, 1876-12-09

Hnuncnots were made, and little more
than eighty years after the Prcsyhytcri'
ans began to flourish in Maryland, Della
ware and Pennsylvania, we find all
the churches that were the direct out.
growths of these early paintings marked
by an extraordinary development OF re
ligious rgor and bigutIy. There was
not at that time, probably, outside of
limited section OF Scotland, 50 narrow,
pharisaiC and intense Il community OF
zralotS on the globe, AS the descendants
of the Pilgrims and PuritanS had become
in New England. 1t has been the fash
ion to concentrate the gaze of critical re-
bukc on New England alone as if her
PuritaniSm were more puritanic and her
doCtrinul severity less tempered with
reason and Justice than any other. 1t is
to be admitted that the choicest illustra-
tions were afforded there but not, as |
think, because the type Of religious dis
temper was morc virulent in that section
than many Others, and because the com.
paratiyc narrOwncss Of the territory the
consequent destiny Of the population,
and the more efficient ChaTactar of colo
nial and municipal organizations,
brought on more frequent and noticeable
Dh.rp tty,, Of n
formation on this subject the records
OF the churches and the religious Iitera-
ture OF the time. From the one we learn
that the lines OF orthodoxy were drawn
with eXacting and whimsical severity
from the other we discover that it was
the diversion as well as sober business of
the clergy, to make the gate of the king
dom of HEAVIER so narrow that no full
sized mortal could possibly get through
it, This tendency to rigor and eXclu.
siveness in church policy and TO auStere
dogmaism in theology, was at its height
one hundred years ago.
The inquiry that cannot tail to fix the
serious attention of thoughtful inyesti-
gators is: How is this great change,
against the very grain of their liberal
tendencies as at first planted to be nc.
counted tor! 1t is confcssedly remark.
able change, explained, 1t is II change,
too, contrary to the apparent trend of re.
ligious thought in the first period Of
American religious history. am conf
dent that no candid student of the facts
can reach any other conclusion than this ::
That the explanation of the change Is
found directly and almost wholly in the
character Of the theology to which all
these communities and churches were in
common committed. The theology was
Calvnism. John Robinson, mild and
lberality.loving as he appears in one as
pect, was stout defender of Calvinsm,
in support Of which he engaged in - pub
lie controversy. Not long after his day
the Westminster Assembly Of Divines
promulgated the celebrated compends OF
Calvinistic doctrine known as the Larger
and Shorter Catechisms. The latter OF
these was early made textbook for
home religious instruction in all the Cal
whistle communities of this country
: and being subsequently, bound up with
the New England Primer, it became the
chief source Of doctrinal instruction for
the young throughout the wide extent
of territory where the famous tract was
the regular family successor of the nurse
in the dispensatlon of milk to babies
John Randolph's explanation of the pop
= ularity OF the beverage known as New
England Rum, was that it was the only
, orthodox soace for the misery inflicted
by the catechism Well, under the in
fuence of this sort of religious teaching
there grew up over the large part of the
country where Calvinism was the recog
nized orthodoxy, type of religion;
thinking and preaching more learnedly
abused, and piously blasphemous, and
= ingeniously unreasonable than the world
ever elsewhere saw. Did time allow
could cite evidences of the truth of thu
. assertion to any extent desired. One o
the books which, along with the New
= England Primer. gained an immense cir
Culation and contributed for whole cen
tury and more to shape the thought o.
nultitudes Of the people, was Michae
WigglewOrths DAY of Doom,"a poem