The Sun.
London, England, 1819-01-13 00:00:00

LITERARY REVIEW.

ZEFOIMATION in the (:,:vrilor,tc cnuncn of GER-
MANY, and the DOWNFALL of PAPAL AUTHORITY,
-detailed in a Correspondence with the Court ttr Rome, on
'the Subject of the Nomination of the Vicar-General, Baron
Von Wessenberg, as Successor in the Diocese of Constance,
and Diocesan Administrator. Accompanied 'by the rarirs
Documents refe, red to in the Correspondence ; a prelator7
Memorial, gisiag a brief Account if the extraordinary
Proceedings of the Court of Rome, on this occasion and
the Ms'aitures adopted, in consequence, by his litoyal High-
kess the Grand Duke of Baden: and an Introduction,
written expressly for this Translation, by the Attorney
General of the Ki.l of Bavaria. Translated ,from the'
Original German. •

The subject of the present work is ohe of the

most -important that has attracted the notice of
maniltol for a very long period. While the
Romatt CAbolies in the I3lit-C; Empire are en-
flea Voutilig by all possible mans to obtain poli•
ticnl Power, in hopes evintnally to overthrow the,
Protestaht I,i;stablislottent, the enligittened people'
Gtolnany have given a shock to l' lobo-
titv, and art: nitkin4 rapid vrides towards its
dowi;fall. We have stood resolotely forward in
.defence of oor Notional Faith. and hiving been

fLe w.istatice of mail distiognishei
Mrotberi of the Cloitrelt, wr shall 7rArott!ly per

severe in Arrrporring the same glorious cause.—
At present ice shall take the prefatory plrt of
this interesting work, awl soon resume oor no:iee

of it, earnestly recommending it, in the mean
titne, to all friends of our Polttical and liecle-
siastiral Estsbli,hment, the best security for the
freedom and harpiness of the People
"The following sheets contain the particnlars
and tire documents r,latiae to the contest now
'petniiosr between the Catholic Bishop of Con-
stanre,* Baron Wesse4erg, and the See of
Rome. This event, at the present moment,
occupies the attention of all Germany, and the
eonsequences.tO be expected from it, will, in all
probability, matitthe occurrence as a momentous
epoch in the history of Europe. It is precisely
three hundred years since a German Catholic Di-
vine, Martin Luther, threw down the gauntlet of
defiance to the Pope, and entered into a contest,
:skirl), however apparently tmetpial, terminated in
wresting one half-of Europe front the grasp of
Papal ti-nrpation. • The other half remains to be
emancipated. It is ripe for the event ; the begin•
ning is just made !
" The convulsions to which the French Ilevo.
bition gave rise thioughout• Europe, have been
productive of much temporary evil, but many be-
neficial consequences have at the same time result-
sd from them. Amonng these stands perhaps fore-
most an increased freedom .of.opinion, a spirit of
sound discussion, ‘t hid) Ima ditrus-ed itself over
eve's/ dais of society. People on the Continent
have begun to thiuk and speak freely of their own
iutettsts.
" That this is more conspicuously the case in
Germany than ally where else on the Continent,
can he no matter of surprise. The Germans are
a reflecting, a moral, and enlightened people ;
their excellent institutions. shower .down know-
ledge on the poor a: well as ou the tic!). It is to
them we owe the Reion“ation, which, through
the zeal of a Swiss Divine (Calvin), unhappily
branched out into two separate churches, that
differ (tom each other in farm rather than in sub
stance.

The Germans have just set the noble example
of fo ming a union between these t branches of
the Protestant faith. This union, which on iginated,
we believe, in the grand duchy of Nassau, lms taken
place almost universally tiiroughoar Gerniatiy ;
er.d the separate appellations of Lutheran and Cal-
vinist Churches have merged in the common ap-
pellation of the Evangelical Church. The Lutheran
and Refortned Churches of Prussia met in Spool
together, on the invitation of their Monarch, the
Ist October, 1517, and soon came to an agree-
ment ; and the union was celebrated on the very
day of the tri-centenary festival of\the Rumina-
tion. A similar Synod of the Lutherans and Cal-
vinists in Hesse Cassel Was hell at llanau, in
Illay and June, ISIS, and attended with the
same result. The Royal confirmation was given
to the Bavarian Union on the 10th of October
last. Saxe Weimar and most of the other:small
states have followed this example. The Protest-
ant Germans have now, therefore, only one tios
pet, one Temple, one Divine Instructor, and one
mode of Communion; and what is singular, and
Lighly hononrable to their liberality, this Union
was everywhere accomplished with the greatest
ease, and without a dissentient voice baying been
raised against it.
4' Much has here been accomplished ; but a
more noble and a more arduous task remains to be
performed. Unman paSsinna, accident, and the
lapse of ages, have turned the waters of Christian
love into diveiging channels ; is it impossible to
le-conduct them once more into one pure and vi-
goroUs stream ? Is a union n ith our Catholic
Inathreit beyond the power of hUIII/111 efforts ?
" Papal supremacy, we are aware, is the great,
perhaps the only obstacle, to this holy consumma-
tion; but this obstacle, we hope and believe, will
not long remain in our way. Our Catholic bre-
thren in Germany have themselves begun the work
of shaking the remaining foundation of the moul-
dering
.Colossus. The work we present to our
l'eaders proves this assertion ; it is on that account
we have been induced to give it the publicity ofa
translation. Every enlightened Catholic in Ger-
many looks to the cessation of the Papal power,
R 3 to an event near at hand. Whoever has re-
cently travelled in the South of Germany will ac-
knowledge
,thetrnth of this observation. Some
idea rosy be formed of the prevailing spirit among
the CattoiliCs in that country, by a perusal of the
ktraduclion prefixed to this publication. It forms
;so part of the Originalwork, butt was expressly

* A city and bi,lioprick is thy south of Germany, border-
ing upon 3witzerlaad.

writ-fen for Cite present translation, by a Catholic
Gentleman, occupying the distinguished station of
At(ntorY-General, itr the service of a Catholic
Sovereign, the King of Bavaria. The enlarged
and liberal :opiniOns-of the author, and the un-
daunted freedom with which be delivers them,
characterize the 'country and the age in which he
lle.dorst not utter these, were they not in
unison with the sentiments of the majority of his
fellow-citizens, and of the enlightened Prince in
whose dominions he holds one of the highest and
most important offices of Governmtut•
With respect to the immediate subject of the
following pages, it may be proper to inform our
readers, that among both the Catholics and Pro-
testants iu Germany, but one opinion plevails as
to •the•condoct and the praise-worthy intentions
of Baron WrSsenberg : they are 1111a111111t,1/3 in
their wishes for his success. He hears the cha-
racter of a pious, a moral, and a benevolent matt,
and his zeal In the good cause is indefatigable.
His piety is without superstition, his mural prin•
riples are of the purest kind, his chari y is with-
out Ostentation. and his activity unparalleled.
Like the primitive teat hers of Christianity, he
frequently assembles the Clergy of his diocese,
insirticts them in the Holy Set ip ores and in mat-
ters ot lteli4ion, and enjoins them to communi-
c-ile his lessons to their flocks. On every Son-
11,iy, the Priests are made to catechize the young
and the old, in !heir respective Churches. In tact •
liresseoherg, like Luther, is undaunted in his un-
dertak Ow, and, like him, grounds his reformation
011',1 he Scriptures. Wessenberg, Ike Luther, has
innumerable followers' 411,1, like him, enjoys the
support of. many Sovereigns.
" Diurst ot the Cat butte Princes of Germany
reel au ardent desire to free tlieruseltea awl their
people f, nun the shackles of hierarchical usut pa 7
lion, but as greet must he the work
of the people, they await the manifestation ot
the public voire to promote the signal. The fate
of Iloaw.as an ecclesiastical power, is perhaps at
this morn, nt determined, or secretly understood
among: the august Membcrs of the Holy Alliance,
composed of Sovereigns of the three leading
ChristiAo persnasions. They have, with the as-
sistance of Divine Providence, succeeded in hurl-
ing the political Tyrant from his throne, and re-
storing the political liberties of I.4:urope. By
ci teshing the arbitrary power of hierarchical 11S111'.
p+111,,11, 1111(1 thereby effecting a re-union .of the
whole family of Christ, they would raise to them,
"I," the nt,blest and to eat durable
111 the bieasts of their subjects, and secure the
blessings of grateful ages to come.
" The following extract front one of the most

widely circulated Journals in Gernr.my, will chew
how much men's minds are at present occupied
ividh this subject in that country As soon as
Germany and Rome had time to breathe from
their sufferings, one of their first concerns was to
place their mutual relations on a proper footing ;
and the efforts of the German ,Governments, for
the most part Protestant, for this purpose were
equally zealous and sincere. But the re•iult has
not corresponded to their wishes, and the Ger-
man Catholic Chute!' remains in a state of or-
phanage. This has excited the serious attention
of mail sincere friends of their country, who,
any longer to 'bear with the evil, pin.-
posed an effectual remedy for it. The Confe-
rences at Frankfort * furnish materials for a pure
and glorious restoration .-of the Church. These

friends of their country have had no.other object
in view than the.real ativancetnent of religion and
the Church. This subject has excited the public
attention in no ordi►►+ry degree. More than a

httodred Tracts have been dedica:ed to it. An
miloy of these Tracts, a thorough reformation
and abolition of celibacy are insisted ; memo-
rable signs of a time which can be compared with
no former time. IVhat once agitated men's minds,
irritated them against each tither, put firms into
their hands, and lighted the fires of persecution,
is now treated merely as an affair of learniNg. or
at most as an affair of diplomacy. Of the* calm-
ness with which opinions, even in themselves
strict, are delivered, we have an example in a
small tract, entitled, How the Peace a nut Free-

dont of the German Church may be saved—
ISIS.' Such is the liberaill:y of a Citholic Priest
in Germany, in the 19th century. The Court of
Rome nt,ty learn from this the real sentiments of
Catholic Germany.' 'For the sake of those who
are not familiar with LAtin, an li_lngl.sh transla-
tion accompanies the documents to that language.

TRANSLATOR."

• Secret conferences took place at Frankfort, in conse-
quence of the Memorial of the Grind Duke of Baden to the
Diet ; published in the present work.

LONDON JOURNALS.

FROM THE MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.

[Morning Post.]

Parliament meets to-morrow. After the neces-
sary number -of Members are sworn in before the
Lotto STEWARD, the Commons will proceed to

the choice of a SPEAKER, when Mr. MANNERS
SUTTON is expected to be re-elected without op-
position. Friday, Saturday, and Monday will be
occupied in swearing in the Members, and on

Tuesday or iVednesday the Session will be opened
by Commission, the recent death of the QUEEN
preventing the Ps/NCR REGENT from meeting his
Parliament on this occasion.