundred persons to attain to the possession and enjoyment of the grace and truth of the Gospel; and there are still some hundreds who are powerfully laid hold of by the same grace and truth, yea are convinced of the same, but yet do not possess the requisite courage, in spite of ridicule, contumely, and persecution, openly to declare themselves in favour of it. The Lord, however, who has begun the good work in them will complete it: He will inspire them with courage and cheerfulness openly, and without hesitation, to range themselves on his side. Let us, therefore, beloved friends and brethren in the Lord, not desist in our labours in the work of the Lord, but let us undauntedly and with alacrity continue to sow the seed of His holy Word whenever we find an opportunity for so doing, and where this is wanting at present, let us not be weary in praying to the Lord that He may himself open new channels for the dissemination of His word.

"And, O Lord! be pleased to unite thy Spirit with thy Word, so that He may accompany it with a vivifying power to the hearts of all who receive it; and so that the whole world may with gratitude know and confess that there is salvation for us in none other save in Thee, the Son of God, who wast crucified, dead and buried, but art now risen and reignest in heaven for evermore."

We have given the above documents at great length, and with little comment upon them; though it is obvious that they furnish very considerable scope for remark. This infant church, like most others which have arisen out of the Papal communion, originated in the reading of the word of God, and was cradled in persecution.

We shall feel anxious to hear of its progress, and that it stands fast in unity, purity, and simplicity. M. Lutz himself may in some points need to be taught the way of God more perfectly; and much human imperfection has doubtless mixed up with these remarkable proceedings; yet the complexion of the whole narrative appears to us unusually pleasing, and we would trust that this despised and persecuted Christian colony may become the centre of large accessions from the corruptions of Rome to the truth and love of the Gospel. not Protestant Christians sit down indolent and contented, while very much land remains to be possessed, which is now occupied by superstition, irreligion, and heresy. Why should the boundaries of the churches of Christendom be retained just where the Reformation left them; as if it were enough that the countries then nominally reformed should continue so; and vain to hope that new territories should be won, at least till the eve of the Millennium? Why should not the Re

Let

formation be going on now as it was three hundred years ago? Truth is the same; error is the same; God has not changed, or his word been altered. Let Protestants view the matter in this light; and never cease their efforts while Popery retains a single nook or recess in geographical Christendom. The first fruits of the modern Reformation which have appeared in several parts of Germany, under the ministry of such men as Sailer, Boos, and Lutz, shew that the arm of the Lord is not shortened that it cannot save, or his ear heavy that it cannot hear. These revivals of religion and secessions from Popery have generally been connected with the much-calumniated proceedings of Bible Societies, on which they are the best and brightest comment. May they in the mercy of God increase a thousand fold, till every dark and dreary corner of Europe, and the world, shall be cheered by those rays of the Sun of Righteousness, which have gladdened with heavenly light and warmth these pestilential marshes of the Danube. We will add, may the young converts be mercifully preserved from those opposite evils of formality and fanaticism which have well nigh blasted the best fruits of many a religious revival.

Since writing the above, we have learned that the parishioners of Carlshold have published their confession of faith, of which we know nothing but what we find in a French Protestant journal, the Archives du Christianisme, which derives its information from the Feuille Religieuse of the Canton de Vaud. The conductors of the Archives say that it corresponds "in all essential points with the confessions of the Protestant churches," but that it contains some errors: that is to say, that it does not determine the number of the sacraments; that it retains confession, and acknowledges the necessity of priestly absolution before the holy communion; that it distinguishes three orders in the church, namely, bishops, priests, and deacons; that it recommends the observation of several of the Roman-Catholic festivals, and that it admits purgatory, though it does not prescribe prayers for the dead. One of these alleged errors, namely, the threefold order in the church, we believe to be a scriptural verity; and with regard to confession, absolution, and holy days, it is possible that the people of Carlshold now view them only in that modified light in which they are regarded in the Lutheran churches or the Church of England, but which would not be approved by the French Protestant Church. But, however this may be, we are glad to learn from the conductors of the Archives themselves, that even already some of the erroneous parts of this confession have been corrected; that the marriage of priests is declared to be lawful, that purgatory is not made an article of faith, "since we ought not to pretend to know or to maintain CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 368.

on the subject of futurity, any thing but what the word of God clearly reveals," and that "those who have lived in the faith of the Son of God, our Saviour Jesus Christ, are happy after their temporal death, and that those who have rejected the counsel of God for their happiness are condemned." The writers of the Archives add, "We doubt not that these believers, who yielding themselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit in the study of his word, have already rejected the chief errors of the church to which they belonged, and laid hold of the grand doctrines of salvation, will go on from faith to faith, till they obtain truth without alloy." They have quitted the Roman-Catholic Church, but hesitate as to joining the Lutheran. M. Lutz was kept for some time in the custody of the police at Augsburg, and not permitted to visit his flock; but the last accounts state that he has since been liberated.

It may not be uninteresting to our readers to peruse a few passages from the introduction to the Carlshold Confession, in order to judge of its spirit. It begins thus:

"Grace and peace from God our Father, and our Saviour Jesus Christ. We present to you with all humility, yet with all confidence and joy, a summary of Christian truth, such as by the great mercy of God we have been able to understand and embrace it." The paper goes on to urge the duty of Christians following up their convictions, confessing Christ openly, and not being ashamed of his Gospel. It continues," Dear readers, you have in your hands our confession of faith; what we wish and what we do; examine it; various doubts will perhaps clear up; and truth will cast its rays with a benign radiance in your understandings and hearts, dispelling prejudices, and causing you to rejoice at having found him of whom Moses and the Prophets did write." The writers go on to speak of their own wishes with regard to their fellow-Christians : "We desire to live in fraternal and Christian communion with all who cordially love the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour; who hold with simplicity and firmness his word as the rule and guide of their faith and life; who are not conformed to the world, and do not yield themselves to be governed by its spirit and customs, but solely regard Christ crucified, and, being led by his Spirit, follow him faithfully.. Whatever may be the portion of the church of God to which they belong upon earth, we offer them in spirit a fraternal hand, and beseech them from our hearts not to reject us because of our poverty and littleness, but to admit us to the fellowship of their love, and their prayers." "It may be that among us there are those whose understanding acknowledges that the Gospel, the doctrine of the Cross, is the wisdom of God, 4 B

but who have not yet experienced with the heart that it is the power of God; and who, therefore, would rather dispute about it than hold it in peace, enjoy it, and manifest it in a holy life. But are not such persons to be found every where? There is not a larger proportion of them among us. Still, the kingdom of God within us for the most part does not make rapid progress; but we are seeking by prayer and self-renunciation to make greater advances: therefore, dear friends, have patience with us, and pray for us."

The document proceeds: "Be not offended with the cause of Christ, the Gospel of salvation, because it has been manifested with Divine power among us, who are neither rich, wise, nor valued, but are poor colonists of the fens of the Danube, gathered from all the states of Germany, and settled here in misery and contempt. The Saviour has often quitted more than one Jerusalem, to repair to a Bethlehem or Nazareth: when he was upon earth, having taken upon him our nature, nothing was too little for him to stoop to. He pitied us; and it was precisely those who were lost, whom he sought for with the greatest charity. He has carried to the throne of his glory the same faithful heart; therefore he sends out his servants into the streets and lanes, to the highways and hedges, to search for the poor and the maimed, the halt and the blind, and invites them to a great banquet, to the possession and the enjoyment of the remission of sins, sanctification by faith, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, and life eternal." "We say not these things to magnify ourselves; far be from us such a thought! for who are we, and what have we that we have not received as a gift from the free grace of God in Jesus Christ? But filled with joy and gratitude, we give our testimony to this precious gift of his grace; and we would that for the glory of God, this heavenly gift were known, loved, sought for, found, and tasted by many others."

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"Oh, what do we owe to the word of God! what a treasure of truth and divine wisdom; what a source of consolation and eternal life for him who reads it, and meditates upon it with the eyes of his understanding opened. In it we have found Christ, and in Christ we have found eternal life; and we ought to testify it publicly, in order to praise and glorify God for his precious gift of heaven. "Dear reader, do you also permit yourself to be guided by the word of God to Him who wept for you in the manger, and died for you on the cross; to Jesus your Saviour and your God. Seek him in his word, and you shall find him. Read it, and ponder it in your heart, praying God with faith to enlighten you by his Holy Spirit; then will it be to you a rich and inexhaustible fountain of light and consolation, of strength and life."

The document goes on to shew the peculiar need of diligent and powerful study of the word of God, amidst the confusions, mistakes, and heresies of the present day." Happy is the man who does not believe just because his priest believes, but because he has had experience of these things in himself, and thus ascertained that Christ is indeed the Saviour, the Son of the living God. It is this inward experience that makes Christians firm as a rock, so that neither doubt nor devil can move them; and they stand stedfast, even though their minister himself should waver. To obtain this faith, dear reader, seek it from God in prayer, and you shall obtain it."

The whole document proceeds in the same simple and affecting style; and truly may we say of those whose language it speaks, that they are not far from the kingdom of heaven, even though in some things they may need to be taught the way of God more perfectly. May a merciful Father guide and support them amidst their multiplied trials!

OBITUARY.

THE REV. WILLIAM TANDEY. WE are about to lay before our readers some interesting notices of a venerable and faithful minister of Jesus Christ, lately taken to his heavenly rest, for which we are indebted to the affecting discourse preached on occasion of his decease, by his beloved friend the Rev. T. T. Biddulph. Mr. Tandey had passed the age of fourscore years, and was once extensively known as a zealous and highly honoured servant of his Divine Master;

but having been laid aside by ill health and debility from his public ministrations for nearly thirty years, and living almost wholly in the retirement of his chamber, his name had slidden from public notoriety, and was heard of chiefly by tradition among the present generation of his fellow-Christians. The writer to whom we are indebted for this brief record of "the life of God in the soul of man," was his colleague and spiritual pupil; himself now mature in the fruits of heavenly wisdom, reverend in years, and forming the centre

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