the hands of the people. Already at least a million and a half of copies of the word of God have been circulated in France; and one sees now the Bible for sale not only in the book stores, but in the book stalls, which exist in almost every principal street of this great city. What a contrast to the state of things in 1815 or 1816, when some English Christians perambulated this city to find a Bible in the book shops, and were compelled to spend three days in the search before they found one! The Tract Society, which is next in age after the Protestant Bible Society, among the sacred sisterhood of religious institutions in this capital, has done much good, and is gradually augmenting its efforts, and enlarging the sphere of its operations. The "Society for the Promotion of Missions among the nations which are not Christian," is one of the noblest fruits of the resuscitation of true piety in the Protestant churches of this kingdom. This Society; has sent forth fourteen pious young men and four others are about to be sent forth-to preach Christ among the heathen. I have had the pleasure of knowing several of these dear young men, and it gives me pleasure to bear my humble testimony, not only in favour of them and their good character, but also in favour of that excellent Institut des Missions, where they were trained for their work, under the care of Dr. Grand-Pierre. Eight young men are now under his instruction, in a course of preparation for the work of their Divine Master among the heathen. But there is no Society in France, it seems to me, which is more important for its objects and its labours than the Société Evangelique de France, whose seat is in this city. It is a Home Missionary Society; and its efforts are devoted to the promotion of true religion, in almost every practicable way, through every part of France. You see, then, what God has wrought! It is true, indeed, that it is still the "day of small things" in France, so far as it regards the progress of the true Gospel. But we are not allowed to despise it. On the contrary, we must bless God, and take courage. In my future letters, if it please God, I will give you other facts which shew the measure of the return of life to the churches in France, and which are of a nature to encourage to prayer and to increased effort. I have said nothing of the English chapels here, and of the influence which they exert. This subject I reserve for my next. In the meanwhile, commending the cause of our blessed Lord in France, as well as myself, to your prayers, I remain yours most truly, B. ON CHRISTIAN CONCILIATION AS DISTINCT FROM WORLDLY CONFORMITY. (Continued from page 156.) For the Christian Observer. In the former part of my paper I endeavoured to trace the distinction between Christian conciliation and worldly conformity, in regard to their respective objects, motives, and proceedings; I now purpose to add a few remarks concerning their several effects or results. As it regards the present world, Christian conciliation is a means of promoting the most enlarged happiness, since it directly CHRIST. OBSERV. No. 52. 2 D leads to Him who is its full and overflowing fountain. Though that most desirable result cannot be ensured to the believer, fully as his heart is bent upon it, experience will not leave us without cheering testimony to his success, in many, very many instances. We might find them thickly strewed in the path once memorably trodden by a Leighton, a Ryder, a Wilberforce, a Hannah More. Such wise, consistent, and happy followers of "the Lamb of God" were, doubtless, instrumental in conveying to many a benighted mind the light of "the everlasting Gospel ;" and in persuading many a victim of sublunary pleasure to escape from its perilous delusions, till at length he called on Him who makes and who fulfils the promise, “Your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." (John xvi. 22.) I myself have been informed of persons, who entered the society of some of those later saints, with minds much set against them, because of their reported gloominess, and supposed austerity, and who left their company with hearts enamoured of their meekness and lowliness and charity, and who fully recognized their peace and joy," their fine intellectual endowments, as well as their conversational attractions. Of Hannah More it was once told me, by a pious nobleman, that a lady of rank, who was then among his morning visitors, on perceiving that she was driving to his door, was about immediately to retire; remarking to his lordship, “Oh, I must leave you, I cannot stand Hannah More." Upon this he advised her just to wait and see her; adding, somewhat playfully, " she is not a lion, to devour you." The lady listened to his advice, and, on conversing with his new visitor, was so much delighted with her manners and mind and disposition, that from that time she was anxious to cultivate the society of Hannah More-with what spiritual results, I do not accurately remember, as the circumstance occurred above twelve years ago. "Christian conciliation," as appears by the above anecdote, seldom fails to soften the prejudices of the worldly man, even if it ultimately fail to win his affections to the truth, and, through the grace of God, ultimately to lead him to the cross. But the eternal consequences of that "conciliation" may demand our more especial notice. For will not those, who by its instrumentality shall at length enter into rest, and see the King in his glory, yea rest on their Redeemer's bosom, acknowledge the services of those who had been enabled, by the admirable arts of Christian love, to lead them on step by step, till they had reached "the sure hiding place," and cried to Jesus for pardon and eternal life? Can such favoured and happy individuals fail to adore their God for having employed his faithful servants, as messengers of peace, to convince them of the vanity of the world, and of the value of that great salvation," which Christ alone could purchase for them? And will they not mingle their joys, their thanksgivings, their hallelujahs, with those of their beloved friends who had been the means of opening their eyes to see how they were lost, and how they might be saved, the evils of our apostasy from God, and the blessings of our return to Him, and reconciliation to Him, in Christ Jesus, — "the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord ?" Another eternal consequence of "Christian conciliation" is the happiness of those who have exercised it for the everlasting benefit of their fellow-creatures. That happiness" will consist in the gra cious acknowledgment of their work and labour of love, by "the Judge of all the earth," in the exchange of temporal reproach for everlasting honour, in the vision of Christ, and in the never-ending enjoyment of all that is comprehended in His love. Another ingredient in their cup of heavenly delight, will be the recollection of that strength which God vouchsafed them in the wilderness to confess Jesus before men, and to win souls to Him. Exceedingly will they then rejoice and magnify their Lord and Saviour, that they were kept" by His mighty grace from that "worldly conformity " which mimicks "Christian conciliation." " And what are the consequences of such conformity, both in this and the eternal world? Ruin to all who have practised it-to all who have been deluded by it. For here the worldly conformist, while professedly conciliating, but really succumbing to the enemies of the Son of God, confirms, alas! their unbelief, their estrangement from Him, and their aberration from the path of life. Well did a Christian, of no ordinary rank, thus challenge a follower of this world, who was then opposing what she called religious strictness; "Shew me a single instance in which, by trying to reconcile my love of God with my participation of secular amusements, I influenced a single soul to seek and find the Saviour." The objector could make no reply. For the fact is, that those who extravagantly hope to please God and the world too, expose their own folly, but never lead others into the path of unearthly wisdom. Such ignorant and erring guides never yet conducted a sinner to " the Prince of peace." And, as to the everlasting consequences of conformity to this world -where is the tongue that can describe where the imagination that can conceive them? This will be no doubtful matter, when "the King of glory" shall appear, and prove to an astonished, trembling, and despairing multitude (Acts xiii. 41), that "the day of judgment" is a reality not to be despised-a day (as says the poet Cowper,* when referring to an eternal world) when "selfdeception will be impossible.'" Then the "objects," the "motives," the "proceedings" of the man of this world will be as manifest as the last issue will be tremendous. How will he be covered with confusion and tortured by regret, yea, darkened by absolute despondency, when he beholds the Saviour whom he has denied, and the immortal beings whom he has misled by cherishing "the rudiments of the world;" and that while he professed to win it by kindness and courtesy and discretion, and accused the unbending Christian of pitiable folly and enthusiasm ! Then will the worldly conformist discover, and alas! too late, that he himself was to be pitied for his fatuity, in having preferred secular policy to Christian prudence, the applause of man to the favour of "the Lord Jehovah," and the advantages of time to the profits and pleasures of eternity. What sentence the Judge will pronounce upon him, we may easily determine; for our Lord has solemnly declared that (Matt. x. 35) "whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." Among the fatal consequences of "worldly conformity" will be the curses that will ultimately light on it from the mouth of its unhappy victims. The justness of this anticipation must be suffi * Life by Hayley, Vol. i. Letter lxxxv, ciently clear to those who have ever heard the language of disappointed hope; or who have marked the indignation of the mau, who, by following the counsels of his neighbour, has plunged his family and himself into irremediable earthly ruin. What then will be the final accusations brought against the "worldly conformist" by all who have been deluded and for ever ruined by his policy! To it they will openly ascribe their condemnation on "the great day;" their loss of all that is bright and glorious in heaven, and their endurance of all that is dark and miserable in "the pit." Thousands will then clearly see-what before they had either confidently denied, or habitually tried to disbelieve-that " friendship with the world is enmity with God," (James iv. 4), and will rue the day when they gave ear to those who persuaded them that peculiarity and earnestness in spiritual matters were to be renounced, and that a moderate participation (rarely indeed "moderate") of fashionable amusements was perfectly consistent with religion. Then things will be distinguished by their right names; we shall no longer "call evil good and good evil;" we shall no more "put darkness for light and light for darkness, bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." For then the eyes of the blindest sinner will be opened to see the reality of all things declared to us in Holy Scripture. Then "the worldly conformist" will stand in awful prominence, as the betrayer of the souls of others, and as the deceiver of his own. " If, then, that difference exist which I have now essayed to represent, between "Christian conciliation" and "worldly conformity, who can too carefully observe it, or too conscientiously act in the clear conviction of its truth? By so doing we shall, especially as "ministers of Christ," avoid every approach to that region which (again to avail myself of the phraseology of Hannah More-see "Moral Sketches") is occupied by "the borderers" in religion. No trimming in our spiritual concerns ;-no balancing our Christian deeds against our un-Christian acts, -our opposition to the world in some things, against our sinful succumbing in others, our confession of Jesus when placed in the society of " saints," against our denial of Him when mixing with the enemies of God; -in short, no surrender of conscience to expediency, custom, fashion, or foreign usages, (to which some English religionists are said to have occasionally yielded, -such as theatrical exhibitions, &c.) but a firm, decided, manly stand for religion, taken in its enlarged sense of fidelity to Jesus Christ, in all its parts and ramifications, will then be our sacred principle and our unbending practice. And for an end so intimately connected with every thing of eternal moment, shall we not pray, without ceasing, that we may be strengthened with all might by the Spirit in the inner man, that so we may not be "conformed to this world, but transformed in the renewing of our minds, and prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." In His strength only can we overcome the "Philistine;" and persevere in that consistent piety, which will surely be acknowledged as an instrument of human weal, amid the wonders of dissolving nature and the terrors of universal judgment. Another, and by no means unnecessary, caution, would I finally press upon your readers; namely, that they be slow to fix the charge of "worldly conformity" upon persons of professed piety. I admit (for the word of truth, alas! abundantly attests it) the liability of "the faithful in Christ Jesus" to halt and falter in the way, and to be cast down by an evil world, in fighting the battles of the cross. Yet, before we listen to such a charge as the foregoing, it becomes us fairly and thoroughly to investigate the facts of the case, to sift and weigh evidences, to see if the supposed delinquents may not (like certain Israelites, who were unjustly suspected of a wish to shun a contest with the Canaanites, Numbers xxxii. 6, 17,) still be faithful to their God, while they are supposed to have parleyed with His enemies, if not to have deserted to their camp? To allege that a Christian brother is now assimilated to that world from which he is ostensibly "come out," and which he professes to have "overcome" by faith, is so grave and injurious an accusation, that no mere report-not even such as may prevail in a religious circle--no doubtful evidence, and still less any prejudice arising from minor differences in our religious creeds, should induce us for a moment to entertain it. To exercise Christian faithfulness, as reprovers of an inconsistent brother, is not more unquestionably our duty, than in charity to "hope all things," and to "judge righteous judgment." Let us imitate "the Faithful Witness," but not "the Accuser of the brethren." Πίστις. ACCOUNT OF AN EXPERIMENT OF A BIBLE CLASS. To the Editor of the Christian Observer. I AM induced, by the advice of a friend, to send you an account of a "Bible Class" for adults, which, during the last four years, it has been my privilege and happiness to conduct in the parish of which I am the curate. Should you consider the account likely to be useful to your clerical readers, perhaps you will do me the favour to insert it in your valuable miscellany. I am not the only clergyman who has experienced the difficulty of devising any plan of ministerial duty, by which access can be obtained to the adult male population of our parishes. By means of schools we can instruct and watch over the young; by daily visiting, or by cottage lectures in hamlets distant from the church, we can bring the aged or infirm within the range of our ministerial instructions:-but it is difficult to become acquainted with the labouring men. They are only at home in the evening, when the distance of their habitations prevents our reaching them, and when if we did we should perhaps not discover the objects of our search; the publichouses and beer-shops established in every hamlet and on every green, holding out so many inducements to them to leave their families. On Sundays but few come to church, probably not more than one in seven; and thus, except in times of sickness, we find it almost impossible to devise a plan by which we can reach them. And yet this is one of the most important duties of the ministry. These men are the fathers of large families, who depend on them for an example; and a great part of the comfort of home must depend upon their regularity and good conduct; -where the head of the family is a pious man, the result is felt throughout; where it is otherwise, even though the wife be a pious woman, she can effect, humanly speaking, but little comparative good. During a ministry of many |