Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-12-09

TIu RISE OF PuEIrASI>n.-The Puri-
tani~m for which men began to suffer ana
die. tnrourhout all England had sprung
l,p naturally from the corruptionS OF the
church of Elizabeth. Yet 1t may be traced
10 the age OF Constantine. To restore the
purity, Simplicity. and fcrver OF the early
thurrh. lis simple rites and iraternai
unity. had been the aim OF the Catharl
and the NaudojS. the Albigenscs and the
WvcIilfi1c>. the IIus>ites, and at last OF
Calvin and Luther 1t was easily di>cov-
cred by the least cultivated reformer that
III. churches founded by Paul and John
bore no resemblance to the splendid spec
taclr presented by the papal or EngI>h
liturgy; that naughty bishops and martial
pope> could be in no sense successors OF
the. Apostles; that the plainnesS. parity,
and humility recommended by Paul had
no place in anv of the visible churches
In England it is probable that the Wycllt-
tite reforms have never lost their influence
upon the people. and that Henry VIII. was
the leader of :. large party who had long
! been waiting for the advent OF Luther
and Il Calvin. But Henry had stopped
upon the brink of progress; the people
dressed onward, and in Edward Wis time
had torn down images from the churches
ches. and tramped relics and crozicrs II
the dust. When Cranlner published HI:
prayer-book the puritan party already ex
i,teI in the Church, pledged to bitter
hatred for Journalism and rltuallsm OF ever,
Icrrce. Yet the comparative mlldness o
Cranmer and Ridley had seduced ever
Uooper to assume the episcopal robes
Under Mary the chiefs of the English re
, formation pcrished in the flames, and Wit
Elizabeth the ritualiStS once more Spran
into power. Pomp and outward show en-
tered into the churches. The Host wa
worshipcd at splendid altars, tapers glove
/ in the queens private chapel and the splr
l of prosecution was again the offspring {
=, hollow formalism That b2rbaric cruelt
d which it had been the single aim of Chrl
tianitv to extirpate from among its follow
ers became the ruling principle OF the I'm!
lish Church, No dissent was to be tole
Grated, no neglect of its ritual allowed, r
difference in its outward form. The
II WAS to be but one church in the natlo
: and lislovalty to its doctrines and rlt'
= was both hercsv and treason. 10 this tn
. ory the Puritans ut first gave perfect
!, hcsion; they never desired to separ;'
=, from the national Church, nor to c0unte
" ance a revolt against the laws of Ellzabet
e they hoped to reform it from within, al
:, they were prepared to persecute those w
refused to submit to the royal ordlnanc
- with almost as much rigor rs Whitglft
w, Bancroft. They could scarcely sec nc
y a church could exist separate from t
-, ~ state. or a humble congregation constltr
~ an independent ecclesiastical communi,
= 7 But the idea came upon them sudden
=; A portion of the Puritans, shocked by I
~ vices of their visible Church, took reiu
70 lr in congrcgationalism. They saw u
=. Paul had never founded national chur'
4,s nor had the early Christians any otl
~ form of church government than that
separate congregations. They began
;ta tl Church. They founded congregations
i.o i.o Southwark or in Scrooby. The hand
M n' the law fell upon them fearfully, yet; II
Ia still met in secret places and IN lonely !
.od .a ests. They filled the prisons and II
,,I nd perished on the scaffold; yet no perse
Nv ton could check that powerful moveme
,or and in the pains and martyrdom OF n
'ol like RarroWe and Greenwood was laid
'es foundation of the New England churcl
50 EUGENE LAWRENCE, in Harper's ma
Or zine for December.