the French
Revolution.

Upon this background Calvin designed his scheme of Church government
and discipline. His purpose was to reform society as well as
doctrine. He did not desire orthodoxy apart from virtue, but would
have the faith of the community manifested in its moral condition.
And as the mere repression of scandals would promote hypocrisy, it was
necessary that private life should be investigated by the same
authority that was obeyed in public. Teaching and preaching belong to
the clergy alone. But jurisdiction is exercised by the pastors in
conjunction with the elders. And the elders were the choice of the
civil power, two representing the Lesser Council, four the sixty, and
six the two hundred. That was all that he could obtain. His success
was incomplete, because the government worked with him. A hostile
government would be more adapted to his purpose, for then the elders
would be elected, not by the State, but by the congregation. With a
weak clergy the civil magistrate would predominate over the Church,
having a majority in the consistory. While Calvin lived no such thing
was likely to happen. The Church co-operated with the State to put
down sin, the one with spiritual weapons, the other with the material
sword. The moral force assisted the State, the physical force
assisted the Church. A scheme substantially the same was introduced
by Capito at Frankfort in 1535.

But the secret of Calvin's later influence is that, he claimed for the
Church more independence than he obtained. The surging theory of
State omnipotence did not affect his belief in the principle of
self-government. Through him an idea of mutual check was introduced
which became effective at a later time, though nothing more unlike
liberty could be found than the state of Geneva when he was the most
important man there. Every ascertainable breach of divine law was
punished with rigour. Political error was visited with the sword, and
religious error with the stake. In this spirit Calvin carried out his
scheme of a Christian society and crushed opposition. Already, before
he came, the Council had punished vice with imprisonment and exile,
and the idea was traceable back to the Middle Ages. It had never
found so energetic an advocate.

The crown was set upon the system by the trial and execution of
Servetus. The Germans, in their aversion for metaphysics, had avoided
the discussion of questions regarding the Trinity whi