bation may
be directly traced to the influence of Calvin. With him many of the
leading Puritan divines studied theology, and were taught the importance
of laying aside the whole mass of popish additions to the simplicity of
apostolic worship. When the difficulties arose among the exiles at
Frankfort, in Mary's reign, about the use of King Edward's Liturgy, they
asked advice of Calvin, "who having perused the English Liturgy, took
notice, 'that there were many tolerable weaknesses in it, which, because
at first they could not be amended, were to be suffered; but that it
behooved the learned, grave, and godly ministers of Christ to enterprise
farther, and to set up something more filed from rust, and purer.' 'If
religion,' says he 'had flourished till this day in England, many of
these things would have been corrected. But since the reformation is
overthrown and a church is to be set up in another place where you are
at liberty to establish what order is most for edification, I cannot
tell what they mean, who are so fond of the leavings of popish dregs.'"
When the conformist party had triumphed at Frankfort, they "wrote to Mr.
Calvin to countenance their proceedings; which that great divine could
not do; but after a modest excuse for intermeddling in their affairs,
told them, that, 'in his opinion, they were too much addicted to the
English ceremonies; nor could he see to what purpose it was to burden
the church with such hurtful and offensive things, when there was
liberty to have simple and more pure order.'" The puritan part of the
exiles retired to Geneva, and there prepared and published a service
book, in the dedication of which they say, that "they had set up such an
order as, in the judgment of Mr. Calvin and other learned divines, was
most agreeable to scripture, and the best reformed churches. And when,
subsequently, the important step was taken, by several puritans in and
about London, of breaking off from the established churches and setting
up a separate congregation, they adopted for use, (as they say in their
'agreement' thus to separate) a book and order of preaching,
administration of sacraments and discipline, that the great Mr. Calvin
had approved of, and which was free from the superstitions of the
English service."--_Neal, i. 152, 153, 154, 155, 252._

But most important of all, in its influence on religious and civil
liberty, was the attachment of the puritans to a popular church
government. And of t