1.  The St. Jacobi Gemeinde (parish) in Berlin, belonging, as is the rule in Prussia, to the “Unirte Kirche”—­a fusion of the Lutheran and the Reformed Churches—­in 1877, chose, as its pastor, Lic.  Horzbach.  The Consistory of Brandenburg, within whose jurisdiction Berlin lies, refused to admit him on account of his heterodox views.  By the ecclesiastical law, a pastor translated from one consistory to another, has to be approved of by the one he enters; which gives an opportunity of exercising a disciplinary power, not beyond what is possessed by the consistory where he has once been admitted, but more opportunely and conveniently brought into play.  St. Jacobi parish, having apparently a taste for advanced views, next chose a Dr. Schramm; but he too was rejected on the same grounds.  The third selection fell on Pastor Werner (Guben); this was confirmed by the Consistory, but was quashed by the “Oberkirchenrath,” or supreme ecclesiastical authority of the country, located in Berlin.  The parish was now considered to have forfeited its right of election; and a pastor was chosen for it by the Oberkirchenrath.  Happily his views were not too strict for the congregation, and peace was restored.  In all the three instances, the rejection took place on the complaint of a small orthodox minority in the parish.

2.  Rev. Luehr, pastor at Eckenforda, in the Prussian Province of Schleswig-Holstein, was accused of heresy, and deprived by the Provincial Consistory of Kiel in December, 1881.  Pastor Luehr appealed to the Berlin Oberkirchenrath, who reversed the sentence, and let him off with a reproof for the use of incautious language.

There have been two still more notorious heresy hunts:  one, the case of Dr. Sydow in Berlin; the other, Pastor Kalzhoff, who was ultimately deposed, and is now minister of an independent congregation in Berlin.

Both the central ecclesiastical authority and the provincial consistories, being nominated by the Government, reflect the religious tendencies of the Emperor and his Ministers for the time being.  At present, these are probably behind the country at large in point of liberality.

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Next to Switzerland, Holland is most distinguished for advanced views as to the remission of Tests, and the liberty of the clergy.  A very complete account of the history and present position of the Dutch sects is given in a pamphlet, entitled “The Ecclesiastical Institutions of Holland, by Philip H. Wicksteed, M.A. (Williams & Norgate)”.

[Subscription in the Dutch Church.]

It is pretty well known that in doctrinal views the majority in the Dutch Church is Calvinist; while a minority forms the “Modern School,” a school partaking of the rationalism of our century in matters of faith.  The battle of the Confessions began in 1842, and is not yet finished.  In this year an attempt was made to revive the binding authority of the old confessions.  The General Synod in that and the following years successfully resisted the movement.  In 1854, a new formula of subscription applicable to candidates for the ministry was introduced, less stringent and more liberal than the old one.  The orthodoxy party endeavoured to make it more stringent, the liberals proposed to make it still less so.  In 1874, a majority of the General Synod passed the following declaration:—­