ven been permitted to hold
certain reserves on such or such article."

_Germanic Switzerland_.

Pastor Bernard of Berne, having enumerated the symbolical writings of
Germanic Switzerland, says: "For centuries the pastors were obliged to
sign them, although it is true that the Second Confession of Helvetic
Faith was alone recognised as the general rule imposed upon pastors.
The signing of the Formula Consensus was exacted only temporarily (being
discarded about 1720). It has been only from the beginning of this
century that, under the influence of rationalism, pastors have been
required to preach the Gospel merely according to the _principles_ of
the Helvetic Confession. To-day we find all confession of faith
abolished in our Germanic Swiss Churches. Pastors preach what pleases
them. Chosen by the parishes, they owe to them solely an avowal of their
doctrines."

* * * * *

The Hungarian Reformed Church has a singular history, in respect of
Creeds. The Report of the Council goes very minutely into the detail of
eleven confessions held successively by that church. Of these, there
survive two--the Helvetic Confession and the Catechism of Heidelberg, by
which ministers and office--bearers are still bound.

* * * * *

[German Churches.]

Next as to Germany. As the several states have their separate
ecclesiastical usages, the same rule does not apply everywhere. For an
extreme case of absence of toleration, we may refer to the Grand Duchy
of Mecklenburg. Lutheranism is the established religion; and the Duchy
is the stronghold of mediaeval conservatism both in politics and in
religion. The, removal of Baumgarten from the University of Rostock is
an example in point; and the decree is so characteristic, and
illustrative that it deserves to be given at length.

"We have to our sincere regret been given to understand that, in your
writings published in and since the year 1854, you have advanced
doctrines and principles that are in the most important points at
variance with the doctrines and principles of the symbolic books of our
Evangelical-Lutheran Church and of our rules of Church Discipline, to
such an extent as to amount to an attempt to shake to the very
foundation the basis whereon these doctrines and principles and our
church rest. In order to reach more exact certainty on these things, we
have assembled our Consistory to consider this matter, and fr