easily form some correct notion of the peculiar kind of persons with whom the ecclesiastical rulers of the Church of England had to contend, from the days of Whitgift to those of Laud, and who were subsequently let loose as Furies upon their countrymen in 1641. But he who has not read those or similar documents, and who has not accurately observed the litigious and intolerant conduct of the discordant Calvinistic sects towards each other in New England, or among their Predestinarian brethren in Holland, has formed his opinions, about these commonly-reputed fathers of English liberty, upon the erroneous assertions of their ignorant admirers: Such a man, however well-read on other matters, knows nothing of the fierce Puritanic spirit, which was imported, as our old historians express themselves, "by the zealots who flocked from Scotland, New England, and Holland, like vultures and other birds of rapine, to seek after the prey." -When "the shackles upon their consciences" were removed, (the main pretence for their disorderly conduct in England,) and when they were at perfect liberty in Amsterdam, and in other towns of Holland, (as well as in America,) to worship God "according to their hearts' desire" without molestation, they exhibited no less malignant a disposition than when in their own. country, and wished to introduce, into the established religion* of their new Calvinistic neighbours, certain reputed refinements in the doctrinal construction of passages of scripture, and in the

Calvin, who was equally eminent as a Politician and a Divine, was not so fastidious about Established Churches and their concomitants, as many of his modern followers are in Great Britain. He composed a liturgy for the use of the church of Geneva. He also acted according to the doctrine of expediency, in accommodating several of his political opinions to the exigences of the times, and the varying circumstances of the people who asked them: Thus, though many passages may be gleaned, from his writings, against Protestant Bishops; yet his testimonies in favour of them, will be found to be nearly equal in number. The account of his letter to King Edward the Sixth, contained in Sir H. SIDNEY's Romish Policies, is strong confirmation of his real attachment to Episcopacy. Queen Elizabeth's council, "upon her Highness's discourse, concluded, that Calvin would have established Episcopacy beyond seas, had he been consulted herein, and that the hindrance of this offerture caused much animosity between Reformers."

The following extract from BARROW's Brief Discovery of the False Church will prove the offence which the Grand Master of the modern Predestinarian Scheme gave to one of his strict doctrinal followers, by the close connection between church and state which he established at Geneva :-" Such like detestable stuff hath Master Calvin in his ignorance brought to defend his own rash and disorderly proceedings at Geneva, whiles he at the first dash made no scruple to receive the whole state into the bosom of the church: Yea, that which is worse, and more to be lamented, it became a miserable precedent and pernicious example to all Europe, to fall in the like transgression, as in the confused estate of all those regions where the gospel is thus orderly taught, is more than plain."

regimen of their churches.-The following is Brandt's account of these people, and of their conduct in Holland:

"About this time, (1599,) or rather earlier, was wafted over hither from England a new sect of people, who, intent on reforming the Reformation, separated themselves from the rest of the Reformed. These people, having been expelled by Queen Elizabeth, and for their pretended purity called PURITANS, or BROWNISTS from Robert Brown one of the first founders of this sect, fixed themselves chiefly at Leyden and Amsterdam.

"These people had printed and published, in the year 1598, (which they styled, the last year of the patience of the saints,) a certain Confession of Faith. In this, which was for the most part conformable to the Genevan doctrine in the main and fundamental points, they said, That the Antichrist, that man of sin, had corrupted and overturned the holy laws, offices, and em'ployments of the Church, with the rest of the Articles of the Christian Faith; and had introduced and established, instead ' of them, a new-fangled Religion, Liturgy, and Hierarchy: That the kings, nations, and inhabitants of the earth, had 'been made drunk with this cup of fornications and abomina'tions: That all the Hierarchy, which was still retained in the Church of England, (of Metropolitans, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops, Suffragans, Deans, Prebends, and Canons,) was, with all its appurtenances, a new and antichristian admi'nistration: That all such persons as were sincerely desirous of securing their own eternal welfare, were bound, by virtue of 'God's command, to withdraw as soon as possible from this antichristian constitution: That it was the duty of all princes and 'governments to displace and root out all false and will-worship, all human inventions in matters of religion; to abolish all ado'ration of idols and images, all altars and ecclesiastical vest'ments, and all other superstitious trumperies; and to convert 'to their own and to the public use all the idolatrous edifices, (such as temples, chapels, and all other places, formerly dedi'cated and employed by the Heathens and Antichristians in their false and will-worship,) with all the revenues and funds of 'the Hierarchy and unlawful church-ministry.'

"In consequence of the publication of this Confession, several letters were exchanged between Francis Junius, Professor of

* This is only a very brief abstract of the outrageous and unjust remarks of the Independents upon the ecclesiastical regimen and practice of the Church of England. Yet, brief as it is, the reader will discover in it plenty of the leaven which fermented among their connections, till it burst forth in 1640.

Divinity at Leyden, on the one part,-and Francis Johnson, Henry Ainsworth, Daniel Studley, George Kniveton, Christopher Bowman, Stanshal Mercer, and other ring-leaders of this sect, on the other. Junius endeavoured to convince them, that their proceedings were far from tending to peace, and advised them to abstain from further disputes. But they, on the contrary, pressed for more positive answers, and demanded that their opinions should be either refuted or approved: Nay, they declared at last, that they interpreted his silence into consent. On the other hand, he endeavoured to cut all short with the following answer, which, though written later [July 16th, 1602,] and only a little before his death, deserves to be inserted in this place, to which, on account of its matter, it belongs:

"FRANCIS JUNIUS wishes health in Christ to the ENGLISH

BRETHREN.

"Dear Brethren, last night I received from you an immense parcel of letters.* The advice which I gave, was, to abstain from the discussion of questions; in which you command me to engage. I remain firm to my determination: For I place a higher value on the peace of the church, than on the seeds of quarrels. Those persons who feed upon such seeds, will reap a correspondent harvest. The conclusion is false, which

These Independent Calvinists, who evinced much ability and shrewdness in their controversy with Junius, bad, in the first instance, printed their own letters entire, and no part of his except their own inferences. After the quotation in the text, Junius adds, in the same letter, “I have now, for the first time, learnt from yourselves, that my letters have been translated into English: I was ignorant of the fact. You object, that my letters have not been shewn by you: I believe it: For I have been informed, by many persons, in letters as well as in private discourse, that they have not been shewn. Shew them, if you please: For this you have my full permission. All men will then perceive the falsity of the reports about them which have been circulated. I am neither ashamed of my letters, nor will I ever be. But I speak from my heart [when I say], that I pity you, who, instead of my letters, have presented the public with your own conclusions. With good men it is necessary to act in a good [or equitable] manner."

In the close of their reply, they inform him that they have published his letters, and then retort the words of Junius, in the following style: "Since you now write that such is your wish, we will exhibit your letters, in conjunction with our own, publicly among all men: And if some persons have circulated any false reports concerning them, they may be ashamed of them.-You behold your letters now rendered into English and published: We have therefore given our own likewise, both [pro] before them and with them; and we shall thus render it manifest, that with good men we have acted in a good [or equitable] manner. You may bestow on them [our letters] what appellation soever you please; to us that is of trivial consequence. The object of our desire, after which we earnestly strive, is, to make known still more among all men the simplicity of the gospel of Christ, and the iniquity of the apostacy of Antichrist. If therefore you pity us, we will bear it, and will pray God in Christ to pity [have mercy upon] you."

you make and proclaim, that my conduct intimates my assent to you! I have, respecting your affairs, imposed silence on myself; and though teased with a hundred of your importunate letters, I shall adhere to my design of giving you advice, till I have seen you enter on some other method. If my resolution displease you, bear with it: For the discussion of questions is at this time unpleasant to me. It is more in accordance with the will of God, that I should refrain from meddling with questions in this state of affairs, than that both you and I should be entangled in them. You moot many topics in your letters: But I will abstain from those matters, and will religiously employ myself in the work of the Lord. Christian prudence will never suffer me to say any thing about controverted questions, while the opposite party remains unheard.'

"This letter could not stop the mouths of the English, who were resolved to have the last word, and told him his silence was occasioned by want of arguments. In their letter, which I have had the good fortune to see, they say, 'If we should err 'from the true Faith, with the Papists, the Anabaptists, and other persons of that description, we have no doubt that you • would open your mouth, to answer, to refute, and to convince us. But because you can point out no error in our Faith, and ' yet because at this time and in the present state of affairs, it is not agreeable to you to abide by us and our cause, the safest course which you can pursue is to be silent. This indeed is an ' act of prudence, but not of piety: For, in his denunciations by the Prophet, God has said, Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his 'sword from blood! (Jer. xlviii, 10.) And, on the contrary: 'O Daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed! Happy shall ' he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us! Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones! If these denunciations were uttered against the material Moab and Babylon, with how much greater propriety may they be ' denounced against Antichrist, and spiritual Babylon, and all 'her daughters and abominations! If this be the judgment against the type and shadow, how much more is it against the 'body itself and the substance!" This was the language of those people who held religious meetings at Amsterdam after their own way, by the connivance of the Magistrates: And we find, that there are in that city, and in other places, some remains of them to this day-a living monument of the misfortunes which attended the Reformation."

This brief yet very sententious remark was made by Brandt,

exactly a century after this quarrelsome race of religionists was permitted to exhibit, to all the world, the dreadful evils entailed on churches that are constituted on the purely Independent scheme, and left to frame and execute their own laws of churchgovernment. These excellent men were, as individuals, among the very mildest of their race. No theological student will require to be reminded of the numerous amenities in the private character of Henry AINSWORTH, the celebrated and very able commentator on the Pentateuch and on the Psalms. His co-pastor ROBINSON is styled, by one of the most violent of his adversaries, “the most learned, polished, and modest spirit that ever "that sect enjoyed: It had been truly a marvel, if such a man "had gone on to the end a rigid Separatist!" Several of the rest were persons of considerable talents and irreproachable in their general conduct; and their church did not run into such an excess of schism as marked the Independent Church at Rotterdam, which claimed the regicide, Hugh Peters, for its founder. But, when acting the part of church-censors and reformers, they could agree neither with those who adhered to a different ecclesiastical regimen, nor with each other. The following is a brief description of their quarrels and divisions, by that famous Scotch Presbyterian, Robert BAYLIE, in his Dissuasive from the Errors of the Times, published in 1645:

"Their first church in Holland was that of Rotterdam, which Master PETERS, not the most settled head in the world, did draw from its ancient Presbyterial constitution. This Church became no sooner Independent, than it ran into the way of such shameful divisions as their mother at Amsterdam had gone before them. Their pastor, Master Peters was soon weary of them, or they of him; for what causes, themselves best know: But sure it is, he quickly left them and went for New England. The church was not long destitute of pastors; for, about that time, Master Ward and Master Bridge came over to them from Norwich, where they ever had lived fully conform. So soon as they came to Rotterdam, they conformed themselves to the discipline which Master Peters had planted. They renounced their English ordination and ministerial office, joining themselves, as mere private men, to that congregation which It was not long afterward did choose and ordain both of them to be their ministers. before Master Simpson also came hither from London; and, renouncing also his ordination, joined himself as a private member with them. Then did the spirit of division begin to work among them; and so far to prevail, that Master Simpson, malecontent with Master Bridge for hindering the private members of the flock to prophesy after the Brownists' way, did separate himself and erect a new congregation of his own. Betwixt these two churches the contentions and slanders became no less grievous, than those of Amsterdam between Ainsworth's and Johnson's followers; and, in this, much worse that they of Rotterdam abode not at one schism, but, after Master Master Simpson's separation, broke out again into another subdivision. Bridge's congregation was so filled with strife, so shameful slanders were laid upon his own back, that displeasure did hasten the death of his wife, and did well near kill himself, making him oft profess his repentance that ever he entered into that societ."-BAYLIE's Dissuasive.