THE

CHRISTIAN EXAMINER.

No. XLV.

NEW SERIES No. XV.

JULY, 1831.

Par

ART. I. Vues sur le Protestantisme en France. J. L. S. VINCENT, l'un des Pasteurs de l'Eglise Réformée de Nismes. 2 vol. Paris. 1829.

It may be deemed ill-timed to enter into any speculations on the state of religion in France in the present excited and uncertain condition of political affairs in that country. When the events of the coming day can scarcely be predicted by the spectator on the spot, it must be presumed that we speak with diffidence on the prospects of religion. We do not possess the gift of looking through the stormy atmosphere into the scenes of the future; and at this distance from the warring elements of society in Europe, we will not venture to waste the time of our readers by the expression of our opinions or conjectures on the probable result of the present struggle. Of one thing, however, we may be certain. new day has dawned upon Christianity in France. The religious spirit of the present age is far different from that which prevailed at the period of her first revolution. The light has arisen upon her, with omens of the happiest promise, but whether it will shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect day, or again be put back by a reign of terror and blood, we must leave to the mysterious Providence, which rules in the kingdoms of men.

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'Forty years,' says Benjamin Constant, in the conclusion of his great work on Religion, forty years have passed

VOL. X.-N. S. VOL. V. NO. III.

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away since the triumph of an infidel philosophy at the epoch of the French Revolution. Where are we now? A

mysterious agitation, a desire for religious faith, a longing for religious hope, are every where manifested. In all this, there is certainly some extravagance; but the extravagance is not without a cause. The motion, which succeeds apparent death, proves that the germ is not deprived of life.' The important work, from which we have quoted, written by one of the most able men, in politics and literature, of whom France can boast, is in itself a proof of the revival of religious ideas. That such a work, which is built on the reality of a spiritual religion and disinterested morality, and which assumes the truth of the Christian system as a philosophical fact, should proceed from the pen of a statesman and scholar, whose influence was felt in the cabinets of Europe, would have been pronounced incredible at the close of the last century. We have similar proofs of the progress of religious thought in other departments of French literature. Many of the most popular writings of the day breathe a pure religious spirit. Christian feelings and opinions are no longer deemed incompatible with a liberal mind and enlightened views. The most brilliant talents in society are divorced from their former unnatural union with infidelity and atheism. A scoffing derision of Christianity is not esteemed a necessary passport to good company. The most able periodical works are not infected with the licentious spirit of the last age; and, in many instances, bear frequent testimony to the truth and importance of the Christian religion. A great change has also taken place in the most important courses of public instruction. A spiritual and religious philosophy is now eloquently taught and received with the ardor of deep conviction by multitudes of the literary men of France, especially among the younger portions of the community, whose minds were not preoccupied with the barren systems of materialism, which had prevailed nearly to the entire exclusion of all others. The work which we are about to notice is a beautiful illustration of the new interest, awakened by religion, and, among many other discussions of great value and originality, contains a more perfect account of the present religious condition of France than any other source, which has come to our knowledge.

M. Vincent is a Christian and a Protestant. He views

his subjects in various lights, apparently with singular freedom from personal or sectarian prejudices, and constantly impresses us with the conviction of his perfect honesty and independence, as well as of his sound theological learning and deep piety. We do not propose to give any thing like a thorough analysis of his work, but merely to call our readers' attention to some of his statements and conclusions respecting the religious state of his own country. We premise, that for the facts and reasonings which follow we are indebted to M. Vincent, of whose views we aim only to give a faithful, but necessarily a brief and imperfect account.

The present religious movement, according to M. Vincent, is the natural consequence of the spirit that prevailed in France after the middle of the eighteenth century. That, also, was the result of errors and prejudices, which were established in a previous age. For several ages, religion had been under the dominion of the priesthood, and thus lost much of its intrinsic character. It had seized as a valuable prize many popular errors and superstitions, which it confounded with its own heavenly essence. It was burdened with a multitude of forms and observances, contrary to its real nature. It is not at all surprising, then, that by this means, the great doctrines of Christianity, and even the eternal duties of morality, should have been deprived of their spirit and life.

This corrupted system of religion could not be of long duration. It was too much opposed to human nature to withstand the progress of society in knowledge and civilization. It was impossible that man should not, sooner or later, awake to a sense of his own dignity after such degrading epochs. The crisis must come, and it did come. Men began to fathom their own natures; they interrogated their destiny and their faculties; they read the New Testament for themselves, and soon, in spite of the most violent opposition, in spite of all the arts of the pen, and the terrors of the sword, the triumph of two great truths was achieved, namely, that the priest is not the arbiter of religion, and that conscience is free, and that religion does not consist in observances and forms, but in feelings and principles. This memorable triumph was called the Reformation. In the middle of the last century this triumph had reached to every country in Europe, and the two great truths, which

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we have just named, were admitted by all enlightened men without dispute.

But the human mind, like physical forces, does not immediately stop, when its end is attained, but almost always goes beyond it, to return thither by a new course. So it was at this time. The wants of the age and the calls of truth were satisfied. They demanded that the huge and shapeless edifice, erected by the passions, the ignorance, and perhaps by the real necessities of the middle ages, on the solid and venerable foundations of Christianity, should be destroyed. This accordingly was done. But this was not enough. It was thought best to continue the labor and demolish the foundations themselves. Animated by the ardor of attack, intoxicated by a success which every day became more brilliant, many writers lost all their sensibility to the divine spirit which breathes in every page of the Gospel, and saw nothing in Christianity but the occasion and the support of the enormous abuses, under which human nature had so long groaned. They believed they were conferring a favor upon their fellow-men by destroying its influence, and making it an object of ridicule and contempt. As they had never studied it in its essential principles, but received it precisely as it had been left by the dark ages, with all the imperfections imposed upon it by the narrow spirit of the times, they believed they had destroyed it, and raised the cry of victory over its ruins, as soon as they found and signalized some inconsistencies and perhaps even errors in the Bible. This was an easy task. It was performed with talent, but not with impartiality. The very restraints, which these writers suffered from the civil authority, obliged them to make use of sly insinuations and artful hints, which gave their productions a more piquant relish, but deprived them of the gravity and seriousness with which subjects of this nature should always be treated.

They were not content with attacking Christianity. Mistaking the true character of the human soul, and passing a skeptical judgment, according to the laws of material nature, on that which can be understood only by an appeal to the inward consciousness, they soon made war on the eternal truths, which alone place man in harmony with himself, and allow him to enjoy his intrinsic dignity. With the words humanity and virtue continually upon their lips, they labored

for a long time to destroy every thing which makes humanity and virtue valuable; they studied to reduce man to the rank of an intelligent brute, by covering with doubt, and even with ridicule, all the ideas which tend to elevate him in his own eyes. Thus, in a short time, they prostrated the four great ideas, without which there is neither religion, nor dignity, nor true civilization, nor lasting improvement, nor solid happiness for the human race; the ideas of God, immortality, liberty, virtue. When these writers, surrounded with the ruins which they had made, began to perceive the need of erecting some positive system, led away by the habits of thought and feeling, which made them insensible to the divine character of Christianity, they soon substituted the idea of Nature for that of God, physical organization for the soul, the connexion of material causes and effects for liberty, and the suggestions of personal interest for virtue. man was degraded and morality destroyed.

Thus

The pernicious influence of the writers of the eighteenth century was not confined to the higher classes of society. It spread among the people at large. These authors had an eye to popular effect in their works, and they succeeded in obtaining it. They employed the sallies of wit, and sometimes the most indecent raillery, instead of the profound discussions of reason, and thus acquired an immense power over the numerous class of readers who are repelled by argument and amused with pleasantry. Small publications were prepared expressly for the people, who, weary with ignorance and fanaticism, received them with avidity. At the close of the century, the great body of the people had become infidel. The ideas of virtue and immortality were regarded by them only with contempt and pity. But this state of things could not last. Man cannot be for ever deprived of the most essential attributes of his moral nature. Do what he will, he cannot lose the consciousness of himself. He will be called back to it, at last, by some great catastrophe, and, sooner or later, he will find there, written in bright and indelible characters, the words, God, immortality, liberty, virtue, and consequently the word religion. Scarcely had men arrived at the complete destitution of all faith, to which the eighteenth century had led them, when they began to feel that this was not their place. After the storms of the revolution had passed away, and men had