Under various political vicissitudes, Ilollaiid remained henceforth a Protestant country. On the cstabliblinicnt of the Batavian republic in 1795, in consequence of the conquest of the country by France, Church and State were separated ; the constitution of the national Church remained, however, substantially as before. Simultane- ously with the erection of the Idngdom of Ilollaiid un- der Napoleon, an attempt ivas made to reorganize the Church, at the head of which the national Synod was to be placed ; but this plan, also, was not executed, as in 1810 Holland was incorporated with the French empire. An introduction of the Organic Articles (1812) was then meditated, but never carried througli. The rc-cstab- lishment of the Netherlands as an independent state, with which also Belgium was united, restored to the national Chm-ch most of the rights formerly possessed by her, and gave her for the first time a national Synod. In the new state a majority of the population belonged to the Roman Catholic Chiurch, but the government knew how to maintain in its legislation the ascend- ency of Protestantism, to the great dissatisfaction of the southern provinces, which revolted in 1830, and consti- tuted the indei^cndeiit kingdom of Belgium (q. v.). From that time Holland again became a predominantly Prot- estant state, in which, however, the Roman Catholic Chiurch comprises about two fifths of the entu-e popula- tion. Of late, an almost complete separation between Church and State has been effected.
II. Church Statistics. — The total population of the kingdom of Holland amounted in December, 1808, ac- cording to an otScial calculation, to 3.028.408. This is exclusive of the grand-duchy of Luxembiu-g (q. v.), which is govemeci by the king of Holland as grand- duke, but is entirely inelependent from Holland in point of ailministration. " A little over a majority of the en-
HOLLAND
300
HOLLAND
tire population, according to the oflPcial census taken in 1859, 1,818,327, belong to the National Reformed Church. The present constitution of this Church, which almost makes it autonomous, was regulated by a law of March 23, 1852. The Chiu-ch embraces 43 classes in 10 pro- vmcial districts. A classis consists of the pastors and a number of the elders, but the number of the latter must not exceed the number of the pastors. Each classis meets annually, and elects a standing committee, \vhich exercises ecclesiastical discipline. The General Synod, which meets every year in June at the Hague, consists of ten pastors, one being elected by each of the provin- cial synods, three elders, and the representatives of the three theological faculties of Leyden, Utrecht, and Gro- ningen. To these are added delegates appointed by the Commission of the Reformed Walloon Churches (those which use the French language), and by the East and West Indian churches. A Synodal Commis- sion, consisting of the president, the vice-president, and the secretary of the Synod, of three preachers and el- ders, and one professor of tlieologj', is chosen for a period of three years. The number of parishes in 1868 was 1306, which were administered by 1559 pastors. The Walloon churches were seventeen in number, with twen- ty-five pastors, and a population of about 8000. They are placed under a special commission for the affairs of the Walloon churches, but form an integral part of the National Reformed Church. Theological faculties rep- resenting this Church are connected ^vith tlie state uni- versities of Leyden, Utrecht, and Groningen, and the Athenaia of Deventer and Amsterdam. The famous theological schools of Harderwyk and Franeker (q. v.) have been abolished.
As the National Reformed Church in Holland, in the second half of the 18th and in the present century, fell more and more under the predominant influence of ra- tionalism [for the doctrinal history of the Church, see the art. Reformed Church], a number of the leading defenders of the ancient creed of the Church deemed it best to secede from the National Church, and to organ- ize an independent Church {De afrjescheicL reform, kerk). In 1868 this Church comprised forty classes in ten prov- inces, with 200 ministers and 308 congregations. It has a theological school at Kampen, with fifty to sixty stu- dents. Its membership belongs cliicHy to tlie poorer classes of the population, and numbers about 1)5,000 souls. The Remonstrants and followers of Arminius (q. v.) have considerably decreased since the beginning of the present century. While in 1809 they stiU numbered thirty- four congregations and forty pastors, they had in 1869 only twenty-one congregations and twentj'-six preach- ers left. They regard themselves as . members of the Reformed Chiu-ch, and call themselves the Remonstrant Reformed Brotherhood. They have been supported since 1795 by the state, and their pastors are educated at the Athenteum of Amsterdam. Their Synod meets annually, alternating between Amsterdam and Rotter- dam. The Lutherans of Holland adopted as early as 1596 a constitution similar to that of the Reformed Church, Like them, they have elective pastors, elders, and deacons; and by the new regulations of 1858, a Church Council, Synodal Commission, and Synod, as the three stages of ecclesiastical representation. Their Synod likewise meets annually at the Hague. The pop- ulation connected with the Church amounted in 1859 to 50,982 ; the number of parishes and pastors is about fifty ; the number of classes six. They have a theological seminary at Amsterdam. The professors of this semi- nary, as well as the pastors, receive salaries from the state. The Mennonites, whose origin falls into the time before the Reformation, have likewise decreased since the beginning of the present century. In 1809 they numbered 133 congregations and 185 ministers; in 1868, 117 congregations and 122 ministers. They, too, have a seminary at Amsterdam, ivith twenty-five students in 1869. Rationalism largely prevails among them. The population connected with their congregations number-