Calvinism - pagina 18

Calvinism and

66o

[Oct.

ing from this principle, he himself, as appears from his cor-

respondence, published by Bonnet, assisted in raising

German troops who went

for the

to France.

money

In this sense

"the Silent," "As a Prince of Orange I am free," which meant, I am a sovereign prince in Europe's state confederation, and on this ground he entered the Dutch domains also sang

with his troops.

Of

it be noted that Calvin considered the form a secondary importance. If needs be, he takes pleasure in an episcopate, as in England. But hisecclesiasticism was

the church, let

firmly rooted in the laity, ranging between aristocracy and de-

His church at Geneva was autonomic. He never approved of a church organization of which the congregations were passive members. His synodical system was based upon mocracy.

confederation by voluntary subjection, and shunned every

compulsion.

church and

And, state,

finally, as to his it

were closely united.

is

well

On

looked that he founded

views on separation of

known

free

churches

Geneva the two must not be overPoland, in Hungary,

that in

the other hand, in

it

no way connected with the state, and thereby he planted the seed from which the idea of the free state also would of itself germinate, in the struggles

and

in

France, which were

in

of the Puritans. If

then the writings of Calvin contain the

first

creative

utterances of that mighty spirit which started from Geneva,

broke out

in

France, threw from Dutch shoulders the yoke

of Spain, in England's troubles unfolded

its virile

strength,

founded America's Union, and thus banished despotism, dled ambition, limited arbitrariness, and gave us our erties,

faith

was,

can

it

likewise be

shown which

supplies the root of these first

of

all,

Calvinistic principle of

liberties.?

a reformation of the faith,

For Calvinism and could not

create a political liberty except as a sequel to

by the power of

its faith.

bri-

civil lib-

its

confession

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