is chiefly the Roman Catholic, with an affected difplay of all the ancient ceremonies, which they imagine to be politic in these times of total laxity in religious difcipline. No confiderable attempts have been made to promote free inquiry with refpect to religion, and to propagate the knowledge of pure Christianity. The French public in general are faid to be totally indifferent to the fubje& in all its branches; even books of infidelity have now no attraction, the public mind being abfolutely fatiated, or rather furfeited therewith. The chief attempts either in favour of religion, or in counteraction of the popular atheifm of the country, were made by the remaining members of the old clergy, who were enabled to step forward on the unlimited toleration, which was decreed; and by Thomas Paine, as the apoftle or head of the Theophilanthropists. Great expectations were entertained at the first opening of the churches, which had been fhut fo long. The churches both in Paris, and in various parts of the country, were remarkably well filled at firft; and fuch accounts were tranfmitted to England, as to afford great hopes of a confiderable incipient change in the minds of the French; and if authorities may be relied on, to attract confiderable fums to that country in fupport of the Catholic religion. However, it foon appeared that the greater part of the congregation were actuated by no better motives than curiofity, or even ridicule; and the places of wership foon became deserted. Paine had very little better fuccefs than the Roman Catholic party. The fect of Theophilanthropists never extended beyond Paris, at least not in any degree to deserve mention, and there it has ever been confined to a few unimportant, or, as they have been called, Qua kerly individuals. * This account is confirmed by the teftimony of another modern author, who obferves, that, "The reformed religion does not make any progrefs in France, but a fondness for the rites and ceremonies of the ancient fyftem difplays itself." See Moody's Sketch of Modern France, for 1796 and 1797. This fect had formed various little focieties in Paris, before their opinions were publickly known. In fine, one of the most itriking features in the French character, from the commencement of the revolution to the present time, has been a total indifference to, or rather rooted contempt of, religion of every fect and party; and this prejudice has been purely fpontaneous; for, from the first, the zeal of the Sans Cullottes against every thing generally held facred, has even outstripped that of the philofophers, their leaders. No force can be alleged; for, provided a man does not dip himself in political and counter revolutionary intrigues, he may fafely profefs and practife any religion, which he fhall choofe, and may publish it, and recommend it to the people unmoletted. Some religious books, in confequence, have! been published, but they have met with even less attention than infidel publications are wont to do in that country. It has been obferved, that the elderly people in France have rather relaxed in their devotions, and that the difficulty is fo great in educating in the belief and profeffion of the Chriftian religion, in a country almost univerfally infidel, that the attempt begins to be given up, and in every part is abfolutely impracticable.* Since the above account was written, we are informed, that in Languedoc an earneft defire has been expreffed to have Proteftant clergymen fent amongst them; and that there are evidences that fome fuch are labouring with great zeal in Alface, in connexion with the fociety at Bafil.‡ The following contains the most correct account, which could be obtained, of the prefent ftate of the Roman Catholic religion in France. The Roman Catholic is ftill the predominant religion of France; and the people have been unanimous in inviting their priests to return, and have received thofe, who have returned, with great affection. They appear now publickly and unmolefted, even in their former. drefs. London Monthly Magazine, for 1799, vol. vii. p. 129, 130. + Miffionary Magazine, for November, 1800. The The French Conftitution of the Clergy, after having been made the handle of a moft cruel perfecution, is now buried among the rubbish of the different conftitutions, to which Buonaparte put an end by the late revolution. The clergy is comprehended in the ftate law, which allows all the emigrants to return, who have not carried arms against France, on condition they will make a promife of fidelity to the prefent conftitution before the prefect of the department, remaining, however, under the particular infpection of government during the war, and a whole year after; therefore, they are no more fubject to the pain of death.* UNITED PROVINCES. The dominant fect of Chriftians in thefe Provinces, are those, who are called the Reformed Church. They are fevere Calvinifis, who maintain the doctrine of the Synod of Dort.t Roman Catholics, among whom are the Janfenifts. They are, in proportion to the inhabitants of the provinces, as two to three. The The Remonftrants, or Arminians, who only have churches in Holland, Utrecht, and Friefland. greatest part of them are inhabitants of Holland, principally Amfterdam, Rotterdam, and Geuda. Lutherans are a very great and increafing number. Collegiants, formed by the perfecution of the Remonftrant ministers, in 1619. They have no peculiar minif ter, but every one learns and preaches what he thinks useful at present they are only in Holland. Quakers are a small number. Z 2 Herrenhutters, The Compiler of the View of Religions was favoured with this information April, 1801, by Dr. Matignon, who now officiates at the Roman Catholic church in Boston. + The Synod of Dort, held in 1618, made the strictest notion of predeftination an effential article in the Dutch church. None but Calvinifts hold any employment of truft or profit. This fynod was fucceeded by a very fevere perfecution of the Arminians. See Geraud Brandt's History of the Reformation in the Low Countries. Herrenhutters, and at Amfterdam, Perfians, and members of the Grecian Church; to which add many thoufand Jews. There is, at prefent, notwithstanding the rigid placards against the Roman Catholics and Socinians, a prevailing fpirit of candour and catholicifm among the different denominations. The ministers of the gofpel belonging to the dominant church, are maintained by the civil magiftrate; thofe of the Diffenters, by their own churches, who have acquired funds for various purposes, by gifts, teftaments, legacies, and donations of private men. Deifm, in the worst fenfe of the word, is not com mon in this country. Few men, who love to be called philofophers, fome profligates and boys, conftitute this clafs.* There were, in the feven provinces, previoufly to the French invafion, one thousand five hundred and feventynine paftors of the established church, ninety of the Walloon church, eight hundred Roman Catholics, fiftythree Lutheran, forty-three Arminian, and three hundred and twelve Baptift preachers.f The Dutch opened a church in the city of Batavia, 1621, and from hence minifters and affiftants were educated for the purpofe of miffions, and fent into the East, where thousands embraced the Chriftian religion at Formofa, Java, &c. There are churches at Ceylon, Sumatra, and Amboyña. In Batavia there are four Calviniftic Churches, and feveral places of worship for dif ferent religions. Of late, fince their fufferings from the French invafion, we are informed, that many have united at Rotterdam and Friefland, for the purpofe of extending the gofpel among the heathen. A new fect of Jews is established at Amsterdam, whofe followers are daily increafing. It differs from others, by Extract of a letter from a gentleman of character in Holland, to his friend in America, written before the invafion of Holland by France. + Zimmermann, p. 186. Millionary Magazine. AUSTRIAN AND FRENCH NETHERLANDS. 365 by rejecting all thofe rites, which have been introduced fince the Mofaic law into the Jewish religion. The founder and profeffor of this fect, is a Jew of confiderable talents, and of an enlightened mind. Towards the clofe of the laft year, the difference of religious opinions caufed a fchifm in the fynagogues of Amfterdam. As the new Jewish fect abolished all the ufages, with which the Rabbins loaded the law of Mofes, the heads of the fynagogues applied to the Batavian magiftrates for affiftance, hoping, by their interpofition, to bring back the feparatifts into the old fociety. But no attention was paid to their application, because it mili tated against the principles of toleration, and a complete fchifm enfued. More than an hundred families joined the reformers, and have now a feparate fynagogue.* AUSTRIAN AND FRENCH NETHERLANDS. THE established religion here is the Roman Catholic; but Proteftants, and other denominations, are not molefted. There are two archbiops, and nine bishops in this place. A great number of the religious houfes, founded in the Auftrian Netherlands, both in the cities and country, are now diffolved. While the religious, who inhabited these convents, are invited to enter into the world; monafteries are open for the reception of those among them, who choose to pafs the remainder of their days in those obfervances, to which they have been long accustomed. The religious of both fexes have, for the moft part, entered again into the world. A part of the eftates of the diffolved monafteries is fet apart for the religious, who enter again into the world; the remain. der is destined for public works, which are beneficial to the state. Monthly Magazine, for Augut, 1800. Shaw's Hiftory of the Auftrian Netherlands. GERMANY. |