Protestantism in France From Death of Henry IV to the Revolution - James Aitken Wylie
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<strong>to</strong> be <strong>in</strong> logical consistency with at least this <strong>the</strong>ory<br />
<strong>of</strong> her constitution. This <strong>the</strong>ory was embraced <strong>in</strong><br />
Scotland as well as <strong>in</strong> <strong>France</strong>, but <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> former<br />
country it was more consistently carried out than <strong>in</strong><br />
<strong>the</strong> latter. While <strong>the</strong> French Protestants were" <strong>the</strong><br />
Religion," <strong>the</strong> Scots were "<strong>the</strong> Church ;" while <strong>the</strong><br />
former demanded "freedom <strong>of</strong> worship," <strong>the</strong> latter<br />
claimed "liberty <strong>to</strong> adm<strong>in</strong>ister <strong>the</strong>ir ecclesiastical<br />
constitution." The weakness <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> French<br />
Protestants was that <strong>the</strong>y failed <strong>to</strong> put prom<strong>in</strong>ently<br />
before <strong>the</strong> nation <strong>the</strong>ir rights as a div<strong>in</strong>ely chartered<br />
society, and <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir action largely blended th<strong>in</strong>gs<br />
civil and th<strong>in</strong>gs ecclesiastical. The idea <strong>of</strong><br />
"Headship," which is but a summary phrase for<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir whole conception <strong>of</strong> a Church, enabled <strong>the</strong><br />
Scots <strong>to</strong> keep <strong>the</strong> two more completely separate<br />
than perhaps anywhere else <strong>in</strong> Christendom. In<br />
Germany <strong>the</strong> magistrate has cont<strong>in</strong>ued <strong>to</strong> be <strong>the</strong><br />
chief bishop; <strong>in</strong> Geneva <strong>the</strong> Church tended <strong>to</strong>wards<br />
be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> supreme magistrate; <strong>the</strong> Scots have<br />
aimed at keep<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> middle path between<br />
Erastianism and a <strong>the</strong>ocracy. Yet, as a pro<strong>of</strong> that<br />
<strong>the</strong> higher law will always rule, while nowhere has<br />
<strong>the</strong> action <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Church been so little directly<br />
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