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136 CHURCH OF GENEVA.
the free use of the cliapel at the hospital
to the English, where the service of the
Church of England is performed every
Sunday morning, beginning at eleven
o’clock. A few over-zealous persons were
not satisfied with the free liberty to worship
in their own way, without they could
attack the Genevese church ; and were not
contented with Mr. R.,the English chaplain,
though sincerely attached to the doctrines
of the English Church, and doing honour
to his profession by his exemplary conduct
and amiable manners, because he would
not make his pulpit a theological battery,
to annoy those who had lent him the use
of it. An effort was made to remove him,
and introduce another clergyman, who was
said to be a sturdy champion of Calvinism ;
but the good sense of the great majority of
the English residents prevailed, and Mr. R.
was requested to remain.
Every candid person must censure any
attempt of the English to interfere with
the affairs of the Genevese Church, as the
Genevese evince no wish to make proselytes,
or disturb the faith of the English
residents. On the contrary, they have
shown, as I have before mentioned, a readiness
to grant the English every accommodation
for public worship, according to
the doctrines and forms of their own
church ; and as the clergyman may state
those doctrines with all boldness, it would
be returning evil for good, to abuse and
anathematize the Genevese, because they
may not, on all points, agree with him.
I should not have referred to M. Malan,
but the schism in the church at Geneva has
excited more attention with a certain party
in this country than at Geneva itse lf; and
printed letters have been circulated by Englishmen
in that city, stating that the British
youth who were educated there were in danger
of being corrupted : an accusation most
unfounded and unjust. There is no town in
Great Britain, nor I believe upon the continent,
where a young man’s morals would
be so little exposed to danger, from temptation
of any kind, or from the contagion
of bad example, as at Geneva; and whatever
his religious principles may be, he
will be as secure from any attempts being
made to change or subvert them, as he
could be in any part of the world.
I t would be difficult for an Englishman