Calvinism a life-system - pagina 144

CALVINISM AND POLITICS.

140

This

need

however,

of

the

personal

of conscience,

libe;rty

does not immediately assert

not express

It

itself.

does

with emphasis in the child, but only

itself

man; and in the same way it mostly among undeveloped peoples, and is irresistible only among highly developed nations. A man of ripe the mature

in

slumbers

and

rich

development

exile, will rather suffer life

become

will rather

than tolerate constraint

itself,

And

conscience.

in the

sacrifice

forum of

would

centuj^ies

not be assuaged, grew up from the conviction that practices

and

violated

This imposes on the

In

ion.

his

the deeply rooted repugnance against

which for three long

the Inquisition,

a voluntary

imprisonment, nay even

the

first

human

assaulted

life

government a twofold

place,

it

must cause

in

its

man.

obligat-

this liberty of

conscience to be respected by the Church; and in the

second

place,

it

must give way

itself to

the sovereign

conscience.

As find

regards

its

the

first,

the sovereignty of the Church

natural limitation in the sovereignty of the free

personality.

Sovereign within her

no power over those who

And

own domain, she has

live outside

of that sphere.

wherever, in violation of this principle, transgression

of power

may

occur,

the

government has

to respect

The Church member one whom

the claims on protection of every citizen.

may she

not be forced to tolerate as a feels

obliged to expel from her circle; but on the

other hand no

citizen of the State

must be compelled

to remain in a church which his conscience forces

him

to leave.

Meantime what the government

in this respect

demands

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