. The story of our Christianity; an account of the struggles, persecutions, wars, and victories of Christians of all times. when each side is perfectly satisfied at the start that it has the truth,the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. A few efforts, honest or pretended,were made to draw up a formula on which both could agree, but nothing came ofthese. At more than one crisis in history, laymen have grasped the idea of tolera-tion when divines have missed it. De lHopital, who had succeeded Olivier aschancellor of France, when opening the States-General in 1560, had called it follyto expec
. The story of our Christianity; an account of the struggles, persecutions, wars, and victories of Christians of all times. when each side is perfectly satisfied at the start that it has the truth,the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. A few efforts, honest or pretended,were made to draw up a formula on which both could agree, but nothing came ofthese. At more than one crisis in history, laymen have grasped the idea of tolera-tion when divines have missed it. De lHopital, who had succeeded Olivier aschancellor of France, when opening the States-General in 1560, had called it follyto expect differing religions to dwell together in peace. But the progress ofevents had taught him something. At a meeting of notables and deputies inthe first days of 1562, he used some remarkable language. For a king to leadone religious party of his subjects against another, he said, would be unworthynot only of Christianity, but of humanity. Whichever side gained, the victorywould be as sad for the conquerors as for the conquered. A moral evil willnever yield to mere physical remedies. Do not waste your time in inquiring. HUGUENOTS DESTROYING THE IMAGES. 361 362 THE STORY OF OUR CHRISTIANITY. which of the two religions is the better. We are here not to establish a dogmaof faith, but to regulate an affair of state. Ought the new religion to be toler-ated, according to the demand of the nobles and the Third Estate ? Must onecease to be a good subject when he ceases to worship after the kings fashion?Is it not possible to be a good enough subject without being a good Catholic, oreven a good Christian ? Cannot citizens of different beliefs live in harmony inthe same state ? These are the questions j^ou are called on to decide. It being an assemblage of laymen and not of priests, the far-seeing oratorcarried his point, though against much opposition. On January 17th, 1562, anedict of toleration was passed. Under certain restrictions, the chief of whichexcluded them from the limits of th
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