PART II. CENT. cessary; and thus the community. was, all of a XVL sudden, divided into two sects; of which the one SECT. III. treated transgressors with lenity and moderation, while the other proceeded against them with the utmost rigour. Nor was this the only difference that was observable in the conduct and manners of these two parties; since the latter was remarkable for the sordid austerity that reigned in their rules of life and practice; while the former considering more wisely the present state of human nature, were less severe in their injunctions, and were not altogether regardless of what is called decent, agreeable, and ornamental in life and manners. Menno employed his most vigorous efforts to heal these divisions, and to restore peace and concord in the community; but when he perceived that his attempts were vain, he conducted himself in such a manner as he thought the most proper to maintain his credit and influence among both parties. For this purpose he declared himself for neither side, but was constantly trimming between the two, as long as he lived; at one time discovering an inclination towards the austere Anabaptists; and, at another, seeming to prefer the milder discipline and manners of the more moderate brethren. But in this he acted in opposition to the plainest dictates of prudence; and accordingly the high degree of authority he enjoyed, rendered his inconstancy and irresolution not only disagreeable to both parties, but also the means of inflaming, instead of healing, their divisions [w]. XI. These two sects are, to this very day, disrate Ana- tinguished by the denominations of fine and The rigid and mode baptists. gross, [n] See the Historia Bellorum et Certaminum quæ, ab A. 1615, inter Mennonitas contigerunt which was published by an anonymous Mennonite.-See also a German work, entitled, Sim. Fred. Rues, Narchichten von dem Zustande der Menoniten, published in 8vo at Jena, in the year 1743. XVI. SECT. III. PART II. gross [x], or, to express the distinction in more CENT. intelligible terms, into rigid and moderate Anabaptists. The former observe, with the most religious accuracy, veneration, and precision, the ancient doctrine, discipline, and precepts, of the purer sort of Anabaptists; the latter depart much more ftom the primitive sentiments, manners, and institutions of their sect, and approach nearer to those of the protestant churches. The gross or moderate Anabaptists consisted at first, of the inhabitants of a district in North-Holland, called Waterland, and hence their whole sect was distinguished by the denomination of Waterlandians [y]. The fine or rigid part of that community were, for the most part, natives of Flanders; and hence their sect acquired the denomination of Flemingians, or Flandrians. But new dissensions and contests arose among these rigid Anabaptists, not indeed, [x] The terms fine and gross are a literal translation of groben and feinen, which are the German denominations used to distinguish these two sects. The same terms have been introduced among the Protestants in Holland; the fine denoting a set of people, whose extraordinary and sometimes fanatical devotion, resembles that of the English Methodists; while the gross is applied to the generality of Christians, who make no extraordinary pretensions to uncommon degrees of sanctity and devotion. [y] See Frid. Spanhemii Elenchus Controvers. Theol. Opp. tom. ii. p. 772. The Waterlandians were also called Johannites, from John de Ries, who was of great use to them in many respects, and who, assisted by Lubert Gerart, composed their confession of faith in the year 1580. This confession (which far surpasses both in point of simplicity and wisdom all the other confessions of the Mennonites) has passed through several editions, and has been lately republished by Herman Schyn, in his Histor. Mennon. cap. vii. p. 172. It was also illustrated in an ample Commentary, in the year 1686, by Peter Joannis, a native of Holland, and pastor among the Waterlandians. It has, however, been alleged, that this famous production is by no means the general confession of the Waterlandians, but the private one only of that particular congregation, of which its author was the pastor. See Rues, Nu chrichten, p. 93, 94. CENT. concerning any point of doctrine, but about the XVI. manner of treating persons that were to be excomSECT. III. municated, and other matters of inferior mo PART II. ment. Hence a new schism arose, and they were subdivided into new sects, distinguished by the appellations of Flandrians and Frieslanders, who differed from each other in their manners and discipline. To these were added a third, who took the name of their country, like the two former, and were called Germans; for the Anabaptists of Germany passed in shoals into Holland and the Netherlands. But, in process of time, the greatest part of these three sects came over, by degrees, to the moderate community of the Waterlandians, with whom they lived in the strictest bonds of peace and union. Those among the rigid Anabaptists, who refused to follow this example of moderation, are still known by the denomination of the Old Flemingians, or Flandrians, but are few in number, when compared with the united congregations of the milder sects now mentioned. The source XII. No sooner had the ferment of enthusiasm from which subsided among the Mennonites, than all the dif nonites ferent sects, into which they had been divided, unanimously agreed to draw the whole system of their religious doctrine from the Holy Scriptures alone. To give a satisfactory proof of the sincerity of their resolution in this respect, they took care to have Confessions drawn up, in which their sentiments concerning the Deity, and the manner of serving him, were expressed in the terms and phrases of Holy Writ. The most ancient, and also the most respectable of these Confessions is that which we find among the Waterlandians. Several others, of later date, were also composed, some for the use of large communities, for the people of a whole district, and which were consequently submitted to the inspection of the magistrate; others designed only for the benefit of private so the Men drew their doctrine. cieties, XVI. SECT. III. cieties [2]. It might not, perhaps, be amiss to CENT. enquire, whether all the tenets received among the Mennonites are faithfully exhibited and plain- PART II. ly expressed in these Confessions, or whether several points be not there omitted which relate to the internal constitution of this sect, and would give us a complete idea of its nature and tendency. One thing is certain, that whoever peruses these Confessions with an ordinary degree of attention, will easily perceive, that those tenets which appear detrimental to the interests of civil society, particularly those that relate to the prerogatives of magistracy, and the administration of oaths, are expressed with the utmost caution, and embellished with the greatest art, to prevent their bearing an alarming aspect. At the same time, the more discerning observer will see, that these embellishments are intended to disguise the truth, and that the doctrine of the Anabaptists, concerning the critical points above mentioned, are not represented, in their public Confessions, in their real colours. XIII. The ancient Anabaptists, who trusted in Their rean extraordinary direction of the Holy Spirit, ligion was were (under the pretended influence of so infalli- ced into a нһ VOL. IV. late redu ble system. [z] See an account of these Confessions in Schyn's Plenior Deduct. Hist. Mennon, cap. iv. p. 78. 115. where he maintains, that "these Confessions prove as great a uniformity among the Mennonites, in relation to the great and fundamental doctrines of religion, as can be pretended to by any other Christian community." But should the good man even succeed in persuading us of this boasted uniformity, he will yet never be able to make his assertion go down with many of his own brethren, who are, to this day, quarrelling about several points of religion, and who look upon matters, which appear to him of little consequence, as of high moment and importance to the cause of true piety. And, indeed, how could any of the Mennonites, before this present century, believe what Schyn here affirms, since it is well known, that they disputed about matters which he treats with contempt, as if they had been immediately connected with their eternal interests? SECT. III. PART II. CENT. ble a guide) little solicitous about composing XVI. system of religion, and never once thought of instilling into the minds of the people just sentiments of the Deity. Hence the warm dissensions that arose among them, concerning matters of the highest consequence, such as the Divinity of Christ, Polygamy, and Divorce. Menno and his disciples made some attempts to supply this defect. But nevertheless we find, after his time, that the Mennonites, more especially those of the rigid class, carried the freedom of their religious speculations to such an excessive height, as bordered upon extravagance. This circumstance alone, were there no other, proves that the heads of this sect employed the smallest part of their zeal to prevent the introduction and propagation of error; and that they looked upon sanctity of life and manners alone as the essence of true religion. The Waterlandians, indeed, and after them the other Anabaptists, were obliged, at length, to draw up a summary of their doctrine, and to lay it before the public, in order to remove the odium that was cast upon them, on account of their bold tenets and their extravagant disputes, which were likely to involve them in the greatest calamities. But these Confessions of the Mennonites were, in reality, little more than a method of defence, to which they were reduced by the opposition they met with, and must therefore be rather considered as an expedient to avert the indignation of their enemies, than as articles of doctrine, which all of them, without exception, were obliged to believe. For we do not find among the Mennonites (a part of the modern Waterlandians excepted) any injunction which expressly prohibits individuals from entertaining or propagating ligious opinions different from the public creed of the community. And, indeed, when we look attentively into the nature and constitution of this re sect, |