harmony and concord in the doctrine and discipline of all the Churches in both nations. Morever, this assembly, having, to its great grief, understood the miserable condition of the greater part of the Churches in the Low Countries, how that they be exceedingly pestered with divers sects and heresies, as of David George, Anabaptists, Libertines, and other errors contrary to the purity of God's Word, and against which they cannot use those remedies that are most desired; and yet, on the other hand, this Synod did exceedingly rejoice at the glad tidings of their care and diligence in opposing and resisting those anti-scriptural heresies, subversive of divine doctrine, order, and discipline; and it did most earnestly entreat them to persevere in the confutation and condemnation of them; as it would also, on its part, cordially join with them in so doing, and would give, as it doth now give, an unquestionable proof thereof, by subscribing unto their confession of faith and Church discipline. And forasmuch as this holy union and concord established between the Churches of France and those of the Low Countries, seems necessarily to demand their mutual loves and assistance, this assembly doth judge meet, that the churches of both the nations shall lend and borrow their ministers reciprocally, according as their respective necessities shall require."

It were easy to refer to many other pleasing features in the character of the Church of France at this period of her history; such as her loyalty to her Sovereign, and anxiety for his salvation, (Henry IV.) "All ministers are exhorted to

be earnest with God in their public prayers for the conversion, preservation and prosperity of the King; and whenever they be at court, and have access unto his Majesty, they shall do their duty in reminding him seriously of his soul's salvation. And the pastors ordinarily residing at court, or in its neighbourhood, shall be writ unto by this Synod, more especially to put this our counsel into practice."

I might refer to her spirit of love for the suffering and oppressed; the prayers which she requested for the Churches of the Low Countries; her missionary spirit, recommending to the brethren of Languedoc," that they do their endeavour to advance the kingdom of God, as much as in them lieth, not only at home in their own Churches, but, if it may be done without incommoding their own flocks, abroad also." I might refer to her zeal in the cause of education; her anxiety that a college should be erected in each of the provinces; the selection of the city of Saumur as a convenient

place for one of them, and the earnest entreaty addressed to Governor De Plessis to aid in this good cause. But I have space only to allude to the unfavourable change which had already taken place in the character of many of the Protestants of France, and which became deeper and more serious as we approach the termination of the period of which we at present write.

Pleasing and delightful as are the aspects of the Church which we have been contemplating, it is well known that the forms of truth may remain after the spirit which origin. ally established them has in some measure disappeared, and that fair outward features in a Church, as a body, are quite consistent with the degeneracy of many of its individual members. The dreadful persecution to which the Church of France had been subjected on St. Bartholomew's day, did not improve her character, or call forth new energies. Though she wonderfully maintained her place amid the adverse circumstances with which she was surrounded, it would seem that she had been seriously deteriorated. The perpetual reference which is made during the space of twenty-six years, and especially towards its close, to the difficulty of supporting ministers, and the destitution and desolation of many of the Churches, as well as the various expedients-some ineffectual-which were resorted to for rearing young men for the ministry, all show that the people had declined in their religious character and diminished in number. From a very early period we read of churches being advised to succour their ministers in their necessities, and to raise maintenance for them and their families, "because foreign countries have been exceedingly scandalised at the neglect and ingratitude of divers churches even in this particular." We read too,

of ministers being "given to loan" to churches for six months. But it is at a later day, and after the persecution, that we meet with the most frequent and affecting notices of this kind. Express canons were passed by the Synod of 1579, to prevent the ingratitude of many churches to their ministers; the people are required to advance a provision for the pastor for so many months, and in the event of failure, the minister is authorized to withdraw, and "the ungrateful church shall not be provided with any other pastor, till it shall have first given plenary satisfaction unto its former minister." Notwithstanding that in many cases two or more congregations had been joined together, and put under the charge of one minister, still the support of the pastor was

becoming more and more precarious, so that the Synod of Montauban, in 1594, was constrained to pass the following resolution: "Forasmuch as the ingratitude of divers persons, in not contributing to their ministers' subsistence, is more notorious than ever, and that this crying sin threatens the churches with a total dissipation, after mature deliberation, we do decree, that in case these ungrateful wretches, having been several times admonished by their Consistory, (Kirk Session,) do persist obstinately in this their sin, their Consistory shall deprive them of communion with the church in the Sacraments." This was a very strong step, but it proves how general and severe was the evil against which it was directed, and also how seriously the numbers and the Christian spirit of the French Protestants were declining. A few years later, in 1598, we read of "the great desolations and dispersions of the churches in Provence;" of a minister, "by reason of the great necessities of the churches," being appointed to serve two churches; and of another, "forasmuch as he receiveth a very small salary from his church, and hath been many years in their service," being granted license to teach youth for his better maintenance-a practice to which the Church was strongly averse. But what, perhaps, is still more impressive and affecting, it was decreed, "Because of the present distress and poverty of our churches, and till such time as the Lord shall have blessed us with greater abilities, it is ordained by this present Synod, that the National Synod shall be convened only once in three years, unless it be in case of very great necessity, as of heresy and schism." So that such was the poverty of the ministers, arising from the weakness of their congregations, and the declining piety of their people, that they could not bear the expense of carrying on the business of the Church in the way which their consciences judged most scriptural. After all, it is not wonderful that the character and strength of the French Protestant Church should have been seriously impaired. Any Church which, by a stroke, loses between sixty and seventy thousand of its best members, may well be weak, the more especially if as many, or a greater number, of the well disposed and timid are, by the same stroke, driven into apostasy. What Christian Church, at the present day, could stand such a trial unhurt? How many congregations would be broken up and dispersed altogether! How many of the strong would be damped and discouraged into weakness! Accordingly, we have reason to believe, from

an enumeration which was made of the French Protestant Church in 1598, by authority, that it was reduced to less than one thousand congregations. The number is given so low as seven hundred and sixty. What a change from the two thousand of Beza, twenty-six years before! Even admitting that the early number was too great, and the latter too small, still it is plain that a very serious diminution had taken place in the numbers of the French Protestants.

And it was not persecution alone which wrought the change. Henry IV., had been educated a Protestant, and had been much indebted to the Protestant party; but when the prospect of the throne opened before him, he aban doned the faith which he had been taught, and became a Roman Catholic. As Henry does not seem to have had any religious convictions, but was a mere man of the world and of expediency, his adoption of Popery, when he came to power, may be regarded as a proof that he considered the Romish party not only the stronger but the gaining one, and that Protestantism was losing ground. And this quite accords with the representation which has been given. But the king was not alone in his apostasy (if apostasy it can be called, where there was no previous faith;) multitudes of the aristocracy went along with him, and indeed almost the whole Protestant class who had any political influence. While this shows the power of royal example for evil-and why not for good? it proves also how unsound and degenerate was the religion of a large body of Protestants. Had their religion been any thing better than a name, or a poor political feeling, they would not have deserted the Protestant cause. In such circumstances as these, it is not wonderful that the distinction between the Reformed Church and the Church of Rome began to lose its distinctness, and that many were ready, especially when encouraged by bribes, to propose a union of the two Churches. All these influences were truly disastrous. But amid these mournful symptoms, we must not forget that a far larger body of the Protestants remained firm and steadfast, and that, as a Church they continued to adorn the doctrines of the Cross.

From the brief review which has been made of an interesting period in the history of the French Protestant Church, one may learn how strong is the tendency to, and how rapid the operation of religious degeneracy. In a few years the Church rose to greatness and glory, and in a few years she declined into comparative weakness. So it was in primitive

times with the churches of Asia Minor; the vigour of their piety did not survive the death of the Apostles, and so it not unfrequently happens with the individual Christian. His first are his best days, and that so generally, that many good men have concluded in every life of faith there is necessarily a season of backsliding. What the more immediate causes of this may be, we are not here called upon to state; but one can scarcely fail to remark, that such cases strikingly show the amazing depravity of human nature even among good men; the necessity of the continued agency of the Holy Spirit to the spiritual prosperity of individuals and of churches; and the sovereignty of the Divine dispensations towards the Church of the Redeemer.

PROTESTANTISM OF THE PROVINCES OF BEARN AND NAVARRE.

WHILE I have spoken of the Protestant Church of France as a whole, it may be proper to record a few things more particularly of the provinces of Bearn and Nevarre, constituting at that time a distinct kingdom. These provinces, stretching along the range of the Pyreneean mountains, had early received the light of the Reformed doctrine. Indeed, the Alpine fastnesses of the South of France, of which they may be said to form a part, seem to have been the asylum where God protected and nourished his suffering saints during the darkest and bloodiest reign of Antichrist. This was the wilderness into which the woman was driven for 1260 years. Marguerite, the sister of Francis I., became by marriage the Queen of Navarre, in 1527. She was, according to her light, a devoted Protestant; and published a book of piety, which was afterwards translated by Elizabeth, Queen of England, entitled, "A Godly Meditation of the Christian Soul." About the time of her ascending the throne, a fierce persecution broke out in Germany, which drove many Protestants to her kingdom as a refuge-among others the celebrated Calvin, then scarcely of age; and Marot, the translator of the Psalms of David into French metre. The great Reformer speaks of the Queen; and higher praise could not be given as of "one who was promoting the kingdom of God." She left an only daughter, Jeanne Dalbret, who ascended the throne in 1555, and proved herself a most able and zealous