The record-union., 1894-02-10

N1TtHcetO11 ReD1etC, July, 1876, says: lit
may be fairly asserted that to the social
mechanism instituted by the great re-
former, developed and modified by time
and the experience of succeeding gen.
eratlons, We owe that form OF political or
ganlZatlon under which we live, COM
monty called constitutional republican,
lsIn.' The same writer attributes our
separation from the mother country ito
moral and political influences, chief
among which was the Calvinism of large
| part OF the people,"
-- Alexander Hamilton and John Wither-
spoon were probably as influential in the
Drafting of our Constitution as any MEM
bers of the Continental Congress.
WItherspoOn was President of the
Princeton College, was seven years
member Of the Continental Congress, was
the intimate advisor of Washington.
And it is significant and interesting
TACT, according to Mrs. Hamilton, that
her husband kept the form of govern
ment of the Presbyterian Church at
hand on his secretary during the whole
time our Constitution was being
! prepared. If I am not mistaken nine
members of the Continental Con-
! gress were Princeton men. These facts,
taken with the fact that the constitu-
tional government of the United States
corresponds to the form of government
of the Presbyterian Church, seem to iudi-
cate the great debt we owe as nation to
| John Calvin.
But let US go back to Geneva. Froude
says, ''Calvinisin in Geneva was an at
| tempt to make the will of God, as re-
vealed in the Bible, an authoritative
guide in social as we'll as personal direc-
tions." Says Greene, "What was really
original in the work was Calyin's doc
trine of the organization of the church
and its relation to the State. The base Of
| the Christian republic was with him the
| Christian man, elected and called Of God,
| preserved from the power of sin by his
grace. predestinate to eternal life"
HE insisted on the abolition of i'm
moral habits. the adoption of an evangel-
ical confession of faith and catechism,
! the Introduction of strict discipline,
psalm singing and monthly celebration
of the Lords supper, with the right OF
! excluding unworthy communicates
| 1t is not difficult to see that trouble
would soon arise in trying to carry out
such municipal government as this.
| There was a great outcry against it, but
! Calvin and Farrell stood firm, and on
Easter Day, 1888, refused to administer
| the communion to the people. They in
| sisted upon their right to exclude Un-
worthy members. and this was resisted.
On the next day they were expelled from
the city and Calvin went to Strasbourg,
where he spent three quiet years. Dur
| ing this time things went from bad to
| worse in Geneva. The lower orders of
! society became so rampant in vice and
violence that the authorities despaired
doing anything with them. so they were
| compelled by these circumstances to ask
Calvin TO come back. The authorities
and people united in urging Calvin to
return, but for some time he was quite
unwilling to do so. When he did con-
sent to come it was on his own terms,
being free to carry out his own ideas. His
entry into the city was q triumph. The
magistrate provided for him house and
garden, broadcloth coat and a liberal
salary, not to mention "twelve measures
OF wheat and two tubs of wine"
| Calvin lived out the rest Of his life,
twenty-three years, in Geneva. lighting
fierce spiritual war against Romanism
and superstition, but still more against
infdelity and immortality; establishing
model theocracy on the basis of Moses
and Christ; preaching and teaching from
! day to day; writing commentaries, theo-
logical and polemical treatises; founding
an academy which in the first year at
tracted more than 800 students, and flour
ishes to this day; attending the sessions
OF the Consistory and Senate; entertain
ing and counseling strangers from all
parts of the world, and corresponding in
every direction.n HE was, in fact, the
public of Geneva, and the leader of the
reformed movement throughout Europe"
In the Ne1O England u0gQz7lc, Vol. II.
(new series), is an Interesting article en-
titled, "The Influence Of John Calvin on
the New England Town M eeting." Ac-
cording to it Geneva, in 164l, became the
center of the Protestant world. From
that center the growth Of Calvinism west
and northwest was very remarkable.
Every province of France is said to have
had Calvinistic churches. The Calvinistic
Huguenots had become a great religious
and political party. In the Netherlands
Calvinism was winning State after State,
Scotland even was accepting the faith OF
Geneva"
''Many fled from England to these seats
of the religion of Calvin during the reign
of Henry VIII. Under Edward VI.
most of them returned, carrying their
new-found doctrine with them" They
had found that "Calvanism was a vast
and consecrated democracy, i'll utter con-
trast with the social and political frame
work of all the rest of Europe. From
the very nature of things it will be seen
that Calvinists everywhere must be
democratic in spirit, and that the Puri-
tans of England must have drawn in
democracy with their Calvinism."
Under James some independents fed
to Leyden. and at length the final embark
ing from Plymouth, in England, took
place. on this famous voyage do we find
the first full putting into practice by any
set of English Puritans of the real prin-
ciples of Calvin's system"
That was the MaytlOwer compact, and
of that the writer says: Here was the
first town meeting on this continent"
And he further says: "Only among Eng
| Iish Puritans, believers in the theories of
Calvin, is it likely that such a compact
could have been formed"
Persecution in England and France
gave a Calvinistic immigration to this
land Of ours. Persecution deprived
France of 200, 600 of her best citizens, or
nearly that many, for 100000 perished as
martyrs and 100000 fled the country.
Great as was Calvin; great as was the
work he did for humanity, very large
number of people only know one thing
of him, and for that they execrate his
name ! refer, of course, to the burning
OF Servetus. All l have to say on this
matter is, that Calvin is no more to be
blamed than the people of his age. in
general. Melanchthon, the John of that
time, was also in favor of it, and so We're
all the religious leaders. 1t was a neces-
sary part of Calvin's religio-municipal
system. He regarded it the duty of the
municipality TO punish for ecclesiastical
offenses. Further, when Servetus had
written to Calvin proposing to come to
| Geneva, Calvin sent him word that it
would be at the peril of his life if he did
so. Servetus had lain in prison at Lyons,
| France, for his declarations, and one of
the most eminent preachers of France
| had said, before Calvin's trouble with
| him, that he ought to be burned for his
| blasphemous declarations, and said this
from his pulpit. l only mention this to
show that Calvin had plenty OF company
! in his opinions. l am not trying to de-
fend Calvin in this act, do not think he
could be defended, but simply say that
he acted according to the spirit of his
! time. 1t is due, however, to say that CAL
vim opposed the form of Servetus' pun