fastness of their faith, and the abundance of their ministrations.

"Besides those who attended regularly, some who did not wish to appear with the students, came at different hours; and in conversing with them at those times, or after finishing the public course at eight o'clock, I was often engaged till near midnight. Others of the inhabitants of Geneva, unconnected with the schools of learning, and of both sexes, occasionally visited me in the afternoon to receive instructions respecting the gospel.

"The impression produced at Geneva was, by the blessing of God, so great, that discussions became frequent on the great truths connected with salvation. The pastors and professors of the Faculty heard of the doctrines I was inculcating, and the manner in which I spoke of their false doctrine. They began to preach openly against what I taught, and I as plainly controverted what they taught, collecting their arguments, setting them before the students and others to whom I had access, comparing them with Scripture, and labouring to refute their destructive heresies. They insisted that men were born pure, and spoke of the Saviour as the first of created beings, and I opposed and refuted such errors and blasphemies. They taught that the gospel was useful, but not indispensable to salvation, and adduced the case of Cornelius as an example of a man accepted of God without the knowledge of the gospel. I proved that this was an egregious misrepresentation of the fact, and that the history

of Cornelius formed no exception to the uniform doctrine of Scripture-that there is no other way of salvation but by faith in the Saviour. It was not, then, by avoiding controverted subjects, and simply dwelling on truths common to the professing Christians, as some good men have recommended as the proper course to be pursued on the continent, that I laboured to raise up the fallen standard of the gospel at Geneva. It was, on the contrary, by not shunning to declare the whole counsel of God, so far as I was enabled to do so; it was by dwelling on every doctrine of the Bible, whether it was controverted or not, or however repulsive to the carnal mind, and by confronting and bringing to the test of Scripture every argument levelled at my instructions by both pastors and professors.

"In this manner matters proceeded at Geneva till the middle of the summer of 1817, the period which terminated the studies of the theological students. The pastors attempted to instigate the government to banish me from their Canton; and when this proved unsuccessful, it was proposed in the 'Venerable Company' that I should be cited to appear before them, to answer for the doctrines I was inculcating on the students. On this it was observed by one of them, Vous ne gagnerez pas grand chose par cela!' (You will not gain much by that!) and the matter dropped. At the same time they did all in their power to prevent the attendance of the students. I have since that period conversed in this country with M. Gaussen, and in answer to my inquiry How it was that the pastors

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THE REVIVAL OF RELIGION, &C.

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failed in this attempt,' he replied, "That this was the first blow that had seriously affected them,' and although they were anxious to adopt every means in their power to prevent the students from coming to me, yet they found it impossible, because, if strong measures had been resorted to as the penalty of disobeying the prohibition, the students had resolved to leave their professors. The pastors, however, did not cease to labour to counteract the effects of the change that had taken place in the minds of so many of the students, and particularly by framing the Regimens ' of May 3d, 1817, consisting of certain articles which every student was ordered to sign before he should be consecrated,' and which were intended to exclude from the pulpits of Geneva the doctrines which they so violently opposed, and particularly the doctrines of the Godhead of the Saviour-of original sin-of grace and effectual calling-and of predestination. In spite of all their endeavours, the light was diffused to a very remarkable degree in Geneva, which, through the ministration of these Socinian, Arian, and Arminian teachers, had fallen from the glory which once belonged to it, and instead of being the centre of illumination to Protestant Europe, had become a synagogue of Satan and a citadel of ignorance and darkness."

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CHAPTER V.

THE REVIVAL OF RELIGION IN GENEVA, CONTINUED.

I HAVE now to introduce what appears to me the chief movement in Geneva, both for preserving and extending the knowledge of the truth in the town and Canton, and, I believe, for accomplishing the same great objects in the neighbouring regions. I refer to the Evangelical Society of Geneva, with the various institutions which it includes, and its zealous and augmenting agency.

No sooner were Dr. Gaussen and his friends excluded from the pulpits of the national church, than, with much deliberation, and many prayers, they set themselves to inquire what it became them to attempt for their fallen church, and for their benighted city and native land. Convinced that association was necessary to efficiency in the work of their common Lord, and encouraged by the example of the people of God in other lands, they formed the Evangelical Society, in the close of the year 1831.

The objects of this important institution were the following-to preserve the knowledge of the gospel by the ordinance of preaching-to establish a Theological Seminary, for the training of pious youths for the functions of the holy ministry-to circulate the pure word of God, and religious tracts in accordance with its spirit and doctrines and to promote the cause of God, by what they denominate exterior evangelization, that is the promotion of evangelical knowledge in countries foreign to their own, particularly in France and Belgium. To these another object has been recently appended, which, indeed, is little more than the following out of the one first named, interior evangelization, that is a more effective and extensive propagation of the truth in their own Canton. In adding a few explanations of these objects severally, I shall avail myself of no oral communications made to me on the spot, but of public documents with which I was very obligingly supplied.

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For the object of public preaching, they immediately opened a considerable apartment, but soon afterwards erected a plain and commodious chapel, denominated the Oratoire, capable of accommodating seven eight hundred persons, and situated within the walls. In this chapel there is regular morning service every Lord's day, at the common hour, nine, afternoon service at five, and a meeting at eleven for the scriptural instruction of the young. At all these meetings the attendance is large; the exercises are similar to our own; and the appearance of the audiences in general is intelligent, thoughtful, and devout.