ened invasion. For some time they performed their public worship in the open air, from the fear of affording access to their adversaries by unlocking the churchdoors: afterwards they constructed a very large shed, like a great cart-house, under the shelter of which they held their sacred meetings; and there deprived of their accustomed edification by the preaching of their pastor; they confined the service to prayer and singing hymns. After proceeding in this way for some time, their beloved minister, Mr. Kellner, ventured to officiate, notwithstanding the suspension under which he lay. This was followed by his being arrested and thrown into prison at Breslau; and there he still lies, in solitary confinement, and prevented from having any communication with his friends in any way, even by letter. He addressed a memorial to the king, supplicating deliverance; but no notice whatever was taken of it. Nine of the principal persons of the parish have also been cast into prison. Orders at last came from Berlin that the local authorities should take possession of the church by force; and, on December 24, a body of 400 infantry and 100 cavalry achieved the feat of making themselves masters of the village church of Hönigern; driving away with the butt-ends of their musquets the inhabitants, who, as before, had thought that they might protect their church by surrounding it with the rampart of their own bodies and singing hymns. This act was in every sense illegal; for the Lutherans in Silesia had built their churches at their own expense, and for their own exclusive use and enjoyment: and it is a direct violation of the seventh Article of the Treaty of Westphalia [1648] which, fore seeing the possibility of such a case as the present, expressly declares that the sovereign shall not impose upon the Lutherans, ministers of any other denomination, nor under any pretext whatsoever, deprive them of the use of their churches. "The effects of these persecutions have been altogether contrary to what the dominant power expected. Far from being intimidated by these acts of violence, many persons who had approved of and supported the union proposed by the government, (as they do not attach great importance to the points of difference between the two Protestant Churches,) have felt it a duty to retrace their steps, lest they should seem to have yielded to a base timidity and abandoned their suffering brethren. Among these are Mr. Werhahn, pastor at Wischütz, and another pastor of the same name at Kunitz. Seven Silesian pastors, members of the new United Church, bave addressed to the king a protestation against the persecutions inflicted upon the strict Lutherans. We are assured that many others are preparing to send up to their sovereign a declaration that, unless the persecuting measures be immediately abandoned, and the suspended pastors reinstated in their functions, they themselves will secede from the National Church of Prussia. The population at large, in many places, partake of this generous indignation, and openly display it. We must remark that, with respect to the government merely, this affair is more political than religious. It is not a matter of alleged mysticism, or of any particular system or doctrine of reli. gion which there might be a wish to hinder from being propagated. These persecutions have also the singular circumstance, that whereas, ordinarily narrow-minded men in authority interpose their power to subdue and suppress what they consider an innovation, or threatening some disparagement to established systems, to things as they are; but here, on the contrary, the civil power is overturning the status quo, the old and established order, and is introducing a new order of things. Not being able to bring about, by means of persuasion, the union of the Reformed and the Lutheran Churches, the government will unite them by military force; a Liturgy is imposed by a Cabinet Order, like the form of a cockade by an order of the day. The minds of men not yielding to conviction, submission must be enforced by a charge of troops; and it is lamentably for gotten that the interest at stake is the most sacred right of human kind. These melancholy and alarm ing facts make us feel more deeply than ever the urgent need of labouring to obtain, in every country, the firm establishment of religious liberty, as a political principle of the very highest importance. If the union of Church and State produce such effects as these, in a country where the reigning sovereign makes a profession of serious attachment to religion, what may be expected if an infidel scoffer, like Frederick II. should become the occupant of the throne? Such a man, holding the shepherd's crook by birthright, though he is a ravening wolf, would tear and destroy the flock. He would direct his attacks against the most precious doctrines of Christianity. Surely it is a sacred duty, (which even the most timorous may clearly see has no participation with the revolutionary tendency of the times,) to put forth every effort for bringing to an end the confounding together of the Church and the State; a confounding [or fusion, amalgamating, melting up together like two different metals,] which so far from promoting the interests of either, is exceedingly prejudicial to both; for, on the one hand, it is in flat contradiction to the methods which Jesus Christ has prescribed for the extension of his kingdom, and, on the other, it cripples the action of government and paralyses the spring of a nation's noblest energies. It is our earnest desire that the Christians of Prussia, who in general have not clear ideas upon this subject, may take a lesson from the occurrences before their eyes; and that, as they now have the affliction of seeing their sovereign running back from the generous appearances of his former life, and taking upon his own head the responsibility of a mean and shuffling persecution, they may rise up with uncompromising resolution and vigour against a course of proceeding which cannot continue without inflicting the deepest wrongs upon conscience and religion. P.S. After having sent the preceding statement for publication, we received the number of the Sémeur, for Nov. 25; from an able article in which (upon the duty of voluntary efforts for the diffusion of religion,) we make the following extract. 66 We shall not quit this subject without saying a few words upon the events which are passing in another country, and which seem not to be properly understood in France. The larger part of our periodical publications are so possessed with a dread of every thing that manifests life and seriousness in the concerns of religion, that they cry out fanaticism, against any decided utterance of conscientious sentiment. They are even quite willing to toss away liberty itself, when it is claimed for matters of positive belief. The liberty with respect to religion, for which they clamour, is only for sceptical negations; a liberty of deriding and violating all serious religion. It is exactly in this way that we see treated the attachment which the Lutherans of Silesia have shown for the doctrines of their communion, and the liturgical forms in which those doctrines are embodied. The most liberal papers have raised the cry of Bigotry, instead of raising the voice of honest indignation at the King of Prussia's arrogating to himself authority over men's consciences. It is more in their taste to collect absurd stories, the inventions of malevolence, and which have been refuted by honourable men who, though not agreeing in opinion with the Lutherans of Silesia, abhor to calumniate them. It is an interesting fact, that the persecution to which we refer, has raised the question upon the Separation of Church and State, in that remote province of Germany; although, of all the countries of the continent, Germany is that in which the utility of the Union of Church and State has been the most warmly maintained. The following passage occurs in a German paper, which we have no reason to think favourable to our political sentiments.* It is to be regretted that the French writer has not given the name of the newspaper or journal which he cites. The position in which the Church and the State stand towards each other, in Silesia, has attracted general attention. Men now perceive that the Church of our country is thrown into an entire dependence upon the State. This is a condition of things which may lead to the most dangerous consequences; if not under our present King, who is a man of piety, yet at least under some of those who may come after him. We already hear many persons saying; It is true that the Liturgy which they want to impose upon us is evangelical in its general character; and that the recent modifications which have been made, diminish some of its inconveniences. BUT IT COMES FROM THE KING. There, in our opinion, lies the core of the evil; and that is the reason why we cannot accept it. Who can assure us that another king, at a future day, may not think himself warranted in imposing a Rationalist Liturgy? our duty therefore to make a stand for the religious rights of our posterity. These are the sincere sentiments of a large number among us.' Certainly, this is not the language of unreasoning bigotry. It is dictated by honest conviction: it claims the approbation and honour of all who have a heart to value noble efforts for freedom of conscience and freedom of religious worship. There is a considerable number of periodicals, throughout Germany, on Biblical, Theological, and Practical subjects, published weekly, monthly, or twice a month.-Transl. N. S. NO. 133. с ON THE POSITION AND PROSPECTS OF THE VOLUNTARY IN the elaborate Table which ac- We then promised to publish with these condensed Statistics some explanatory remarks and general observations, that may render them more intelligible and useful, and we now apply ourselves to the task with as much brevity as possible. In collecting the facts which are here brought together, and in proceeding to compare them with others, we trust that we are not influenced by a spirit of vain boasting, but by a simple wish to elucidate the operation of a great principle in connection with the Church of Christ, and to encou rage those who have adopted it to confide, under God, in its general efficiency. Having explained in our Supplement the various sources from which we have derived our knowledge of the relative numbers of the respective denominations, it is scarcely necessary that we should repeat that information. As we intend, however, to notice the past and present numbers of each denomination seriatim, we shall offer the explanations which may appear necessary. Roman Catholics.-In our List for 1829, we reported the number of Roman Catholic places to be 388; on the authority of the same document, The Laity's Directory, for 1835, published with the sanction of the Romish Clergy, their number is 416, being an increase in six years of 28 places. An ex amination of that document, which is obviously published for the use of the Catholic public, will show that many of these stations are private residences, the owners of which having received from their bishop permission to have mass celebrated in their houses, whilst others are of the humblest order, in no way superior to our school and prayer-meeting stations, which have never been reported in our returns. Still the circumstances of our country have doubtless given an extraordinary impulse to the proselyting zeal of both priests and laity in that communion, which requires the vigilant attention of all faithful Protestants. Presbyterians.-In our return for 1829, we reported 258 Presbyterian places of worship. That number included many of the Scotch Presbyterian Congregations of orthodox opinions. The Unitarian body are only Presbyterians by courtesy, and we have in the present instance (not possessing any accurate information respecting the numbers of the Scotch evangelical Presbyterians) restricted our returns to the Unitarian body, and consulted the Unitarian Chronicle for 1832 as our best authority. Independents.-We have stated in our last Supplement that the lists have printed therein were compiled by more than forty ministers in different parts of the kingdom, most of whom are the Secretaries of our County or District Associations. We are conscious that there will be still found in them many errors and omissions, yet we trust that they approach nearer to accuracy than any preceding document. In 1829 we reported 1663 congregations; our present we returns make 1840, showing an increase of 177 places. The Baptist body we reported in 1829 to possess 1047 congregations. On the authority of the documents we quote in the Supplement, we ascertained their numbers to be 1143, and so they are printed in our county summaries. But as the Supplement to the Baptist Magazine for 1835 contained a list of their churches, amounting to 1201, we felt it but just to avail ourselves of that return in our annexed Table, and which therefore shows an increase of 154. Respecting the Wesleyan and other Methodist bodies and the minor denominations, we have explained the reasons why we have retained the numbers of 1829. In that year we obtained but imperfect returns of the Home Missionary and other stations. Their number was given at 241; our present returns make 453, and we still believe they are far from complete. Every small chapel erected in the villages or hamlets, that has stated service, though without a pastor, should be returned and enumerated, for reasons which we shall presently explain. The total number of congregations separate from the Established Church at the present time, stands thus: the established denomination 3411 more places of worship than are possessed by all the other denominations united. It is possible that some ardent Churchman will not be satisfied with this, and will protest against the introduction of our Home Missionary stations, and other such humble places of worship, into the account at all. We cannot, however, admit that protest, and shall show reasons why their number ought to be much increased. It doubtless has a very imposing sound to talk of 11,825 churches and chapels, but what will our readers say, when we prove that more than half of them are not equal to our Home Missionary stations in the number of their worshippers! It is generally known that the population of the parishes is very unequal, but few who have not attended to the subject would expect to find it to the extent which the following summary of the pa rishes and townships of England demonstrates, and which we extract from the Report of his Majesty's Commissioners on the Poor Laws. Parishes, &c., with a population From Independents 1840 Baptists... 1201 Calvinistic Methodists 427 733 1409 Other Methodists. 666 Stations.... 116 8414 Total of Nonconformist Congregations in England alone Now it appears from the best authorities, that the number of Episcopalian churches and chapels in England is 11,825, giving to From 10,000 to 50,000 From 50,000 upwards, 10 Thus it appears that there are 6308 parishes in England alone, that have only an average population of 120 souls each. Now it must be remembered, that about three |