"[122]
The _Venerable Compagnie_, comprising the clergymen and theological
professors of Geneva, went so far, in 1817, as to impose upon all
candidates for ordination to the ministry, the obligation not to preach
on the two natures of Christ, original sin, predestination, and other
received doctrines of their confession. As might be expected, practical
piety was thrown into the background. Children were not instructed in
the Scriptures, and the churches were attended by small congregations,
who were favored with no better gospel than the combined opinions of
Voltaire and the German Rationalists. There were here and there loud
protests against this apostasy. The Canton Vaud was benefited by the
labors of that excellent woman, Madame de Kruedener, who exchanged a life
of Parisian gayety and affluence for humble labors among the poor and
uninstructed Swiss. She loved to sit upon a wooden bench and teach all
who came to her the truths of the Bible and the necessity of a
regenerated heart. Her influence was powerful in Geneva after the
commencement of the evangelical movement.
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