who stood so near to the sovereign of the colonies, by whom also the calls to the Halle Missionaries were given them though the men were chosen at Halle; this constitution came to the Halle Missionaries clothed with great weight of authority. It is, therefore, right and proper, that above all others, these two constitutions should receive our careful examination. As that of Amsterdam is the earlier, and the original basis of the other, we will first describe it, and then show the modifications made at London. The _Constitution of Amsterdam_ was originally adopted in 1597 and bore the title "Kerkelijke Ordonnantie, for the government, in the doctrines of the Divine Word, administration of the Sacraments and other matters pertaining to the administration of the Church, of the Congregation and Church at Amsterdam, which assembles in a house and adheres to the genuine unaltered Augsburg Confession, prepared and established by the Ministers and Deputies there, in the year of Christ 1597." The congregation dates from about 1588, and built its first church in 1632, before which time it worshiped in a house arranged for its use, but not having the form of a church. This constitution was revised in 1614, and in 1644 it was accepted as the general constitution for the Lutheran churches in the Netherlands. In 1682 it was materially changed and brought in the shape which it afterwards retained. The original form of 1597, with the changes made in 1614 and 1682 indicated in foot notes, is given in full in the "Geschiedenis der Amsterdamsche Luthersche Gemecnte, door F. J. Domela Nieuwenhuis, Amsterdam, 1876, 8vo. pp. 298, 124." Appendix pp.32-62. It is very full and minute in its provisions and covers thirty octavo pages. A German translation of the edition of 1682 is given in Benthem's Hollaendische Kirch und Schul Staat, Francfurt, 1698. It is divided into two parts.