The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1871-05-02 00:00:00

SH ERBOIINE.

Tex Crtreus.—The population of flhorborne has
increased 336 since the °emus of 1861. It now nom-
bms 2891 males, anl 3235 fealties ; total, 6129.

DORSET ASSOCIATION OF CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCHES;
The above association has just held its Spring meet-
ing at Sberborna. On Tuesdey • public meeting was
held. After singing the Rev. T. Orr, of Poole, offered
prayer. Another hymn was sung, after which the
Rev. 'I% Blaney, of London, who was the Charms',
.delivered a genial opening address.
The Revs 8.. S. Ashton, 8.A., ,of Weymouth then
read • paper upon "Protestantism in Gerinsay ad
Fames." Adverting to the recant war, he asked. woald
' it materially affect the interests of the Roman C•tholle
end Protestant Churches of France and Germany ?
would Catholicism be • loser by the fall of the Emperee
Napoleon and the terrible humiliation of France?—
mad would Protestentism attain mush seassion of
atrength by the unification of Germany and the assump-
tion of Imperial dignity by a Protestant ruler?
Premising that • priori, seeing the mischief which had
' resulted to the church from its connexion with (dell
, power. one would to Mahood to judge that Protestant-
ism would suffer from • higher political status, and that,
if Catholioism was aught better than a gavalsed
corpse, its present condition would impart into it on
1 unusual earnestness and vigour, he expressed his
opinion that it would be dangerous to heard any
such speculations. Dilating upon the ooinsidental alr-
cumstanoes attending the lose of the Papal power tad
the fall of Fumes, he said he did not think there was
any real ground for supposing that there was any oak.
sloe between the Emperor end the Pope, or that the
Emperor went to war with any desire to serve the
Church of Rome, but rather that he dalarel war as a
desperate stroke of policy, with a view of staying the
rising tide of democracy and reform, and of regale.'
that favour with his army, which the plebiscite of May
had shown that he was in great danger of losing. The
complete establishment of his dynasty—selfish ambi-
tion, and not care for the Criureh of Rome gulled his
movements. Two great nations strove for mastery,
and, contrary to the expeotttion of many cm-lookers,
the one which had so lon domineered over Earope,
and boasted of being at the head of modern cloths aloe.
Proved itself utterly incapable of resisting the 'Judy,
sober, and enlighted Teutons. They could not say with
what fallings those disasters were now regarded, bat of
one thing they might be sure the Romish Ohara
did not despair of recovering lost ground. And they
need not be surprised to ea her turning to the
Emperor of Germany. although • Protestant ruler sad
soocit through him restoration of the temporal power
of the Pope. As compared with the beginning of the
century the present condition of affairs, political and
religious, even now appeared favourable in the eyes el
• devout Catholic. Qioting ILontalembert's descriptioe
of the Boman Catholic Cherish in Frames and Germany
71 years ago, he asked what • change since then. Trial
there had been • Catholic revival. Catholicism hsd
again become • mighty power in Europe. Lstarly,
however, several important wearies, Austria, Italy,
and Spas, had liberated themselves from its absolute
isontrol, and who could tell what would be the ramie
of the humiliation of France, and disruption of •
Government who had basely pat the education of the
people in the hauls of the primal:mod. It was haunt-
Mg no rash conjecture to say that the downfall if
Napoleon was likely to prove e more serious blow to
the Romish Church than the revolution in 3,3ain, or the
ereetion of Italy into • Kingdom. The dogma if
infallibility, ho thought, would be even more ruinous
in its effects, and would shake the cherish to as eau
foundation'. The next few years would slid error
the entire separation of church and state, and, Pater.
teatime, if really alive to the importance sil Its
miuion, would find its task simplified by having
to contend against • foe es longer backed up by
resources of civil power. What was the condition al
German and Frenele Protestantism? Unita (le=
contained a populatioa of 38,500,000, of whonifft,
were Protestants. This numerical position of Praiser
motion in Germany was in startling contrast to its
state in France, where, now that Alarm had bean
cede I to Germany, there could hardly be one Protease{
to 40 Catholics. What then was the amount el
spiritual power eleroised by Germ= Protestantien.
At the beginning of the century the Praseleadieliereltes .
df the Fetheriand were in • deploragemendigee.- The
first return to a better stain of things was coincident
with the uprising of that netimial seeMoislit alai
throbbed in all Germ= hearts from 1813-15, Goa
which moved them to engage in delivering their
country from the French invader. 'rhea IMMO the 'Da
memoration of the reformation in 1817, but from dis-
sensions within it was not until 1830 that the UMW
Evangelical Church was really eatlibliilible 'AI regarded
its Gioia position and aelesiast orgemilietiol, GerGermanm
41
' Protestantism presented • respectab ale pearanse,
but alas it had very mtvi the apparel's* of •
house divided against itself. Rationalism was
still taught in some of the pulpits, and Ritualism,
or more strictly Nigh Lutheranism, was stiU the
praltice and creed of many churches. A great dial
was, however, being done to remedy this Their own
British and Foreign Bible -Society had been largely
instrumental in the good work, nor numb they over-
look the ila• Word laboul• of take Atoaartiam flarito4 .04
Episcopal Methodist Socatiee'lletemesProteetantism,
like German Catholieismi, had elan like • Phoenix from
Its ashes awe 1800. Looking, however, at the Ration-
alism which prevailed, he thought that, judging by
the present condition of German Protestantism, they
gathered but little hope for the future. Ltt them,
however, pray that through the new impulse given be
German national life by the unification of the Father
land, as well as by the fearful losses indicted by the
1 ear on almost every family throughoat the eountry,the
, interest' of lreligion might be premoted, and the
Laurette of men turned towards the God of their sal-
vation, and may the Spirit of God speedily demand
aed infuse 'life intg dry bone', thus making Clernienl •
bold and sumierifachempion of Evangelical Protestant
Unity. Turn to Francis, the lecturer said, according
to the last census: Ike Protortati in Frain did na
number 900,000, and by the separation of Abase
end a part of Lorraine they had lost 250,090. In
point of wealth also French Protestants had suffered
greatly by the issues of the war. Alsatian Protestants
, were • most Industrious and well-to-do race, and pos-
sessed • large amount of wealth, and consequently of
influence. Religiously the loss had not been so great.
Alsace was sadly &Minted with rationalism, ad relUen
was bat • tradition. So ter, therefore, as spiritual
power was concerned French Protantiem renaldniM
mural in the ensue condition as afore the war. flaring
referred to the evils inflicted upon the country by the
slaughter and proscription of the Elagenots ; he alluded
tolthe evil influent).* at work against religion in the
18th century—the days of Voltaire and Rouseia. In
1789 Protestantism was first recognised as forming part
of the nation, and in 1802 Napoloon, then ant anal,
gave it higher status still by plains it upon the same
level as Roman Catholieism. Duringthe last 40
years& great improvement had taken pima In may of the
Churches, but Rationalism was still rampant in others,
Intellectually and commercially French Protestantlise
had recovered much lose ground, but the lararintable
division in its ranke with respect to doctrine vu label
to anything like real religious Progress. Again ia the
matter of liberality the Protestants of Franee were
greatly leaking, end almost every Protestant society in
Franca could tail to the ground were it not supported
by Swiss and English liberality. In conclusion the
speaker aid :-e-46es far, my picture of the French
, Protestant hag' *been • very glowing one. Let es
now in eeneinegon try and put enclaves s few brighter
truths. During the recent seige of Pug, and ledees
%iota the lare,,Protestirtwsowr:re zymaaegy
safely
say say that their hospitality and generous troatmena
their poOf co-religiomista, was never more isocispleirme
than in those months of disaster and suffering. Again,
there are institutions in France of which Prorate*.
may be proud. I refer especial), to M. Boin's
admirable asylums at lea Fore. There are cherishes
which seem 'really alive to their responsibilities,
and pastors and evangelists who ma preaching the .
light with greet euery and faith. May Gel
in his infinite mercy increase the number of theft
earnest workers, and 'headway bless the circulation 4
the Word of God, which has been preeeeding veep I
rapidly lor some years past I The troubles of
are not over. Tee days of her humiliation are net
ended. God to !tripping her of all air glory. A.
feeling of awe anus as we gsse on the sad specials.
What a warning to other peoples 1 What • all to her
own sons, the faithful few, who are now suffering from
calamities and judgments with which God is initiat-
ing "la grande nation." We have little faith in
political, Of even educational remedies. Bat we he,.
large faith in the power of the Gospel, and ere enine
that French Protestants will all rally roiled the old
„widen', and, undaunted by the gigantic niter* of the
task, will labour with an energy red a persevering
faith, which shall show that they are true patriots
well as worthy followers of their persecuted sires.
as
The Rev. T. /leave, of Dorchester, then adaoaa
on "Tee tiara that are passing over jai - - ----r
end their
lessons to the Church." Alter expressi4 his belief
that there was no ground for the despondency
will 4
whiols some regarded the political events of the times,
be continued :—When we tarn from the liti
u that which P°
ala
"
the religious atmosphere,
datelY nowntrrtt us here, we shall find morel...la".
siring and hopelni in the eoo than i ;lire no ....... as-
are chime, who in this, as well a . n ether. There
Ire the politic wend,
an SOO ground only for laineatation Lt
nube comforted, nor would it avail m'aaonlidwwereho Iwiolir nay
one else to attempt it. I don't refer
always WV ales who are oonstengl whiLiatneovWerttlialibie
sin and degeneracy of the age, who de
to make it bolter, and who sae jafisit4sl7 ii 4"
satisfaction from thinking of then t 4
deekvacinanimagliAlladd
to the Devil, and who are always
world
tlyis r - yid
the suggestion even of gram!" of hope ( - Ilia° 4
The truth is, such persons era., ;Pe °- infproventest.
some roots prefer shade a sunshine -"'o9erihte igidneles, al
for
.4
_world think that their
_. feloaOLld—sybeimuotheldrwniseot
be derived rogai thinking . icilr then
the
.1"4"i9"o
battle of Armageddon, and
mysterious'.lnutof
viiiiisith:seitkeis
and tramper." of a Revelatiou would be at
an eel We may disetio. from our alienation the dais
furnished by such good people, who are asualy waffling
on their heads, as entering very little, 44" way, into
the proper Psourgoa Pr soulognant of this (lowan'
But
_Cure are may others, sealed cif -bailie..
and was of hut, whet do not easily mistake
61s
panic for real danger, and who profess to have n;
very little in the imam to inspire eosidende• Bet new
that the Jadielsi Cournithe of the Privy amoral have
unianiewasly ourieuried site and articles, *brambles
and birettas, postures, and rigors, pralines which,
to their shone be it spokes, or many years put have
formed the mein points of sat: for • large section of
slaw of the Ugh& Mem"; • large Portion a the
gloom whist was apposed to sees on the religious"
aorta& may meta to nave been dispersed, and the sup
of hope, with fivangeliciam, 66 be In the aimendeer
The 111111111•89 is es. flibtverte 1i 447 be to eatteis