INDEPENDENTS, or CONGREGA'TIONALISTS. The distinctive principle of the Con gregational church polity is that every Christian church or congregation is entitled "to elect its own officers, to manage all its own affairs, and to stand independent of, and irresponsible to, all authority, saving that only of the Supreme and Divine Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ." They regard the sacred Scriptures as their only standard, and hold that human traditions, tathers and councils, canons and creeds, possess no authority over the faith and practice of Christians. Congregationalism denies that there is any authority in Scripture for uniting the churches of a nation or province into one church or corporation to be ruled by a bishop or bishops, superior to the bishops or pastors of particular congregations, or by a presbytery or synod consist ing of the pastors or elders of the several congregations of the nation or province. This is the speciality which distinguishes Independency or Congregationalism from Episco pacy and Presbytery. The term "Independent" is supposed to have originated in the incidental use of the word in an "apology" addressed in Latin and English to the British and Continental universities, about the year 1604. But the early maintainers of this form of church government were careful to repudiate certain inferences which might be drawn from the use of the word. "We do profess dependence," said one of them, "upon magistrates for civil government and protection; dependence upon Christ and his word for the sovereign government and rule of our administrations; dependence upon the council of other churches and synods, when our own variance or ignorance may stand in need of such help from them." The independence claimed was only the right of every individual church to administer its own affairs, free from the control or authoritative jurisdiction of other churches—a right compatible, it was asserted, and is still asserted, with union for the promotion of common ends, and with fraternal aid and council in cases of variance or other difficulty.
_Doctrinally, the early Independents occupied time same position as the other sections of the Puritan family. They held in substance the evangelical doctrines of the Reformers, of the Westminster assembly, and of the thirty-nine articles. While declining subscrip tion, and frankly tolerant of very considerable diversities of opinion, modern Con gregationalists profess to he of one mind in regard to the cardinal truths of Christianity.
For the history of this body we must refer to the works named at the end of this article. But it may be mentioned that as early as the ,days of queen Elizabeth they were numerous and influential. In a speech made by sir Walter Raleigh in the house of commons in 1592, on the subject of a law to transport the Brownists —as they were offensively and untruly named—he thus refers to their numbers: "If two or three thousand Brownists meet at the sea-side, at whose charge shall they be transported? or whither will you send them? I am sorry for it, but I am afraid there is near twenty thousand of them in England; and when they are gone, who shall maintain their wives and children?" Several eminent men of this body suf fered death for their opinions; others were condemned to banishment. The greater
part retired to Holland. Numbers sought an asylum in New England; and America still cherishes the memory of the Pilgrim Fathers as the founders of those institu tions which are the sources of her freedom, her intellectual and moral power, and her national elevation.
By the passing of the act of uniformity in 1662, the Independents, along with other nonconformists, were subjected to much suffering. The act required an express assent and consent to everything contained in the revised prayer-book, and its effect was to cause 1900 or 2,000 of the clergy to leave the church. Still the Independents increased; and the revolution of 1688, and passing of the toleration act in 1689, at length brought them relief. Efforts were made about this time to bring about an accommodation between them and the English Presbyterians: and in 1691 beads of agreement. were drawn up, but with little practical result. In 1730 Presbyterians, Bap tists, and Independents formed themselves into a united body, under the name of the three denominations, for the protection of their civil and religious liberties. The Inde pendents are time largest dissenting body in England except the Wesleyan Methodists. By the census of 1851 the number of their churches in England and Wales is given at 3,244, with accommodation for 1,067,760 persons, and an estimated attendance of 798,142 (see article GREAT BRITAIN). There has been no general religious census since 1851, but it is well known that the Independent body has largely increased. The largest confederation of its churches is "the Congregational Union of England and Wales," which is careful to lay down in its basis the principle that "it shall not, in any case, assume legislative authority, or become a court of appeal." An Independent church is, from its very constitution, at liberty to choose any man for its minister whom it considers qualified for the office—subject only to the cheek arising front the fact that neighboring ministers will refuse to ordain or recognize a man whom they have reason to regard as disqualified. But from the beginning the Independents have attached great importance to an educated ministry. Their leaders in the Puritan age, such as Owen, Howe, and Greenhill, were men of great learning, and, as soon as the act of toleration in 1689 allowed, measures were taken for securing a succession of educated men. They have now eleven theological col leges in England and Wale's. These are (with the number of students in 4876): In this list "New college" is a union of three older colleges, Homerton, Highbury, and Coward. The college at Cheshunt, belonging to lady Huntingdon's trustees, was founded for the preparation of young men for the Christian ministry, in any section of the church to which they might be called. But it is virtually an independent college— all its present professors and almost all its students being Independents. The " Car marthen Presbyterian college," though governed by Dr. Williams's trustees who ate Unitarians, has an Independent for its theological professor, and 28 Independent students. The Congregationalists of Scotland have a theological hall in Edinburgh. There are two colleges in Australia and one in Canada.