REFORMED CHURCHES. 



677 



lege, in giving theological instruction, at the 

 request of the Board of Directors of the in- 

 stitution, was pronounced not disorderly or 

 contrary to the constitution of the Church, 

 although they had not received authority from 

 their Synod. The Synod resolved : 



1. That the marriage bond, whether entered into 

 under tho administration of the state or the Church, 

 is indissoluble except by natural death. 



2. That, while regarding the divorces granted by 

 the state as valid so far as temporalities are con- 

 cerned, we do hereby direct the various pastors and 

 judicatories of the Reformed Church in the United 

 States to give no validity in their spiritual discipline 

 to any divorce except such as has been granted on 

 the ground of adultery by one or both parties in the 

 marriage. 



III. REFOEMED CHURCH OF FRANCE. The 

 Synod of the Reformed Church of France, at 

 its meetings in 1872 and 1873, formulated a 

 confession of faith which gave expression to 

 the Orthodox doctrines concerning the divini- 

 ty of the Lord Jesus Christ, the inspiration 

 of the Holy Scriptures, and other doctrines 

 considered essential. It also ordered that all 

 new ministers should be required to subscribe 

 to this declaration, and imposed adherence to 

 it as a qualification of voters at the consistorial 

 and presbyterial elections. The Unitarian or 

 Liberal party in the Church, which was very 

 strong, opposed these acts. It protested 

 against the new rules, and refused to obey them, 

 while it asked the Orthodox party and the 

 Government to consent to an equitable division 

 of the Church, of its fund and privileges, and 

 to the acknowledgment of the equal rights of 

 both branches to vested endowments and 

 support by the state. In those consistories 

 and presbyteries which were controlled by the 

 Liberals, the rules imposed by the Synod con- 

 cerning the qualifications of voters were dis- 

 regarded in the elections. This fact having 

 been reported to M. de Cumont, Minister of 

 Instruction and Worship in 1874, he declared 

 the elections held under these circumstances 

 null, and ordered new elections to be held in 

 April, 1875, in the jurisdictions in which the 

 orders of the Synod had been disregarded. 

 The Liberal officiaries of the consistories and 

 presbyteries affected by M. de Cumont's order 

 refused to take any steps toward holding the 

 new elections. Their programme, as an- 

 nounced by M. de Viguie", was, neither to pro- 

 ceed to the new elections, nor appeal to the 

 Council of State, but to organize compactly, 

 as well where they were in the minority as 

 where they were in the majority, then claim 

 their rights, and demand an equitable division 

 of property and privileges. By this attitude, 

 the burden of organizing for the new elections 

 in the Liberal parishes was thrown upon the 

 unofficial Orthodox minorities. Elections so 

 held, although they were not regular, inasmuch 

 as they were held in the face of the regular 

 consistorial authorities, were conformed to the 

 policy of the minister, and were sustained by 

 his declaration giving them validity. 



When the administration of the Department 

 of Instruction and Worship was changed, a 

 deputation of Liberals took an early opportu- 

 nity to call on the new minister, M. Wallon. 

 The minister assured his visitors that no proj- 

 ects to despoil the Liberals of their equal share, 

 in case of a division of the Church, would be 

 sustained ; but he also insisted that he could 

 promise them no relief against the nullification 

 of their elections, and they could gain relief 

 only by an appeal to the Council of State. 

 The Liberal party had previously decided not 

 to make such an appeal ; but this declaration 

 of the minister caused them to reconsider their 

 determination. Accordingly, an appeal was 

 made in the case of the election at Bedarieux, 

 which had been annulled. In consequence of 

 this new proceeding, it became necessary to 

 adjourn the elections, which had been ordered 

 to be held in April, till such time as the de- 

 cision of the Council of State should have been 

 announced. Early in April, the minister ad- 

 dressed a letter to the presidents of the pres- 

 byterial councils, notifying them of the ad- 

 journment. 



The decision of the ministry annulling the 

 elections held in the Liberal consistories 

 brought great embarrassments upon their 

 churches. They were left without legal or- 

 ganization, and without pastors whose acts 

 could be recognized as valid, and were likely 

 to continue in this condition for an indefinite 

 period, or until a decision should be reached 

 on the cases which had been carried by appeal 

 to the Council of State. A deputation waited 

 upon the Minister of Worship, M. Wallon, Au- 

 gust 10th, in behalf of the churches thus situ- 

 ated, and asked him to confirm the nomina- 

 tions which had been actually made. M. 

 Wallon regarded himself as not able to do 

 this, because these elections of pastors had 

 been clearly declared invalid by his prede- 

 cessor, and new elections had been ordered 

 which were only delayed pending the hearing 

 of the appeal. He, however, decided that he 

 might confirm the nominations provisionally 

 while the appeal was being heard. On the 

 18th of August the minister issued a circular 

 announcing that he would make such provi- 

 sional confirmation in the case of each parish 

 which would make upon him a formal official 

 demand for it. 



In making this adjustment, as the minister 

 declared afterward, in his circular of the 14th 

 of October, he had intended, while affording 

 temporary relief to the embarrassed Liberal 

 jurisdictions, to guard carefully the integrity 

 of the decisions of his predecessor, which de- 

 clared their proceedings in reference to the 

 elections to have been irregular, and the elec- 

 tions to be invalid. His meaning, however, 

 was misapprehended in some of the consisto- 

 ries, and his action was used to give color to 

 proceedings which he would not approve. Ac- 

 cordingly, he issued another circular on the 

 14th of October, to correct the misinterpreta- 



