22-Heaven on Earth – Almost

We must now return to where we left the history of the third church of
English Separatists in Holland. As we have seen, the Scrooby church, with
Richard Clyfton as its pastor and John Robinson its teacher, eventually
reached Amsterdam in 1608. The members did not choose to settle in the
city, but within a few months they were seeking permission from the
authorities at Leyden, about twenty-two miles off, to move there. This was
duly granted, and all arrangements were concluded by 1609. Leyden was
‘a fair and beautiful city’, but there were other, deeper, reasons for the
Scrooby church to move there. No doubt, the quarrels which would be sure
to come about with the domineering Francis Johnson, the pastor of the
Ancient church, in addition to the notorious troubles already taking place
within that church, made Leyden seem very attractive. Endless, miserable
wrangles held no pleasure for men like John Robinson and William
Bradford. However, not all the church members were agreed that they
should leave Amsterdam. Richard Clyfton, for one, stayed behind, since
his sympathies had begun to lie with Francis Johnson and a more
Presbyterian form of church government with its emphasis upon eldership
rule.