INDEPENDENTS, or C 0 NGREGATION. ALISTS, in church history, a sect of Pro testant Dissenters, which first made its appearance in Holland in the year 1616. Mr. John Robinson appears to have been the founder of this sect. The appella tion of Independents was applied to, and adopted by, this denomination of Chris tians, from their maintaining that all Christian congregations are so many in dependent religious societies, having a right to be governed by their own laws, without being subject to any further or fo reign jurisdiction. This term was pub licly acknowledged in the year 1644, by those English Dissenters, who held simi lar sentiments respecting church govern ment to the Independents in Holland; but on account of the ill use that many made of the term, by a perversion of its original meaning and religious designa tion,the English Independents renounced it, and adopted that of Congregationalists, or Congregational brethren. The term Independent is still, however, applied to various sects of Protestant Dissenters, and seems justly applicable to almost every sect of nonconfbrmists in this coun try.
The doctrines of the Independents are the same as those of the BROWS ISTS. It is said, that the only difference between these sects was, that the Brownists were illiberal in their views concerning other denominations, while the Independents entertained enlarged conceptions of church communion, and allowed that other churches, though different from them in points of discipline, might pro perly be called Christian churches. It is, however, to be feared that the Indepen dents, properly so called, being Calvin ists as to points of faith, do not cherish very liberal sentiments concerning the salvation of those who differ from them in most of their articles of belief. A spi rit which seems to be a natural effect of the creed of the Geneva Reformer. See