ong, prison doors
well-barred, and the four quaternions of soldier guards faithful; but
all these safeguards could not resist the force which lay in the
unceasing prayers of the church. So with the revolutionary movements of
the people in 1848, as opposed to the Christian faith of the members of
the Church Diet. That assembly contributed more than all other human
agencies to save the German states from utter political and social ruin,
and the German church from a longer night and a fiercer storm than any
through which it had passed.

The practical result of the session was an invitation to all the
Protestant churches of Germany to observe the fifth of the coming
November, the Sunday following the anniversary of the Reformation, as a
day of humiliation for past unfaithfulness and prayer for the revival
of true religion throughout the land. It was resolved to form a
confederation of all the German churches adhering to the confessions of
the Reformation, in order to promote denominational unity, be a mutual
defense against Rationalism and indifference, advance social reforms,
protect the rights of the church against the encroachments of civil
authority, and secure a more intimate fellowship with evangelical bodies
outside of Germany.

The Church Diet has steadily enlarged its sphere of operation and
gathered strength and influence. Besides attracting great throngs of
spectators from the surrounding states, its members have attained to the
number of two thousand on more than one occasion. The providential
prosperity which has attended its history is the best proof of the real
demand for its institution and for the valuable purposes it has already
served. At every session the most important questions of the day are
discussed with freedom and always with great ability. Among other themes
which have come up for careful attention, we may mention the relation of
church and state, the sanctity of the Sabbath, divorce and the oath, the
relations of Protestantism to Romanism, all forms of skepticism, and the
inner organization of the church,--such as the renewal of the diaconate,
the possession of church estates, and the abrogation or retainment of
ecclesiastical discipline.[87]

During the first session of the Church Diet a man arose to speak, who
indicated by his earnest manner that he had been thinking deeply, and
that the subject of his remarks was a matter of no ordinary importance.
It was John Henry Wichern, founder of the