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THE RELIGIOUS CONDITION OF THE NETHER

LANDS.

BY COL. ROOSMALE NEPVEU OF DOORN.

1. SINCE the last published report a very important change has taken place in the religious condition of the churches in our country.

Although even at that time a movement was going on in the bosom of the Netherlands Reformed Church to protest against the organization which was forced upon it by government in 1816, it was not until 1886 that an active opposition broke out which, emanating from a few Reformed clergymen, especially at Amsterdam, obtained a great extension and developed into a new church organization which, like the so-called Separatists or Christian Reformed (who seceded from the established church sixty years before), reassumed the confession and church regulations of Dordrecht as constituted in 1618-19. This movement led to a secession from the Netherlands Reformed (Established) Church, and the members of the new organization took the name of "Doleerenden" (from the Latin verb doleo, I mourn).

In 1891 an amalgamation of the two dissenting churches was agreed upon in principle under the name of Nederduitsch Gereformeerde Kerken (Netherdutch Reformed Churches).

It is exceedingly difficult for me as a Netherlander, and with the responsibility reposing upon me, to give a wholly impartial judgment in this matter, and I therefore propose, as far as this separation is concerned, to limit myself to the bare statement of facts.

A greatly to be regretted feature in this conflict is the circumstance that a great amount of passion and embitterment has been brought into the strife on both sides, and has been the cause of a lamentable alienation and discord even amongst believing Christians. On the other hand, however, it is not to be denied

that the zeal and the activity of both parties, the Netherlands Reformed Church as well as the Dutch Reformed Church, have very much increased since the separation.

Another favorable feature is the fact that the attendance at the churches where the gospel is preached according to God's Word has very much augmented, whilst those churches where the so-called modern theology is taught are almost deserted.

Enumerating the members of the different churches in round figures, the Netherlands Reformed (Established) Church may be said to count two million members, and the two dissenting churches combined about half a million.

A small section of the early Christian Reformed Church, counting about a dozen communities, have decided to remain independent.

The conflict raging in the churches unfortunately soon reached the domain of the Christian or free schools, which had for many years formed such an excellent ground of cooperation. As an instance of the unity existing before the separation, it may be mentioned that in 1878 a petition containing three hundred thousand signatures was forwarded to King William III. praying the sovereign not to sanction the apprehended scholastic law, which would banish the Bible from our public schools; whilst another proof of the unpopularity of the bill is shown by the fact that since it passed into law the annual collection which it became necessary to hold for the sustenance of the private Christian schools, erected in hundreds throughout the country, for a long time gave a yield of about a hundred thousand guilders a year.

Still on other ground, however, did the discord become noticeable, especially in the Young Men's Christian Associations, where, next to the Netherlands Reformed Association, a Dutch Reformed Association was founded; a circumstance which tended greatly to weaken the co-operation, especially with regard to the holding of united prayer-meetings.

The peculiar Calvinistic spirit which is so strongly imprinted. upon our national character, and which in times of great religious laxity has often preserved our nation from a general apostasy, notwithstanding its undeniable one-sidedness, cannot but be highly appreciated as a preserving salt, which has of late shown a renewed increase of vigor and development, and which may

indeed be called the most remarkable phenomenon in the history of Protestantism in the Netherlands.

2. It is pleasant to notice the fact that the elements which had become separated by the conflict of the churches were often reunited where practical works of Christian philanthropy demanded their co-operation. As an instance of this we may mention the forming of a society for the Christian treatment of lunatics and sufferers of nervous diseases, an institution which, with God's blessing, was so successful that it deserves to be specially mentioned. It was at Veldwijk that the pavilion system was first introduced, and since its foundation over 350 patients have been under Christian treatment there, and a second asylum of the same kind was opened in a different part of the country.

The extensive and greatly blest institution at Zetten founded by the late Rev. Mr. Heldring we presume to be well known. It is being carried on with much blessing by the Rev. Dr. Pierson, and a few details may be found of interest.

The institutions, which are four in number, are: first, Asyl Steenbeek, for fallen women; second, Talitha kumi, for neglected girls; third, Bethel, for girls (or young women) of riper age who are in danger of going astray; and, fourth, a Magdalenehome, where unmarried women may await their confinement, and where an opportunity is afforded them of regaining a respectable position in life.

The Orphanage of Mr. van 't Lindenhout, at Neerbosch, which now provides a home for 1100 orphans, still enjoys the general sympathy and support of all parties. Indeed this institution may be said to stand outside and above party division, and the particular blessing resting upon it is a great source of joy and gratitude to many.

It is there (at Neerbosch) that since two years greatly blest conferences have been held, where hundreds of believers have come together for the strengthening of brotherly love, the awakening of spiritual life, and the practical conferring on different topics of Christian interest. As one of the fruits of these conferences may be mentioned the forming of a society for the foundation of agricultural colonies for tramps and mendicants.

When in 1891 the delegates of Christian Young Men's Associations from all parts of the world, amongst whom there were many from the United States of America, held their triennial

conference at Amsterdam, which conference was very numerously attended and was very successful, one day was set apart to visit Mr. van 't Lindenhout's remarkable institution, the arrangements of which were greatly admired.

Much activity has been shown in Holland in the last few years in the fields of gospel work and Christian philanthropy.

Besides the already existing gospel societies, to wit, the Netherlands Protestant Gospel Society, the Confessional Gospel Society, the Societies of North Brabant and Limburg, and several other local societies,-much has been done of late in the way of colportage work, societies for which were formed in the Northern Provinces, as well as in North Brabant and Limburg.

At Rotterdam there exists a society for gospel work amongst sailors, where the work is done by two evangelists.

Several new homes for deaconesses have been opened, and the number of deaconesses has increased.

There now also exists an opportunity for the training of male nurses, an undertaking which forms part of the institution at Heemstede (near Haarlem) for the treatment of epileptics.

A much-blest but difficult work is the Midnight Mission which was begun four or five years ago, in imitation of the work at Copenhagen, and has rapidly extended its field of operation, and produced good results; the outcome being that in nearly every town there now exists a society for the advancement of social purity.

The mission work in our colonies has been extended and of late years the missionary spirit has shown an increase of life and vigor. Twenty five years ago the Rotterdam Missionary Society, was the only one in existence; the spirit of unbelief, however, had gradually worked its way into this society, with the result that part of the orthodox ministers and many lay members of the community gave up their membership and constituted themselves into three new bodies, to wit, the Rotterdam Missionary Society, the Utrecht Mission Association, and the Reformed Missionary Society.

A few years later a new society was formed at Amsterdam called the Java Committee. This society has been the means by which the seminary at Depok was founded; this institution, where natives are trained to become preachers of the gospel, has already been productive of good results.

All these new societies have worked with great blessing. The number of European missionaries they employ amounts to ninety-six. The number of baptized heathens which have joined the membership of different Christian communities amounts to over three hundred thousand.

The receipts of these societies for the last year amounted to fl. 284,000 (two hundred and eighty-four thousand guilders or florins).

Besides this work there are many smaller societies which support the missionary work or send out missionaries. Amongst these may be mentioned the Ermelo Missionary Society, an institution of the late Rev. Mr. Witteveen; the Committee for the Salatiga Mission, which supports four missionaries in Central Java; the Dutch Committee for the Rhenish Mission on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, which brings together fl. 20,000 a year to support the missionaries which the German institution at Barmen sends out to our East Indian colonies. This work has been attended with great blessing. More than twenty thousand Battacks (natives of those islands) have embraced Christianity, and on the whole it may be said that these new converts exhibit a very decided and vigorous Christian life.

The committee for the mission in Egypt, which supports two missionaries in the Lower Nile and which has a station at Calioub, is doing good work.

Besides these there is a committee which supports Dr. Otte, who was sent out to China by the Dutch Reformed Church in America and whose field of labor is at Amoy.

The mission amongst the Jews supports two missionaries. The work is attended with much difficulty; still every year there are a few Israelites who receive baptism (this year there were fourteen). Their organ, The Hope of Israel, a monthly periodical, counts about three thousand subscribers.

The Moravian Brethren (or, as they are often called, Herrnhuters, from the village in Saxony they hail from) are making preparations to celebrate the centennial jubilee of their first settlement in Holland, at Zeist, a large village in the centre of the country.

As a mission church, standing outside the parties and remaining faithful to its calling, the Moravians are greatly esteemed and loved by all. It must be owned, however, that, whilst their

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