of each Christian confession which belongs to the union of this Society, may build and establish churches, schools and institutions for education, or other God-pleas ing purposes, according to the principles of their own church.

4 The Society of Christian Israelites will stand under our protection, and be dependent only on the Committee established in St. Petersburg for the management of their affairs, who are bound to watch for their welfare, and to whom alone they have to give account of their concerns. On this ground, not one single government of the place where this Society may found their establishment, has to exercise any power over them or mix with their affairs. The preachers who may be appointed in their settlements are to apply in necessary cases to the said Committee, according to laws which respect all other colonies settled in the Russian dominions.

5. The Society form an office for the management of their internal affairs, consisting of different members chosen from among themselves, viz. two superintendants, and four assistants, approved of by the said Committee, under the name of Office of Administration for the Society of Christian Israelites. This office is permitted to have its own seal; and it is their duty to care as much as possible for good order in the Society, and to reconcile any misunderstanding, disunion or quarrels among the members, which may come before them; but what respects disputes about property, hereditary possessions, and similar civil affairs, or individual criminalities, that must, according to the common laws of the empire, be examined and decided by their respective courts of justice. The office has also to erect in the settlements a police of their own, for the maintenance of peace, quiet and order; and it is at the same time bound to keep a watchful eye over the conduct and behaviour of every one of the Society's members. Rebellious, disobedient and immoral members, who are only an offence to others, they must expel from their Society, after they have informed the Tutelary Committee concerning it, as they are also bound to do respecting every member whom they are newly-receiving into the Society. Every one who is expelled, forfeits in consequence all the rights and advantages granted to the Society.

6. All civil rights are hereby granted to every member of the Society of Christian Israelites, and that not only in their own colonies, but every where throughout the empire. Accordingly they may, after paying the duties established by the Tarriff, carry on trade in or out of the country, and follow mechanical business, arts and professions: they may possess houses, keep shops and establish every kind of fabric

or manufactory without the necessity of being enlisted in any guild or corporation: they are also freed from all service, as will be defined in the sequel under a particular paragraph.

7 The members of the Society of Christian Israelites are permitted upon their appointed lands to brew beer, distil brandy, and prepare all sorts of waters and liquors, not only for their own use, but also for sale to travellers, who may pass their settlements: but they are neither permitted to export such liquors from their colonies, nor to sell them out of their borders.

8. No person whatever, either of the crown or private, not belonging to the Society of Christian Israelites, is permitted to set up inns, public-houses, or other buildings for similar purposes, upon their lands-nor is any stranger, not belonging to the Society, permitted to settle among them without their particular permission. But if the Society express a desire to receive some person among them for a time, they are permitted to do so, provided the persons received by them have regular passports, and the governors of their coucerns, or the office of administration, be surety for them.

9 The office of administration for the Society of Christian Israelites obtain hereby a right to give necessary passports to the members of the Society, which passports must be signed by the superintendants, and furnished with the seal of the said office. Such passports will be of value only for travelling within the empire; but in order to travel beyond the frontier, or to come from foreign countries into the empire, the member of the Society must be furnished with passports from the general legitimate authorities.

10. All who enter this Society are hereby liberated from all sorts of civil and military services. But if any of them should himself wish to enter this or the other service, he may be appointed to it. All settlements and houses of the Christian Israelites who belong to this Society, will be likewise freed from all kinds of quartering soldiers, keeping posts, and giving horses, and from all other similar duties of the country. But if some person should be sent to the settlements by the Committee appointed for the Society on any business, inquiry or visitation, he must be duly received.

11. Every colony of the Society of Christian Israelites is permitted to have continually one of their members residing in St. Petersburg, under the name of trustee or agent, to execute their commissions, and dispatch all their business with the Committee appointed for the management of their affairs.

12. All who enter the Society of Christian Israelites have freedom from all du

ties for twenty years granted to them; when this time is expired, each of them will have to pay the same duties which all other Russian natives are bound to pay according to their different stations, viz. tradesmen the regular per cent. of their capital, artists and professional men, their civil duties.

13. Foreign Hebrews, who, after they have embraced the Christian religion, should wish to enter the Society, settle on the same appointed lands, and to partake of the right granted to them, have perfect liberty to do so. They may leave Russia again whenever they should please, as is likewise permitted to all other members of the Society, provided they first pay their debts and three years' duty to the crown, from the capital they have raised in Russia, according to the account which the superintendant of the Society will conscientiously give concerning it.

14. It is left to the discretion of the Tutelary Committee to draw up, upon the principles here laid down, the more circumstantial rules, both respecting their local management, public institutions and all other affairs, which may contribute best to the order and the happiness of all, but especially with respect to institutions for moral cultivation and education of youths according to the true principles of ChrisLibnity.

(The original is signed by his Imperial Majesty),

St. Petersburg,

ALEXANDER.

Easter Sunday, Mar. 25, 1817.

In a Third Ukase of the same date, his Majesty names the president and directors who will constitute the Tutelary Committee,-leaves it to them to appoint secretaries and clerks according to their own discretion, and in future, in case members should be wanted, to choose such fellow-labourers as may be fit and given to the cause. The members of the Committee are declared to enter upon their labours simply out of zeal for the cause, and consequently receive no salary. To the secretaries and clerks, however, they are to assign such salaries as they think proper. For this and other necessary expenses, his Imperial Majesty orders for the present 10,000 rubles to the Committee's disposition, of which they will have to give account to Prince Galitzin, who will report the same to the Emperor.

The following lines conclude the account which is at present published concerning this Society.

The Tutelary Committee for the Christian Israelites was opened on the 4th April, upon the principles of his Imperial Majesty's Ukase here published. The ob

jects of the Committee's labours will be the following:

1. They will take under their protection all Hebrews professing Christianity, who may wish to settle on the lands assigned by government for that purpose, and for the same end are willing to enter the Society of Christian Israelites.

2. They will have the superintendance of the lands assigned to the said Society.

3. They will support the rights which are graciously granted to this Society; and, if necessary, afford lawful protection, as well to its individuals, as to the community at large.

4. They will assist in forming proper regulations, and introducing useful establishments in the colonies of Christian Israelites; and, lastly, they will provide necessary means, that the new Christians may be instructed in the doctrines and principles of the faith which they have embraced, in order that they may not only know the system of Christianity, but also live accordingly. Those means will consist in providing for the Society of Israelites, (with the previous approbation of the ecclesiastical government,) worthy minis ters and teachers-in erecting churches, schools, and every kind of useful institutions, as well for the education of children as for the exercise of different arts-in appointing experienced persons for local inspection and management, that they may, by their indefatigable exertions to maintain public and domestic order in the colonies, and more particularly by their good example, lead the Society, by the help of God, to that truly happy end, which the good-will of his Majesty, our most gracions emperor, had in view in establishing them-the internal welfare of the Society, peace, quiet, union and order -the free exercise of all useful professions -industry and mutual assistance among themselves-good education of childrenprovision for the superannuated and the sick, for helpless widows and orphans, and the care to introduce all good and laudable institutions will be the object of their institution and the sole end of the Committee's labours.

The Committee having previously published in the Petersburg papers an advertisement to the Hebrews who have embraced Christianity, they conceive it necessary to inform them hereby repeatedly, that those Hebrews who wish to enter the Society of Christian Israelites, and to settle on the lands assigned to them, are by no means obliged to come to Petersburg in order to negotiate with the Committee on that subject, but that every one is permitted to apply to the Committee by letter, and in this manner to express his wish to be admitted into the Society of Christian

Israelites, and to the lands granted them according to their established rules. In these letters must be stated when and where the candidate has been converted to Christianity, and to which confession he belongs what his profession is-how large his family and how old every one of its members-likewise the name of his residence, viz. in which town, village and county he lives, that the Committee may know where to address their replies-both the Christian and family-name must also he distinctly written. Such communications may be written in Russian, Polish, and German languages, and upon ordinary paper. By this means the Committee will be able to have information of all those who wish and apply to be admitted into the Society of Christian Israelites. In necessary cases, however, those Hebrews

FOREIGN. RELIGIOUS.

may apply to the ecclesiastical and civil governments on the spot, who will on their side offer them all possible assistance ac cording to the orders issued on their behalf. The Committee find it further necessary to add, that, according to the true sense of the Ukase issued on the 25th of March, the Hebrews who profess Christianity come only then under the name of Christian Israelites when they are admitted into the Society, according to its regula tions, and settled on the lands granted to them.

[There are evidently errors in these translations, but not being able to collate them with the originals, we have suffered them to stand verbatim as we find them in Mr. Way's pamphlet. En.]

Calvinism Heresy at Geneva. It is no longer disputed that the reigning theology at Geneva is anti-calvinistic. Religion is there, as elsewhere, an affair of state, and the power which was so long under the direction of Calvinism is now turned against it. We lament this as much as any Calvinist can, being persuaded that nothing but persecution will enable the system to maintain its ground, and that nothing can stop the march of Unitarianism except the circumstance of its becoming an established, national and political religion. The Genevan Unitarians have much of that which they were taught in the school of Calvin to unlearn before they can be looked upon with entire compla cency by the Unitarians of Great Britain.

The following passage in a letter from Geneva, dated October 27, was published in a Paris newspaper :

"The Puritans assume in England an attitude not very consolatory to the friends of peace. They do not as yet form a political party, at least sensibly so; but with their number, which increases daily, crimes multiply in an alarming proportion. It is the consequence of their doctrine of absolute predestination. We have a professor, named Malan, who (paid, as it is said, by the English Puritans) is the echo of that sect. ile frankly teaches, that the human race are invincibly predestinated to lie, steal, violate, &c. The authorities have suppressed the school where he instilled into youth these fine maxims, instead of instructing them in Latin; and this man swears he is persecuted! Happily, this

dangerous fanaticism finds no partisans in any class of society. The people deride it, and are not desirous of following the doctrine of wretches whom they reasonably regard as evil-minded people.'

37

This silly philippic has vehemently en raged the Evangelical Magazine, which is somewhat soothed by the following anodyne from the Times of November 16:

"According to an article from Geneva, a schoolmaster there has been laid under an interdict by the magistrrates, for inculcating the doctrine of absolute predestination; and the writer, in reprobating the conduct of the teacher, ascribes the increase of crimes in this country to the daily augmenting numbers of the Puritans, who believe in that doctrine. Without entering into the question of the truth of the dogma itself, we may be permitted to observe, that the inference thus deduced from it "limps false behind.' We apprehend, that the moral character of the Genevans at a period when all of them were rigid Predestinarians, would not suffer in comparison with that of their descendants. With regard to this country, it is precisely those parts of it where the popular creed is strictly Puritanic that are the least contaminated with vice; and in vindicating a numerous body of our countrymen from the calumny of a foreigner, it ought not to be forgotten that the army, praised by a Bishop of the Established Church, as the most orderly and moral ever known in England, was an army of Puritans."

A correspondent in the Evangelical Magazine who lays claim to an acquaintance with the parties concerned, gives the following information:

"Some weeks since, M. Malan was suspended for the second time from all ecclesiastical functions, in consequence of a sermon upon the following text: 'Know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead.' This sermon I have read, and defy any one to point out a single passage which can justify the above charge. Only one pastor heard it, though nearly four thou sand people were present in the church. On the following day, M. Malan was suspended without the preliminary step of examining the sermon he begged the Company of Pastors to peruse it, and point out the error alleged to be contained in it: they refused to do so. Some days afterwards, M. Gaussin, a very able pastor of a neigh bouring parish, presented a petition signed by the whole of his parishioners, praying that M. Malan might be restored. Both M. Gaussin personally, and the petition, and M. Moulinié, another clergyman who supported it, were treated with such indecency, that M. Gaussin declared that as M. Malan was his very dearest friend, he should publish to the world the way in which he had been treated. He is now on the point of being deprived of his place as one of the Masters of the College, because he refuses to teach to the children there the Socinian Catechism, which the pastors of Geneva have substituted in the place of the one framed at the Reformation, and which they have withdrawn. To give some faint idea of what sort of Catechism this is that M. Malan is required to teach, the following Question and Answer is submitted:

"Q. What do we owe him? (i. e. Jesus Christ.)

"A. We owe him much respect!!! (Nous lui devons beaucoup de respect.)'

"Being just such an answer as the Mahometans would make, who never name him without adding, 6 upon whom and upon all prophets be blessing.' This will not surprise you, Sir, when you are informed that the following speech issued from the chair of the Professor of Theology in the University of Geneva, addressed to the students for the ministry: Make of Jesus Christ what you will, but do not make a God of him.' Faites de JesusChrist tout ce que vous voulez, mais ne l'en faites pas Dieu.

"At no period since the Reformation has the truth as it is in Jesus,' been so fully and ably and boldly preached as it is at this time in Geneva, by M. Malan and M. Gaussin in the national church, and by M. Gonthier, Guers and D'Empeytoy, in the new Independent Church; and as it is in Berne, by Messrs. Gallaw, Schaffter, and the Baron Beat de Lerber."

To this information Dr. J. P. Smith makes some addition in a letter in the same magazine: he says,

"The gentleman referred to is Mons. César Malan, a young minister in the church of Geneva. I saw him at Séchéron, near that city, in August 1816, in company with a senior pastor, who, as well as himself, is decidedly attached to the cause of evangelical truth and holiness. M. Malan was not a pastor, but one of the class of licentiates or younger ministers, who are occasionally called to preach, and are advanced to the pastorship as vacancies occur. In a long conversation, he said, among other things, that he had serious apprehensions of his preferment being intercepted, and of his being even deprived of a school to which he had been appointed, by the dislike and opposition which the majority of the pastors shewed to the genuine doctrines of Christianity and of the Reformation, the doctrines in which the Genevan Church once gloried.

"Of the goodness of M. Malan's character I cannot reasonably entertain a doubt; from his introduction by the venerable and highly-respected pastor with whom I saw him, and from the information which I have since received in different ways.

"Nearly two years ago, M. Malan preached and published a sermon on Salvation by Jesus Christ alone; which I have read with much satisfaction. It is an epitome of the leading truths of the gospel, not so much in the form of argumentative discussion, as of a lively and pathetic address to the heart and conscience. This sermon was, I believe, a prins cipal occasion of the arbitrary regulation issued by the Venerable Company' of the Genevese Pastors, in May 1817, that candidates for the ministry should enter into the following engagement:

"We promise that, so long as we reside and preach in the Churches of the Canton of Geneva, we will refrain from advancing our opinion, either by a whole discourse expressly treating the topic, or by any part of a discourse, on the following points:

"1. The manner in which the Divine nature was united to the person of Jesus Christ.

2. Original sin. "3. The manner in which grace operates, or effectual grace.

4. Predestination.

"We also promise not to controvert, in public discourses, the opinion of any of the pastors upon these subjects. Finally, we engage, that, if we should be led to express our own sentiments on any of these topics, we will do it [sans abonder dans notre sens] without being positive in our own notions, avoiding opinions which are not found in the Holy Scriptures, and using, as much as possible, scriptural expressions.'

Such is this curious engagement! It

is not easy to say whether we should most wonder at its extreme absurdity and inconsistency with itself, or detest its domineering and papistical spirit.

"About the time when these measures were adopted, M. Malan was deprived of his school, and virtually, if not directly, excluded from the pulpits of the city and canton. My information does not enable me to say whether he joined the worshiping assemblies of the small Church, which was formed in 1817, at Geneva, on congregational principles: but I have learned, from a respected friend, (who is just returned from a long sojourn in France, occasioned by the afflictive state of his health,) that M. Malan has signed the Regulation, putting in at the same time a kind of protest or declaration of the sense in which he makes the engagement, and that he is, in consequence, restored to the exercise of his ministry in the Established Church.

"However we may lament the want of fortitude in this young minister, and the submission to which he has been driven, I make no doubt, by incessant persuasions, and by the pressure of personal and domestic distress; one thing is very fairly to be inferred from the fact of his restoration, namely, the total falsehood of the assertions published in the newspapers with regard to his doctrine, or his moral cha racter, or his being supported by any 5 English Puritans.'

"It will afford pleasure to your readers to learn, that, after the shameful outrages which the newly-formed church at Geneva suffered in July last, and of which an account has been given in the Evangelical Magazine, they have been enabled to resume their religious meetings in another place, which, though not so large or commodious as they wish, is more so than that which they before occupied."

We agree with Dr. Smith in condemning the conduct of the Genevese Pastors: but their error results, as he must allow, not from their theology, but from their considering the Church and State as in alliance. Grant them the principle of a Church Establishment by law, and all that they have dene is justifiable. Mons. Malan and his little party would, no doubt, take the same course with their adversaries if they were to become the majority. At present, Unitarianism is orthodoxy and Calvinism heresy at Geneva: and as long as these arrogant distinctions are preserved in the world, they will be bandied about just as power changes hands.-An English "Evangelical" preacher, who is accustomed to speak of Unitarian heretics with hatred and scorn, must feel oddly on visiting Geneva, where Calvinism was once enthroned, to find himself labouring under the odium of heresy, and dealt with less tenderly than he has been accustomed to

deal with heretics at home. Dr. Watts, in his Logic, wisely recommends travelling as the cure for bigotry.

Important Decision in favour of Religious Liberty in France.

WE inserted p. 404, under the title of "Persecution of the French Protestants," an account of the fining of a deacon of the church of Bourdeaux, for not having decorated his house with the usual hangings during the idolatrous procession of the bost. An appeal from the sentence was made to a higher tribunal at Paris, and we have very great satisfaction in stating the result in an article from the French papers.

"Court of Cassation. — Criminal Section, Nov. 20 Can a citizen be compelled to hang out tapestry on the front of his house, while the external ceremonies of the Catholic worship are performing ?

"Such was the question brought before the Court, by an appeal from the Sieur Roman, a Protestant, against a judgment of the Correctional Tribunal of Police of Gap, which condemned him to a five of 6 francs for not having obeyed an edict of the Mayor of the town of Lourmarin, ordering the inhabitants of that town to cover the fronts of their houses, in those streets through which the Holy Sacrament might pass, during the procession of the Fête Dieu.

"M. Odilon Barrol, Counsel for M. Roman, entered into a detailed argument in support of the appeal. He observed that the constituent assembly, and, after it, all other constituted authorities, had proclaimed the principle of religious freedom; and had completely separated questions of religion from those connected with civil and political rights. The concordat of 1801, with the view of maintaining a perfect equality between the Roman Catholic religion and other systems of religion, went so far as to prohibit the celebration of any ceremony out of churches, in towns in which there were temples destined for public worship. The charter had made no change in these principles; on the contrary, it had confirmed them, by proclaiming anew, that every citizen is free with regard to his worship, and that all religions are equally protected.

"We therefore still live under the influence of the principle rendered sacred by the Constituent Assembly; a principle which places a man's religion ont of the jurisdiction of the law. When the law is neutral, the civil authority must necessarily be the same, and cannot interfere with different religions, except to give them equal protection. It cannot, therefore, associate itself with the ceremonies of any one particular worship; and still