Calvinism - pagina 134

CALVINISM AND POLITICS.

130

question must be put quite differently.

and acknowledge that

see

Tlien

we must

system of bringing

this

differ-

ences in religious matters under the criminal jurisdiction

of the government, resulted directly from the conviction that the

Church of Christ on earth could express

only

one

in

and

form

This

institution.

one

the Middle ages, was the Church of

church

alone,

Christ,

and everything,

in

one

as

itself

which differed from

looked upon as inimical to

her,

The

one true church.

this

was

government, therefore, was not called upon to judge, or weigh or to decide for

to

Church of Christ on

There

itself.

earth,

and

it

zvas only

one

was the task of the

Magistrate to protect that church from schisms, heresies

and

sects.

But break that one Church into fragments, admit that

Church of Christ can reveal

the in in

countries

different

itself in

nay even

;

a multiplicity of institutions

;

in

the

many

forms,

same country,

and immediately every-

thing which was deduced from this unity of the visible

church drops out of

be denied that Calvinism

and that

of the church, of

variety itself,

then

Calvinistic

And

sight.

itself

in

follows that

characteristic

retained

of the

new and

fresh,

in

in

the

Calvinistic countries a rich

we must not seek what,

shown

South

Catholic church

for

a

time,

the true it

has

old system, but rather in that, which,

that,

centuries, in all distinctively

even

cannot

has ruptured the unity

has sprung up from

Results have

it

if

manner of church-formations revealed

all it

therefore,

is

even

its

own

root.

after the lapse of three

Roman

Catholic countries,

American Republics, the Roman

and remains the State-church, precisely

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