Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub

372

CHAPTER XVII.

STATE OF RELIGIOUS PARTIES IN BAVARIA.

Kneeling to the Host-Noble Conduct of Count von Giech and Pastor Rendendach-Employment of the latter by the Prussian Government-Representation of Grievances by the General Protestant Synod-Necessity of British Sympathy and Assistance-Prince von Wrede-his Fearless and Patriotic Opposition to Romish Intolerance-Report of the Committee on Religious OrdersCondemnation of the Jesuits-Prince von Wrede's further Attempts at Reform-The Crown Prince of Bavaria-His Disapproval of Roman Catholic Favouritism.

THE compulsory observance of kneeling to the host has long been a pregnant source of complaint and suffering to the Bavarian Protestants; and many have been the voices raised against it by men of talent, rank, and high character for integrity and political discernment: among whom none has, of late years, more distinguished himself than Count Charles von Giech-not only in his place as a senator, but, through the medium of the press, he has, at much personal sacrifice, manfully maintained the truth, that as man ought to kneel before God, so, likewise, he should do so before him only; conquently, that kneeling "before the host is a virtual acknowledgment of the doctrine of transubstantiation, and cannot be performed by any Protestant with a good conscience." The open avowal of these sentiments, and the consequent rejection

of all those glosses, by which kneeling before the host by the servants of the crown, whether civil or military, has been, and is still, held forth as a mere act of submission to the law of the land, with which private conviction is in no way compromised, necessitated Count von Giech to throw up an office which he held under government, and retire into private life

-a sacrifice for conscience' sake, much enhanced by the very limited fortune possessed by the count. But while Protestant laymen must be content to relinquish court favour if they would maintain a consistent profession of their principles, the Protestant clergy have a still harder task assigned them, for they are bound to teach that which constantly exposes them to conflict with the ruling powers, and the examples of actual persecution among them are neither few nor lightly to be borne. One recent occurrence of this nature which has, from peculiar circumstances, attracted much attention, may be here stated. A Protestant clergyman, named Redendach, having in the pulpit declared his conviction, that no Protestant ought, under any circumstances, to wound his conscience by joining in an act of idolatrous worship, was tried for the offence, and sentenced to one year's imprisonment in a fortress. The severe award was, indeed, afterwards mitigated by an exercise of royal clemency, in shortening the period of incarceration, but without any reversal of the ground on which sentence had been passed; and therefore, although the Protestant consistory repeatedly urged Pastor Redendach to re-enter on his clerical duties, he invariably refused, declaring that if his condemnation was just in law, he could not expect to be long reinstated before his conscience would compel him to incur a repetition of the same. Early in the present year, however, the Prussian government gave the martyr of Protestant principles an equally unexpected and unsought-for appointment to a living, in the province of Saxony, with a revenue of 1,100 dollars per annum (£165), and to this new city of refuge he departed without delay. But individual views and individual sufferings sink into nothing, when compared with the long list

of grievances which, under the rule of a king, professing the most liberal sentiments, the son, the husband, and the fatherin-law of Protestant princesses, the Protestant subjects of Bavaria are called to endure. Of these, a pamphlet, published in Berne, gives the following summary:-"The representation of the grievances drawn up by the general Protestant synod at their last two meetings in 1844, contains six chief grounds of complaint:

"First. The infraction of the chartered rights of the general synods, as evidenced by the fact, that not only the deputies of the last two synods held in Ansbach and Baireuth, were in various ways restricted in the exercise of their legitimate operations; but ninety-seven petitions, emanating from them, were suppressed by the royal commissioners armed with their secret instructions.

"Second. The increased difficulty experienced in forming new congregations; by the demand made to them to furnish proof of possessing such large funds for meeting the prospective necessities of the future church, as generally deprives them of all hope of ever seeing their desire realised.

"Third. The limitation of the worship of the scattered Protestant population, who, being unable, from their poverty, to pay for the services of a clergyman more than twice, or at the most four times a year, are, nevertheless, watched over with the utmost strictness, to prevent their coming together for any less regular celebration of divine worship.

"Fourth. The permitted change of creed to minors of the Protestant communion, while Catholics in nonage are legally incapable of becoming Protestants.

"Fifth. The permitted imparting of instruction in the Roman Catholic doctrine to Protestant minors and orphans, even although already admitted into the Protestant church by confirmation, in which too frequent evidence is practically afforded that the Catholic clergy carry on their proselytism in a manner which is a mockery both of the spirit and letter of the constitution.

"Sixth. The prohibition of the Gustavus Adolphus Society affording aid in Bavaria. Under this head, proof is given of the extreme poverty of the majority of the Protestant congregations in Bavaria, and how peculiarly they stand in need of foreign aid, since they experience none of that munificent government care which is exercised towards the other church; while, on the other hand, Bavarian Catholics have full liberty to extend the hand of brotherly assistance to their fellowbelievers in Prussia, Saxony, and other Protestant lands."

The pamphlet, which is written in a tone of admirable moderation, combined with manly decision, concludes thus:-"The Bavarian Protestants have been on their guard, despite the grievances to which, since 1838, they have been subjected, to be in no degree wanting in fidelity and devotion to the government, regarding it as that rule which God himself hath set over them; they have studied to bring their complaints before the throne with all due reverence, and have sought redress in legitimate and constitutional ways. May the counsellors of the crown be able to answer for having advised the rejection of their just complaints as ungrounded, by which the uniting bonds of love and confidence between the governed and the governing, have been rudely shaken. But Protestants will never suffer themselves to be betrayed into any infraction of their duties as "subjects; neither do they bring complaints against the Catholic church as a body, but only against a party in that church, which has, unhappily, of late years, obtained too much influence with the government in church affairs. As Protestants, they desire and follow after peace; but they must likewise continue to protest against every encroachment on their constitutional rights and liberties, and, should immediate redress be denied them, they will still persevere, hoping for a future, better time, when justice will and must be done them."

The foregoing address is surely well calculated to excite at once our sympathy and respect for the Protestants of Bavaria; and as the king is supposed, at least to lay much stress on

the world's applause, and willingly to gather golden opinions from all sorts of men, perhaps he might learn a lesson through England's free press, that fine speeches about paternal feelings, and his desire to see his subjects of all confessions happy, of which his majesty is abundantly lavish, are, after all, a poor compensation for the secret sanction of Jesuitism, under a less alarming name, and a real wounding of the conscience, and infringement of the rights of his subjects, while professing to rule them with law and equity. And thus it is with the somuch-vaunted and so-often-repeated modifications of the law of kneeling to the host, and which, with true Jesuit cunning, has been frequently officially so stated, that the cursory peruser would fancy all objectionable clauses so entirely wiped out from the enactment, that none but the most obstinately refractory spirits could advance a complaint. Yet what is the fact? The general rule propounded is, "None but Catholic soldiers shall be appointed to attend processions of the host; only in the church (to which Catholics alone are expected to go) will worship of the Most Holy' be demanded," &c. : and this sounds so fair and equitable, that one is disposed to exclaim, "What more can be asked or expected?" But then follow the exceptions to the general rule; and they are, unhappily, so numerous and so extensive, as literally to make the rule a dead letter, which keeps, indeed, a promise of relief to the ear, but breaks it to the sense. Protestant soldiers, for example, must take their turn of guard duty, and when the host is carried past a guard-house, it is commanded that the guard turn out and present arms, kneeling; the next exceptions are, when a regiment, being on a march, meets a priest with the host, and some of the soldiery desire to confess, halt must be made, and all must kneel. Here, again, Protestants must be supposed to be present. Or, if a regiment going to, or returning from, parade, meet a procession, the prostration must be conceded; or if a priest, meeting a military detachment, feel moved in his spirit to communicate ghostly instruction to some of the faithful among them, all must halt, and thus, if he produce

« ПредишнаНапред »