The Dutch Republic was the most religiously diverse land in early modern Europe, gaining an international reputation for toleration. In Reformation and the Practice of Toleration, Benjamin Kaplan explains why the Protestant Reformation had this outcome in the Netherlands and how people of different faiths managed subsequently to live together peacefully. Bringing together fourteen essays by the author, the book examines the opposition of so-called Libertines to the aspirations of Calvinist reformers for uniformity and discipline. It analyzes the practical arrangements by which multiple religious groups were accommodated. It traces the dynamics of religious life in Utrecht and other mixed communities. And it explores the relationships that developed between people of different faiths, especially in 'mixed' marriages.

John Leland (1754-1841) was one of the most influential and entertaining religious figures in early America. As an itinerant revivalist, he demonstrated an uncanny ability to connect with a popular audience, and contributed to the rise of a "democratized" Christianity in America. A tireless activist for the rights of conscience, Leland also waged a decades-long war for disestablishment, first in Virginia and then in New England. Leland advocated for full religious freedom for all-not merely Baptists and Protestants-and reportedly negotiated a deal with James Madison to include a Bill of Rights in the Constitution. Leland developed a reputation for being "mad for politics" in early America, delivering political orations, publishing tracts, and mobilizing New England's Baptists on behalf of the Jeffersonian Republicans. He crowned his political activity by famously delivering a 1,200-pound cheese to Thomas Jefferson's White House. Leland also stood among eighteenth-century Virginia's most powerful anti-slavery advocates, and convinced one wealthy planter to emancipate over 400 of his slaves. Though among the most popular Baptists in America, Leland's fierce individualism and personal eccentricity often placed him at odds with other Baptist leaders. He refused ordination, abstained from the Lord's Supper, and violently opposed the rise of Baptist denominationalism. In the first-ever biography of Leland, Eric C. Smith recounts the story of this pivotal figure from American Religious History, whose long and eventful life provides a unique window into the remarkable transformations that swept American society from 1760 to 1840.

This is a facsimile of the small 1540 book of Myles Coverdale as it was reprinted in modern spelling in 1844. Coverdale was a close associate of William Tyndale, and co-translator of the 1537 Matthew Bible with Tyndale. His English is remarkably modern compared to other writers of his period and readers will be pleased by how easy he is to understand.

Coverdale proceeds chronologically, expounding the sequence of events as set forth in the four Gospels from the Passion of Christ through to Pentecost, in short sections that are perfect for daily devotional reading. They would also serve well for a series of sermons. The first part of each section is a Scripture reading comprised of a passage or combination of passages from the Gospels. The second part expounds the Scriptures.

The "lessons" in Coverdale's book contain the pure preaching of Christ - "gathered," as Coverdale wrote, "out of the four Evangelists, with a plain exposition of the same." Poetic, profound, and anchored to the Word of God as it was most purely revealed in the early Reformation, Coverdale's Fruitful Lessons reach up to heaven itself.

This facsimile book is complete, without any missing pages, and each page has received special attention so that there are no imperfections to detract from the reading experience.