Calvinism - pagina 14

Calvinism mid

656

[Oct.

traits for the preservation

of civil liberty; since from historyappears that America's United States, where to this day the liberty-plant thrives most luxuriantly, owes its glory not it

to the French Revolution but to Puritanic heroism; since,

according to the unanimous testimony of

all modern historiwas first lifted by William of Orange, and the glorious revolution which brought him to the throne, appears a spiritual outcome of the War of the Independents; yea, since the archives show that the pearl

ans, the banner of England's greatness

of great worth, which our constitutional state-law offers for

the liberty of the people, was not taken from the bed of the

unholy stream of the French Revolution, but was plucked by the Rousseaus and the Montesquieus from the martyr crown of the Huguenots, and from the blood-drenched diadem of -our Nassaus and Oranges; let

—before

such testimony of

the doctrinaire's prejudice yield, and

let

facts,

the claim which

Calvinism makes of being the source and origin of our

no longer be disputed. This must be insisted upon, provided our

civil

liberty,

last point

also be demonstrated, viz., that the process of

here traced, finds

its

can

development

starting-point in Calvin, and

explana-

its

tion in the characteristics of the Calvinistic Confession.

Beza van Vezelay, Calvin's fidus Achates, marks the between Calvinism at Geneva and Calvinism of the Huguenots. He does not claim liberty of worship. "That

transition

every

man

will, is

should worship God," said he, "in any form he

a merely diabolical

dogma."

On

the other hand, he

has already come to despise judicial murders.

To

the

Hun-

garian Baron Thelegd he writes:

"Forsooth in the matter of religion no one should be persecuted by fire and the sword, this I hold as a primary principle, only let it be a care lest immorality hide behind the conscience-mask." fends subjection to the powers that be. Caesar's tution,

murder by Brutus.

But he

is in

He

He

also de-

disapproves of

favor of a Consti-

"Finally, the power of the lawful magistrate

is

not

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