Calvinism a life-system - pagina 140

CALVINISM AND POLITICS.

136 the

in

of development,

scale

opinion

We

revealed.

is

the

difference

ot

see therefore that nearly

all

less

But

nations begin with unity of religion. natural that this unity in

life,

split up,

and where multiformity asserts

demand

it

equally

is

where the individual

of development, gains in strength,

process

the

is

itself,

of a richer development of

as the undeniable

And

life.

thus

we

are confronted with the fact that the visible church has

been

up,

split

and that

in

no country whatever the

absolute unity of the visible church can be any longer

maintained.

What Must

then it

is

— for

the duty of the government?

the question

may

be reduced to

this,

—

now form an individual judgment, as to which And must it of those many churches is the true one.^ Or is it the maintain this one over against the others duty of the government to suspend its own judgment must

it

.-'

and to consider the multiform complex of denominations,

as

the

all

these

of the manifestation of

totality

the Church of Christ on earth?

From

a

Calvinistic

standpoint

favor of the latter suggestion. neutrality,

to

what

nor as is

true

if

we must decide

Not from a

in

false idea of

Calvinism could ever be indifferent

and what

false,

hut because the gov-

ernment lacks the data of judgment, and because every magisterial judgment here infringes the sovereignty of the

Church.

For otherwise,

if

the government be an

absolute monarchy, you get the "cuius regio eius religio"

of the Lutheran princes, which has ever been combated

from the side of Calvinism.

Or

if

the government rests

with a plurality of persons, the Church which yesterday

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen