the scale of effort and of expenditure. New circumstances demand corresponding operations. With India on the one hand, and China on the other, it will require every man in England to be a Christian, and to imbibe the missionary spirit, and in all respects to conduct himself as that spirit

LIFE.

requires, in order rightly and fully to discharge the inconceivable obligations under which the land is laid to turn these hundreds of millions of the East from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God!

THE days of Infancy are all a dream; How fair! but oh, how short they seem! 'Tis life's sweet opening Spring! The days of youth advance; The bounding limb, the ardent glance, The kindling soul they bring: It is life's burning Summer time. Manhood-matured with wisdom's fruit, Reward of learning's deep pursuitSucceeds as Autumn follows Summer time. And that, and that, alas! goes by; And what ensues? The languid eye, The failing frame, the soul o'ercast; 'Tis Winter's sickening, withering blast, Life's blessed season-for it is the last.

GOD THE GIVER.

BLESSED be thy name for ever,
Thou of life the Guide and Giver;
Thou canst guard the creatures sleeping,
Heal the heart long broke with weeping.
God of stillness and of motion,
God of desert and of ocean,
Of the mountain, rock, and river,
Blessed be thy name for ever!

Thou who slumberest not, nor sleepest,
Blest are they thou kindly keepest;
God of evening's parting ray,

Of midnight's gloom, and dawning day,
That rises from the azure sea,
Like breathings of eternity;
God of life, that fade shall never,
Blessed be thy name for ever!

VII.

Between 1805 and 1814, there was living in the large city of Nimes a Swiss pastor nobly distinguished from the great majority of the ministers of the Reformed Church of France for his attachment to the Gospel and for his devotedness to the duties of his calling. It was his first post of labour, nor was it an easy one. The city contained 15,000 Protestants, only about fifty of whom had been accustomed previous to the arrival of young Gonthier, to commune at the Lord's table. Business and pleasure, but especially military glory occupied the minds of the people. "Everything was God, except the God of the Gospel." True religion exposed its professors to ridicule and persecution even from the Protestant brethren. Hence there were a few young persons who, feeling it to be their duty to celebrate together the dying of their Lord, would occasionally go to a distance of ten leagues and enjoy the humble service in one of the villages of the wild Cevennes district.

At

Nothing discouraged by this unpromising state of affairs, Gonthier set to work. He had but little difficulty in adapting himself to the men of the south with their lively imaginations and ardent feelings. Overcoming by great efforts the badness of his memory-for he learned and repeated all his sermonsmemoriter-he soon had the pleasure of seeing the Temple (the name given in France to Protestant places of worship) filled with an attentive audience. the bedside of the sick and dying he was often enabled to direct the ignorant to the cross of Christ. Roman Catholics as well as Protestants found in him a wise counsellor and a faithful teacher. His modest parsonage, with its side-door by which persons could enter without being seen by the public, was resorted to at all hours by converts and inquirers. One day an old soldier came, apparently half-ashamed of the errand which had brought him. "I don't know," said he, "what I am come to do at your house, Sir; to tell you the truth, it was my wife who made me promise to come and see you; I don't like to vex her, and so here I am." His wife was a

VOL. XV.

pious woman and ever since their marriage had been constantly talking to him about religion, and at last she had succeeded in extorting from him a promise that he would call upon the minister. " Excuse," said he, " my troubling you thus to no purpose, but I know how kind you are, and that you would see that what I have done has been for the sake of keeping peace at home." There was something winning in the minister's replies to these remarks, and the old soldier went away longing for another conversation. When he came a second time, it was to ask for religious instruction. At his third visit, he said, “I shall enter henceforth by the front-door"-up to that time he had entered by the side-door. A short time after he determined to spare Mr. G. the trouble of teaching him separately and so became a member of the young people's instruction-class. When Easter came, he expressed a wish to be admitted to the Lord's supper. Mr. G. asked him if he would be admitted privately. "Privately!" said he, "and why? Oh, Sir, I shall not be ashamed of my God just at the moment when I am receiving this excellent grace at His hands. I will go with the young people." And the veteran repaired to the Temple along with the catechumens.

After nine years' incessant toil at Nimes, Gonthier removed to a very different place of labour at Ballaigues in the Jura Mountains, in order that he might be in reach of his parents, then far advanced in life. From Ballaigues he proceeded to St. Cergues, also situated on the higher part of the Juras. But the long winter and excessive cold of these regions, together with the great exertions he made during the summer to visit the widely scattered members of his flock, were too much for his already enfeebled constitution. He accordingly descended into his native Canton of Vein and stationed himself at the little town of Rolle on the banks of the lake of Geneva. While he was labouring there, the revival, of which notice has been taken in a former paragraph, commenced at Lausanne. Although no great respect was shown to Mr. Gonthier by the first action in this movement, he nevertheless rejoiced in it, and felt its 2 N

influence. His preaching was henceforth marked by greater unction and by a clearer enunciation of Gospel-truths. Unhappily in one sense, happily in another, he was compelled to give up preaching as regular employment. This door of usefulness being closed against him, another was soon opened. There was a great lack of sound religious literature in these days and Gonthier resolved to do something to supply this want. He was a slow and careful writer and his attacks of illness were very frequent yet in twelve years he was enabled to publish four volumes of Evangelical Meditations; five volumes of Christian Letters, most of them written by men famous in the History of the Church, such, for instance, as Duguet, the PortRoyalist, and Fenelon, Archbishop of Cambray; and three volumes of Extracts from the Writings of the Fathers. It is stated in his biography that in the course of eight years, Geneva sent forth 24,000 copies of Mr. Gonthier's works. It was by these literary labours during the latter years of his life that this eminent servant of God was useful in extending the great religious movement which forms the subject of these

papers.

VIII.

The year 1818 was a memorable one in the history of the cause of Christ on the Continent. It saw the formation of the Continental Society, that pursued a career of great usefulness in France and elsewhere until 1832, when French Protestants, thinking themselves able to carry on the work of Evangelisation in their own country, established the Evangelical Society of France, and to a great extent took the work out of the hands of the Continental Society. One of the first agents sent forth by this latter Society was Henry Pyt, whose name and conversion have already been noticed in connection with the revival at Geneva. We should greatly exceed the limit necessarily assigned to this article if we attempted to follow this devoted servant of God through the 17 years of his public ministry. We shall therefore present a few only of the most noteworthy events of his life.

His first Evangelistic efforts were made at Valenciennes, in the north of France. Symptoms of religious awakening had shown themselves in that neighbourhood, even since 1815, when the English army took up its quarters there. His labours in the town not being

very successful Pyt repaired to the surrounding towns and villages. His appeal soon met with an earnest response from the simple hearted country-folks. Seeing that the Evangelist came with the word of God in his hand, they flocked to the Temple to hear it read and expounded. The young people derived much good from these services. Indeed God had most wonderfully prepared the ground for the sowing of the good seed. Take as an instance the village of Normain. In 1810 a farmer of the neighbourhood found a Bible in some neglected corner of his house. He was a Roman Catholic and devoutly practised all the ceremonies prescribed by his Church. Finding that the newly discovered book referred to the subject of religion, he set himself to read it carefully with his wife. Their eyes were opened to see the errors of Romanism and they soon began to show their dislike to its doctrines and ministers. Their friends hearing that this change had been wrought by the simple reading of the Bible, desired to see the book. It passed from hand to hand and everywhere produced the same results. In a year's time the number of enlightened persons had so increased that they determined to erect a Temple and worship God in their own way. Moreover, during the long winter evenings they would meet together in one and another's houses; and while the women were spinning, the men would read aloud and talk over, the Scriptures. The number of Protestants went on increasing in this way till Mr. Pyt's arrival in 1819. About 140 persons were there found meeting regularly for worship, but although there was this search after the truth, none of them seemed to have gained clear notions of the way of salvation. The good effects of Pyt's cottage conversations and pulpit discourses

were

soon apparent. Many conversions took place. The young men whose hearts God had touched were desirous of engaging in works of usefulness, and finding that Pyt's attempts to circulate the Bible in the surrounding country had been of no avail, owing to the unwillingness of the booksellers to undertake the sale of them, they formed a plan by which, as they thought this good work might be successfully prosecuted. This plan was no other than that of colportage, greatly employed at the time of the Reformation and now happily common in many Continental

countries. Pyt's approbation was readily obtained, the expected obstacles did not arise, and so a single colporteur was despatched as a sort of experiment. This humble man, Ladam by name, had offered himself for the work. "I am

strong," said he, "and I have a little land, I will sell it, and with the money thus obtained, I shall be able to support myself for several months. I will go forth and endeavour to sell the Bible and preach the Gospel from house to house, and when my money is all gone, I will return to my usual labours." Such was the faith and zeal of the first colporteur in France since the days of the Reformation. He found the people generally eager to obtain the word of God. A second colporteur was soon despatched, and in the Journals of these two men may be seen how wonderfully God had paved the way for them. In one village the curé gave them his support and urged his parishioners to purchase the good book; and that place, once noted for its wickedness, now became famous for the Scriptural knowledge which its inhabitants possessed.

It was not to be expected that all this should go on without some opposition being excited. The first attack was made upon Pyt. It was found that he was neither a Frenchman nor an ordained minister, and the authorities therefore ordered him to leave the country. The work however went on. Temples were built in severalvillages, and in each case by the people themselves and at their own expense. Colportage prospered; and many of the converts instead of going according to the custom of the country from village to village to attend the public dances (Ducasses), profited by these occasions to hold religious services, frequently in the open air. In one case, the musicians found themselves deserted and so went and listened to the preaching of the very person who had taken away their patrons.

The last years of Pyt's life were spent in the French capital. Here his energies and talents were taxed to the very utmost. He was general superintendent of the Continental Society's operations in France. He was pastor of a small Independent Church in the City, and of an out-station at Versailles. gathered around him a band of colporteurs, and directed their operations. And lastly, he took a prominent part in the religious controversies of the day. These related chiefly to Simonianism and

He

Irvingism. This latter system was doing mischief in the infant Church in the North of France and elsewhere, and Pyt was grieved to see many of his old friends and some even of his fellowlabourers, led away by its extravagancies.

One sphere of controversial labor into which Pyt entered is worthy of note on account of its novelty. A number of philanthropic men in Paris, belonging to the more educated classes, but all of them infidels, determined upon founding a Civilization Society. One of their projects was the formation of a school of Eclectic Philosophy for the purpose of discovering what form of religion and philosophy would best promote the progress of civilization; all religions were to be discussed. M. Boucher was chosen professor of Methodism, and M. Pyt of Christianity. Pyt delivered his lectures fortnightly and after each lecture, stood prepared for a discussion of its principles, and reasonings. The opponents were often both numerous and able, and their remarks severely tested the professor's powers. One day

a lecture was delivered on the power of God's Word to regenerate, to sanctify, to console. When it was over, one of the hearers rose and objected that, though he had often read the Bible, yet it had left him unchanged and a stranger to that inner life and holiness, which the professor had described. Pyt was puzzled for a moment, then lifting up his heart in prayer to God, he opened his Bible and read, "This is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." He added nothing, but the words seemed to touch the consciences of the objector and of all present, and they withdrew in silence.

These multifarious engagements were not destined to occupy Henry Pyt for any great length of time. Four years of city life and toil were too much for his feeble frame. Disease made its appearance, and after a few days of great anguish he was called away to his reward. We shall not attempt an estimate of his character, but we will give one or two brief extracts from his correspondence, as proofs of his deep humility and fervent piety. In a letter to one of his converts who had become a minister, speaking of himself, he says, "I never felt more than I do now my uselessness, my natural incapacity; I

never saw more clearly how the Lord could do without me and my services. I thank Him for the view that he gives me of my nothingness; accordingly I would be nothing, that He may be everything; I aspire to see myself an instrument in His hands-an instrument and nothing more, an instrument which He may employ and which He may lay aside, which He may honor, and which He may humble, wherever it shall seem good to Him. Oh, happy is the servant, who can say with John the Baptist, when speaking of his Master,He must increase, but I must decrease,' and with Paul, 'Nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.' These are our models, my dear friend; may the Holy Spirit make us like them." Again, "My faculties are decaying, and my memory is going, but I foresee that this will be useful to me. I must come and sit more than I have yet done at the feet of Jesus, like a poor disciple who has to learn again what he already knows (it is very little) and to learn what he has never known, (that is immense)." Thus did this holy man express himself when approaching the end of his short but blessed career. France was his field of labor, and right well did he perform his part towards its cultivation. The results of his ministry were neither few nor small. M. Casalis, for many years a devoted Missionary in Southern Africa, and now Director of the French Missions in that country, was one of his converts, another was Don Juan Calderon, formerly a Spanish priest, and then Continental Society's Agent, for the Evangelisation of the Spaniards in England. One of the first fruits of the revival in Geneva, Henry Pyt was one of those who did most to extend its spirit and influence throughout many parts of the North and South of France.

IX.

The little Independent Church formed in Geneva at the time of the Revival was an emphatic protest against the heterodoxy and deadness of the National Church and as such became the subject of the hatred and scorn of the regular clergy. The pulpit resounded with denunciations calculated to stir up the worst passions of the people and to excite them to deeds of violence and persecution. Happily for the despised few, the Mayor of the City was then a M. Calandrini, a man who in consequence of a short sojourn in England,

had become firmly attached to the principles of religious liberty, and was determined to uphold them in his own City and Canton of Geneva. Hence, an application having been made to him by the Independent Church for protection against the mobs who assembled around their place of worship and threatened to disturb and attack them, it was readily granted and a small body of soldiers was regularly sent to prevent all violence. The sergeant of one of those corps by no means shared the liberal notions of the Mayor. One day having received the order to conduct his men to their post, he drew his sword from its sheath, and thrusting it into a grassy bank which was close by, he said to a comrade, "That's the way to serve such people." As in duty bound, however, he went and performed his task. About a month afterwards, he applied for admission into the little church. The truth which he had heard as he stood on guard, had reached his heart, and from that time to the day of his death, he was one of the most devoted soldiers in Christ's army.

In these words of Felix Neff, for it was no other than he who thus spoke, and thus learned the way of salvation, we perceive a slight indication of that energy and severity which were characteristic of the man and which, united to the tenderness and affection which the gospel called forth from the depths of his nature, made him so eminent and useful a servant of God. Let us follow him to the field of labor with which his name will ever stand connected. One of the rivers falling into the Rhone at no very great distance from its mouth, is the Durance. By ascending this latter river, almost to its very source, we shall come to the Department of the High Alps, lying on the confines of France and Italy, at the base, and on the slopes, of the lofty Monte Vise. It was in the wildest and most mountainous part of this Department that Felix Neff spent four years of incessant toil. The parish allotted to him, extended over several valleys, in one of which is the village of St. Veran, situated at the height of more than 6500ft. above the level of the sea, and said to be the highest village in Europe. Neff had to walk a distance of 180 miles in order to visit the various villages where the scattered members of his flock were to be found. It took him 21 days to make this round, and during