their full and pestilential influence, from the foreign côteries into the circles of our own land. And even when the "tour of Europe" is undertaken with the better motives which we may regard as characterizing the travels of a large class of our countrymen, still we regret to discover among them so little of that Christian spirit, which is among the best indications of a grateful improvement of that light which, resting on this country since the dawn of the Reformation, has given it a merciful advantage over all the nations where the Papal influence still prevails. Mr. Wilson informs us, that he travelled not as a regular tourist, but as an invalid and a clergyman, after a life spent in theological pursuits, (we may add, what he would not, "in labours most abundant") and as one reduced to a state of debility, which rendered such a journey absolutely indispensable. His attention appears to have been chicfly directed to what was most calculated to realize the purpose of his tour, the beauties of nature, the refreshment of its scenery, and the other well known objects of interest to every stranger, and which have been so often described by other travellers, or may be gleaned with facility from the usual "Guides" and "Tourist's Companions." But, in addition to descriptions of the scenery of nature and the more obvious monuments of curiosity or art, which are the common property of all tourists, Mr. Wilson's Letters contain many remarks on subjects connected with religion and morals, some of which we shall notice in the course of our observations. We could not repress a smile at perceiving with what a professional eye Mr. Wilson commenced his observations. Almost the first fact that seems to have struck him was the beauty of the continental pulpits. Our readers will perhaps be reminded of the anecdote of the lady and clergyman looking through a telescope at the moon's disk, and the former imagining the spots which she discovered to be the figures of two lovers, while to the latter they assumed the form of a church steeple. So irresistible are the associations of thought to which habit gives birth, that even the testimony of the senses is often subjected to them. But, without any fallacy, some of the continental pulpits, and we may add, some of our own, are elegant enough to be remarked with admiration even by a layman. Mr. Wilson, however, adds, "If the doctrine delivered only resembled the excellence of the pulpits, it would be a blessing indeed." "The pulpit [of the cathedral of Aix la Chapelle] is not remarkable for its architecture; but around the soundingboard are these words, But we preach Christ." Alas! the fact is, they now preach the Virgin Mary; before whose image we saw with our own eyes a woman kneeling with uplifted hands in prayer." Wilson, vol. i. pp. 20-21, 39. On reaching Cologne, Mr. Wilson first obtained a view of the Rhine, with which he was of course much struck. In the cathedral there, which, though unfinished, is a stupendous edifice, and occupied two centuries and a half in building, he had an opportunity of witnessing, what we should suppose must be among relics the rarest of the rare, the heads of the three Wise Men who visited our Lord. He learned their names also, which, truly enough we suppose, he says he never heard before,-Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. These heads, which he describes as enshrined in massy silver gilt, adorned with precious stones, must be a modern exhibition; at least, on reference to the journals of several ancient travellers, we find no account of these heads. Dr. Brown, in his second edition of Travels, published in 1687, describes the cathedral of Colen and its contents in a way which would convince us that in his day at least there were no such heads exhibited. "The cathedral," he says, "is dedicated to St. Peter, numerous other valuables, the and is very large, but is not finished. Psalmist David's tuning hammer! The body of the church hath four It is a pity our Catholic neighbours rows of pillars within it; the quire could not find his tuning fork also, is handsome, and very high: behind to set their religion to a more scripit are believed to be the TOMBS of the tural pitch. three Wise Men who came from the East to worship our Saviour, or the kings of Arabia, of whom it was prophesied that they should bring gifts. They are commonly called the Three Kings of Colen,-Melchior, who offered gold; Gaspar, frankincense; and Balthasar, myrrh. Their bodies, as the account goes, were first removed to Constantinople, by Helena the mother of Constantine the Great; then to Milan, by Eustorfius bishop thereof; and they have now rested at Colen for above five hundred years, being translated from Milan hither by Rainoldus, bishop of Colen in the year 1164." Dr. Brown speaks also of the church of St. Ursula, containing the tomb of Helena, and that of divers of the eleven thousand virgins martyred by the Huns. The learned Mr. Ray, again, in his Travels in 1738, and which are characterized throughout by the greatest accuracy, in describing the cathedral of Collen (for so it appears to have been written until lately), observes, "In the domo or church of St. Peter are preserved, in a gilt chest, the bodies (as they would have us believe) of the three Wise Men of the East, that came to worship our Saviour, commonly called the Three Kings of Collen." And neither Derrick, Nugent, Burnet, nor others, whose journals we have examined, make any mention of these heads; and we learn, from the assurances of recent travellers, that the utmost that is seen is their tomb. The heads, we therefore conclude, are some recent addition to the stores of superstition deposited in this cathedral. Many valuable relica were restored to the monasteries at the late peace, and some new ones were probably then first manufac tured. The monastery of Erfurt, we remember, recovered, among Mr. Wilson, however, mentions another fact, in reference to Cologne, which is of as much importance as the other is insignificant,-namely, that there are many Protestant Christians there, who indeed "bow the knee" to the Saviour, and offer him the best and most acceptable of all gifts, the incense of a renewed heart. He says, the population of Cologne is fifty thousand souls, one thousand three hundred of whom are Protestants, and among these are many most excellent and spiritually-minded Christians. In the university of Bonn, of five hundred and twenty students, one halfare Protestants and the other half Catholics; and our author learned that there is a revival of religion among them both. Our readers are aware that there is an excellent Bible Society in the place. The offence of the cross, however, has not yet ceased; and as soon as a Catholic priest preaches the Gospel purely, he is on some pretext removed, or banished, by his superiors, though he cannot be further persecuted, as the king of the country is himself a Protestant. One priest, Mr. Wilson says, was the means of converting forty families in his parish. The circumstance of the kings of Prussia and of the Netherlands being Protestants, has a most beneficial influence in averting persecution; but the ignorance of many of the lower orders is very great. One of Mr. Wilson's guides informed him that he possessed a Bible, and that he read it constantly; but, on inquiry, it appeared that his Bible consisted of but eighteen or nineteen pages, being nothing more than a pamphlet drawn up by a priest. Mr. Wilson's description of the scenery of the Rhine is striking: but what pleases us most is-what indeed we might expect from him, but what we regret to find so rarely in the descriptions, however glowing and rapturous, of most travellers-a constant reference of every pleasurable emotion to the benignant Source of all good, and a frequent burst of grateful and adoring feeling towards Him who "rears the mountain and spreads out the vale," as the successive features of nature's scenery, clothed by his hand, demand this delightful tribute. This, we are sure, is the manner in which the Christian ought to enjoy every thing; and he loses more than one half of his pleasures, unless they are sanctified by this constant communion with his Father and his God. The following is Mr. Wilson's description: "We are now, my dear sister, in the very heart of the most beautiful part of the Rhine. From Bonn to Mentz, ninetyseven miles, the route is by the side of this majestic flood. Magnificence and beauty are united in the highest imaginable degree. The loftiest rocks, craggy, crowned with ancient and dilapidated towers, rise before you so as sometimes to darken the scene, and are then joined and softened by a perpetual garden. The profusion of vineyards, the skill and labour with which they are carried up every chink and crevice where the sun can reach; the beauty and freshness pow shed over them as they are flowering, and the fragrant smell as you drive along, create a scene quite inconceivable to those who have not witnessed them. Hundreds of small villages also, with a spire towering above them, and perhaps an old fortification and gates, or a ruined château, are scattered on the banks on each side, whilst the ever-flowing Rhine, deep and rich, either expands itself into a lake, or presses on between abrupt rocks, or embraces, every now and then, an island filled with fruit-trees and vines ;-conceive of all this, and you will allow me, without blame, to be a little enthusiastic. The noble road which the French have raised by the margin of the stream, and without pavé, increases the pleasure of this part of our journey. I think I never felt such warm emotions of gratitude to the Almighty Giver of all good, as since I have been passing through this scene of wonders. The spot where I we now are (St. Goar) for example, is enclosed on all hands by the most variegated mountain scenery. The ruins of Reichenfels are above the town; at our feet is the Rhine; on the opposite shore is Goarhausen, crowned with a Roman fortification. The sun is shedding its glories on all sides, whilst the broken rocks and valleys receive or reject his rays, and create the most grateful alternations of light and shade. Last night we took a boat and ascended the river to witness the setting sun, and observe the two shores in unbroken luxuriance. Every reach forms in fact a superb lake: we passed from one to another, comparing the different beauties which each presented to us with a lavish hand. The scene was majestic indeed; and the last rays of the orb of day tinging the mountain-tops, and throwing a glow over the waters, completed, so to speak, the picture. But I must, absolutely, tear myself from this topic, to tell you, that at Coblentz we ascended the heights of Ehrenbreitstein, an impregnable fortress commanding a prospect beyond measure extensive. The of the Rhine and the Moselle. The point of greatest beauty was the junction Moselle, with its deep red stream, meets combat between the two is most surthe yellow waters of the Rhine; and the prising. They do not mix; but the Rhine forms, with its larger current, an overpowering barrier against its weaker neighbour, whose waters creep along the shore till they are gradually lost in their course. At the mouth of the Moselle, the division of the two waters is so strongly marked, that you would think a dam had been interposed." Wilson, vol. i. pp. 49-52. This description probably forms no unapt illustration of the state in which the religion of the Catholics and that of the Protestants is often found on the Continent. May the time shortly arrive when the superstitions and heresies of the Church of Rome shall no longer remain a barrier to a union of the churches in spirit and truth, without collision or hostility, and characterized throughout by Christian holiness and love! We sympathize with Mr. Wilson, when, turning his eye for a moment from the beauties of nature to the state of the Romish church, he seems anxious to withdraw it again, as if the simplicity and majesty of the work of God in creation had disinclined him for examining the super stitions of a church which has for so many hundred years been employed in deforming the simple majesty of Divine truth. But while we desire the amelioration of the Roman Catholic communion, we are not so blind to the many gross defects in the habits of Continental Protestants, as not to extend the same desire to them. We regret most deeply the profanation of the Sabbath, which prevails so lamentably, as well in the dominions of the Protestant governments, as in the regions of Papal sway; and we are sure that there is no greater hindrance to the progress of Christian light and truth, than the irreverence which characterises the observation of the sacred day of rest. We should greatly rejoice if English Protestants, when visiting the .countries where the Sabbath is profaned, if not by the cares of business, yet by indolence, pleasuretaking, and a general secularity of spirit, would not allow themselves to be overcome by the ensnaring belief that they are out of the reach of all observation; and that, where they are unknown, they' may yield, as much as they please, to the prevailing customs and sins of the vicinity. What is this but limiting the prohibitions of Scrip ture to the meridian of their birth or residence, and circumscribing, by the narrow boundaries of their acquaintanceship, precepts the obligation to obey which is as extensive as the world? The careless religionist, as he travels, may comfort himself in his excesses with the idea that he is out of the reach of that community in which his deviations would be noticed as inju rious to others and inconsistent with his own religious professions; but is he unobserved? unobserved by Him whose will he knows, but whose day he dishonours? Or unobserved even by man? Lax professors of religion on the Continent will watch as narrowly as those at home the steps of a fellow-Christian, and take occasion from what they CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 272. observe, either to revile his inconsistencies, and harden themselves in their own; or, if they perceive a different and devout observance of the sacred day, and the other marks of a circumspect demeanour, will be compelled to acknowledge the superiority of his faithfulness to principles which they profess to revere in common with him. Most deeply do we regret the many proofs, which the journals of British Protestants afford, of a giddy conformity to continental customs; on the mischievous principle that "at Rome one must do as Rome does;" or rather, we conclude, upon no principle at all, but the love of the world and worldly pleasures. We need not say, that a real Christian will be a Christian every where; and a minister of Christ, as Herbert says, "should not forget his office, but be himself wherever he is." The following is Mr. Wilson's account of a Sunday passed in a town in Germany: "Weisbaden, in the duchy of Nassau, Sunday, July 13, 1823. This is our fourth Sunday since we left London. We hoped to have reached Franckfort yesterday, but the horses could take us no farther than this German wateringplace, so celebrated for its hot baths. We could find only German Protestants for have had our private service twice, but public worship. We are now in the dominions of a Protestant prince; but, oh! what a state of things for a Sunday,-the shops all open-a ball at our inn this evening-music at dinner-public places crowded, the whole village in motion. This blotting out of the Sabbath from the days of the week is quite frightful-it is like the blotting out of the covenant of hitherto had to speak against Catholic sumercy between God and man. perstitions-but, alas! the name of Protestantism, what is it? All is as bad here, or worse than in Popish towns, with a criminality infinitely deeper." Wilson, vol. i. pp. 55, 56. I have With a view of introducing to the notice of our readers another recent reflecting Christian traveller who bears witness, "even weeping," to this much to be deplored circumstance, we have placed the 3 T name of Mr. Alexander Leith Ross by the side of Mr. Wilson's at the head of our review. We shall reserve our brief account of Mr. Ross to a future page, inserting only for the present his description of a Sabbath spent at Rotterdam, and another at Utrecht. July 6, 1817.-Sunday. It is a pretty good criterion for judging of the state of religion in any country, to observe the manner in which the Sabbath is kept: and if we adhere to this rule, the estimate we must form of the present state of religion in Holland will be very low. As this has been the first Sabbath we have spent on the continent, we carefully observed if it was respected as it ought to be. We were shocked, however, to see all the shops open, and business carried on as briskly as on any day of the week; while the banks of the canals were lined with people,who were keenly engaged in fishing. We were told that the billiard rooms were crowded, and that it was principally on Sundays that dances and parties of pleasure took place. On this day, which is here treated with so great irreverence, all the genteel families go to their gardens, in the vicinity of the town, where they indulge in every kind of amusement. The Dutch seem to forget the fourth commandment. - Thanks to God, things are far otherwise in the dear land of our fathers: there, perhaps, more than in any country in the world, that public respect is paid to the Sabbath which the laws of God require, and which it is the duty and privilege of every rational creature to pay to an institution that is so conducive to the real happiness of mankind. It has been often said, that we never know our advantages till we are deprived of them. This I feel to be the case with me at present: I never duly appreciated the privileges I enjoyed in Scotland till I came here; and I hope ever after to be more thankful for being placed, by Divine Providence, in a land, where the Sabbath is reverenced, and where true religion flourishes." Ross, pp. 237, 238. At Utrecht matters appeared to be still worse. "In the former part of the day, all the shops were open, as usual; but things were pretty quiet till about nine o'clock at night, when we returned to our inn. The scene we then witnessed will never he obliterated from my memory: it was with difficulty that we could force our way through the crowds that surrounded us on every side: all the temporary wooden huts were splendidly illuminated, and every kind of merchandize was exposed for sale. We heard, in every di rection, the noise of fiddles, tambourines, and flutes; while our ears were grated by the loud screaming of ballad-singers. In one house we heard the noise of people dancing to the fiddle. How thankful ought we to be, that matters are so different in Scotland!" Ross, p. 262. To the gross inconsistencies of such habits in the professed Christians of the Continent, we may well contrast the conduct of a Jew, noticed by Mr. Ross in the early part of his tour. Mr. Ross and his fellow-passengers had been taken on shore to an alien-office on Saturday evening, where their names and professions were entered in the usual manner. The Jew was asked to sign his name in a paper which was presented to him, but he steadily refused to violate his Sabbath by any secular employment, nor could he be induced to change his resolution. He must have had a low idea of the religion of Christians, when he heard the sailors singing songs all day, and profaning every word the name of their Maker, while he himself never mentioned it without washing his hands. at But we return to Mr. Wilson :At Frankfort he had an opportunity of learning the particulars of the conversion of the Catholic priest Henhöfer. He lived at Muhlhausen, and became a true Christian by reading the Scriptures. He then began to preach Christ crucified. The lord of the village, and forty-four families, containing between two and three hundred souls, were deeply impressed by his ministrations. The priest was summoned before his superiors for preaching against the Popish ceremonies; and at length he and all his flock publicly renounced the church of Rome. The Duke of Baden heard of him, and went to hear him preach, and was so much affected that he said he had seldom listened to |