ons, and the
ministers were bound "to abstain from all sectarian spirit, to avoid all
that would create any schism and break the union of the Church"--an
addition suppressed towards 1850; and in 1817, they were required to
pledge themselves to abstain from discussing four points in
particular--the manner of the union of the divine and human nature in
the person of Jesus Christ; original sin; the manner in which grace
operates, or saving grace; and predestination; and, if led to utter
their thoughts on any one of these subjects, they were "to do so without
too much positiveness, to avoid expressions foreign to the Holy
Scriptures, and to use, as much as possible, the terms which they
employ". In 1847, the organisation of the Protestant worship was set
forth in a special law, and in 1849, the Consistory called in accordance
with this, adopted an organic rule for the Church. According to Article
74, the functionaries of the Church may be subjected to discipline "in
case of teaching, preaching, or publicly professing any doctrine that
may bring scandal upon the Church". Various modifications followed. In
1874 (April 26), Article 123 was made to declare that "each pastor
teaches and preaches freely on his own responsibility, and no restraint
can be put upon this liberty either by the Confession of Faith or by the
liturgic formulas". In the end of the same year, however (Oct. 3), the
State Council promulgated a new organic law, "in virtue of which a
pastor can either be suspended or dismissed by the Consistory or by the
Council of State for dogmatic motives". In 1875, the pastor obtained the
right to use in his religious teaching any catechetical manual he
preferred, provided he informed the Consistory of his choice. The use of
the _liturgical prayers_, published by the Consistory, became optional.
The pastors were now required merely to declare before God that "they
will teach and preach conscientiously, according to their lights and
faith the Christian truth contained in our holy hooks". The _liturgical
collection_, published by the Consistory in 1875, contains two series of
formulas, expressed in a dogmatic sense on the one hand, and in a
liberal sense on the other. The Apostles' Creed is optional.

_Free Evangelical Church of Geneva_.

The Free Evangelical Church of Geneva demands only a formal adherence to
its Profession of Faith from the elders (including the ministers) and
the deacons. "Some of these officers have e