"Continental Echo," and which appeared in the March number of that journal, dated the 30th of January, while the meeting at Rawiecz took place on the 3rd of February. The following is the reply which was received in due course :

Schneidemühl, March 2.

"I am at this moment engaged in preparing a circular letter to all the Christian Catholic churches, detailing the true relationships of the Rawiecz coalition. I content myself, therefore, at present, with announcing this to you, and assuring you that I have not retracted one foot's-breadth from my former position. The world itself could not proffer a price for which I would barter my belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God; and we have only joined together, in order, in the exercise of mutual love and forbearance, to fight with united forces against the encroachments of Rome. How, indeed, could I ever unite with unbelief? But the Breslaw brethren gave me the assurance that they desire to preach Christ, the crucified one, the Son of the living God; and if they abide by this, our dissensions must cease with its cause. The grace of God be with you. Yours, &c.

(Signed) "J. CZERSKI." It would surely be unjust to decide in how far the agreement in question was warranted by Christian principle, previous to receiving the promised circular letter, which has not yet left the press, and which may naturally enough have been delayed, both in composition and printing, by the political disturbances with which the Schneidemühl district, in common with Posen and great part of Western Prussia, has recently been visited, and from which they are not yet exempt. Moreover, considering the bold, firm stand, which both Czerski and Post have hitherto made against infidelity, it would be uncharitable to suffer even a surmise to dim the brightness of their gospel testimony; let us rather realise, in regard to them, the Christian love described by the apostle in 1 Cor. xiii. 5-7. Nor is there small ground for hope that, through Dr. Theiner's influence, Rongé will, in future, bridle both pen and tongue

(for the first avowals of enmity, whether from the pulpit or press, were made while absent from Breslaw, on his southern tour), and thus, ostensibly at least, ground of offence, and the necessity for direct opposition, will be taken away. But should it ever appear (which God forbid) that Czerski and Post have been seduced from their steadfastness, into an apparent coalition with those from whom they differ toto colo in heart, can the religious world cast a stone of condemnation at them with a good conscience? What body of professing Christians holding the evangelical principles upon which they stand, has come forward to aid the tottering steps of those just escaped from the leading-strings of Rome? None but the free church of Scotland, and the reformed church of France-brilliant and honourable exceptions, both; and the excellent counsel of the former especially, had it been followed up in a similar way by other ecclesiastical communities, accompanied by such assistance as would have shown they loved, not in word only, but in deed and in truth, might have done much, not only to establish and strengthen, but to rectify, purify, and set in order the things that are wanting. But, alas, all stood, and stand, aloof. No Protestants in their own country have, as a body, professed sympathy with the Catholic dissidents, but the "Friends of Light;" and they, as may well be supposed, would rather quench than help to trim the gospel flame among them. No British publication, as far as I am aware, save the "Continental Echo," has advanced the cause of the Apostolic Catholic Christians, by seeking for them the prayers and the contributions of British Christians; yet the congregations who cling to positive Christianity are known to be poor in worldly possessions, comparatively few as to numbers, peculiarly the objects of derision or detestation to the Roman Catholic bigots, and contemned as unenlightened, narrow-minded, and devoid of Christian love, by the illuminati, whether among the Protestant friends or German Catholics. Would it, then, be very wonderful, if, thus left alone in the midst of their enemies, the doctrine of expediency, which has

entangled many who had better opportunities of instruction, should have led to coalescing with irreligion, wearing the garb of their party, and have won the ear of those babes in Christ, especially when it came in the guise of that angel of light— Christian love? From this danger they might have been saved, if fellow-Christians had done their duty. It is, indeed, very certain that if the Schneidemühl and other congregations are truly the people of God, He will cause enlargement and deliverance to arise to them from some other quarter, however long British Christians may hold their peace ;* but who can tell when, or how, such indifference will be required at their hand? Money is much needed by these poor people; they are harassed by war, the cantonments of soldiery, and the consequent much increased dearness of provisions. But they need much more than money; they need counsel, encouragement, and, above all, fervent intercessions for them before the throne of God, that they "may be able to stand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand."

A blasphemous mummery, which has for some time been carried on at Paderborn, by an apostate Lutheran clergyman, named Gössler, has at length been put a stop to by authority, and the offender confined to his convent. The facts were these: -this infamous apostate, whose zeal, as is generally the case with such, outstripped his discretion, commenced some months ago (but only to members of the true church) the exhibition of a nun of the St. Clarissa order, bearing on her brow marks of the crown of thorns worn by our Lord. These marks, he maintained, distilled a certain number of blood-gouts (from 80 to 115) daily, of which the ghostly charlatan published a printed facsimile, which, being sold to the credulous multitude, brought him and his female companion a tolerable income. The more respectable Catholics were highly scandalized by this disgraceful exhibition, yet Father Gössler's superiors were either unwilling or unable to put a stop to it, although,

*Esther iv. 14.

horrible to relate, the Holy Supper of our Lord was prostituted to aid the vile fraud, as it was pretended that this selected bride of Heaven ate nothing but the consecrated wafer, daily dispensed to her by her priestly showman. A providential occurrence, however, put an end to the wicked priest's gains, though scarcely, it is feared, to the people's delusion. The serious illness of the nun requiring medical aid, a physician (Dr. Sebregondi) was called in, who discovered, and, though a Catholic, denounced the cheat, which led at once to an authoritative removal of the two accomplices to their respective convents. But Father Gössler, it is said, has already denounced the physician to the populace as an unbeliever and adversary, by which he has incurred much popular indignation.

One of the latest manifestations of the Romanists has been made in Suabia, on the 8th inst., on which day a circular letter from the Rottenburg Chapter was read from every Catholic pulpit throughout the country, pronouncing the excommunication of the German Catholics. The document concludes by declaring the apostates shut out from the Catholic communion; admonishes the parish priests to lay a firm foundation of faith, by diligent instruction and reading; to re-establish all the ordinances and usages of the Catholic church, in their purity; and specially calls upon them to pray for the restoration of the wanderers; entreating them to be unwearied in their endeavours to accomplish the perfecting of the faithful, and to confirm their adherence to the rock on which the Catholic church is built.

The Roman Catholic church in Silesia continues to exhibit signs of vitality; and an ardent wish has been expressed in several places, particularly in Oppeln and Neisse, consonant to the petitions presented to the Archbishop of Cologne, for the revival of diocesan synods. It is even said, that the Prince-bishop of Breslaw, no less than the Bishop of Culm, are decidedly favourable to the measure. In the present state of excitement, its adoption would assuredly be a wise

tribute to public opinion, and might, more than any other, check dissent, by affording a hope of improvement within the pale of the church.

April. Although the expected letter from Czerski has not yet been published, the following extract from a statement made in the March number of the "Catholic Church Reform Journal for 1846," seems to put the footing on which the Rawiecz conference was conducted, in the plainest light. The passage is as follows:-" As to the points respecting which the union of the Christian Catholic clergymen who met here on February 3, was founded, there could be no proposition of concession on either side, since the first church council at Leipsic assured to each individual congregation the right to hold its own peculiar views, provided these did not contravene the general principle" (viz., separation from, and independence of, Rome). "Czerski will retain the apostolic confession of faith, and the public ritual he has hitherto observed in divine worship, as well as the clerical dress; both of these being justly regarded as important in the Roman controversy in the Grand Duchy of Posen. In other respects he will not hold aloof from Rongé, but strive to promote the glorious work of the reformation, by uniting his efforts to those of his brethren."

It is not a little remarkable, that the 18th of February, as the tri-centenary anniversary of Luther's death, was commemorated by the German Catholics, as well as the evangelical portion of the Protestant church, but not by the "Friends of Light," who therefore show themselves more determinedly opposed to the Lutheran confession than the new dissidents from Rome, who, in fact, profess to desire an extension and completion of the reformation of the sixteenth century.

A most gratifying decision by the Prussian courts of law has just been announced. Dr. Theiner having been prosecuted by the Roman Catholic authorities in Breslaw, for his lately published work, "Attempts at Reform in the Catholic Church,' on the ground that it contained libellous matter against "a