/C -^/ » #»• J.' JL-S-'. ^ 1 * 1 LIBRARY OF THE Theological Seminar y, PRINCETON, N. J. BR 143 .P7 1803 v. 5 Priestley, Joseph, 1733- 1804. ..4 A general history of the Christ ian church !C • ■■^diis^'M If' i> THE HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. PERIOD XXI. From the Conclusion of the Council OF Constance in a. d. 1418, to the Reformation, a. d. 1517. SECTION i. Of the Power of the Popes in this Period, and the Oppofition that -was made to it, X HE hiftory of the popes in this pe- riod has not in it much that is properly of an cc- clefiaftical nature. They were now fovereign princes, and had no other views in all their tranf- Vo L. V. A adlions 2 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. aftions than the augmentation and prefervation of their temporal power. With this view, like other princes, they made treaties or broke them, and they made war or peace as befl; fuited their pur- pofes. Notwithftanding the checks they met with, they ftill afferted their authority in general, fpi- ritual as well as temporal, in as high a tone as ever; and fuch was the general prepoffeffion in their fa- vour, from maxims and habits of long (landing, that tho' their power as princes was but fmall, it was the great objeft of the policy of all the courts of Europe to gain their favour, and the moft powerful were often obliged to give way to them. The merely civil tranfa6lions of the popes ia this period, fuch as relate to war and peace, I Ihall as much as pofiible omit, only noting fuch particulars in their pretenfions and conduft as are of * more remarkable nature, Ihewing the charafter of the men, and of the times, that the neceflity of the reformation in the next period of the hiftory may be more evident. Tho' the fuperiority of general councils to the pope was afferted in the decrees of the council of Conftancc, confirmed by Martin V, and thofe of the council of Bafil, which was a fequel to it, the maxim was never acknowledged by any pope afterwards ; not even by thofe who before they arrived at that dignity had moll flrenuoufly main- tained Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 8 tained that do6lnne. In a. d. 1460 Pius It, who while he was only cardinal, and bore thrt name of ^Eneas Sylvius, had been the greatefl ad- vocate for the fuperiority of the councils, publifh- ed a bull, in which he condemned all appeals from the popes to councils, which were then very common, as "erroneous, deteflable, null, con- ** tiary to the holy canons, hurtful to Chriflianity^ *' and even ridiculous." And in a. d. 1464 he publifhed a folemn rctra£lation of what he had written in favour of the fuperiority of the council of Bafil, as the produ6lion of his youth ; faying that he had erred, as Paul had done, and perfe- cuted the church of God, thro' ignorance. NothinjT that the popes did whi^e they were only cardinals could bind them. Before the ele6lioii of Paul II, in a. d. 1464, all the cardinals fwore to a number ot regulations, and even this pope himfelf confirtned them immediately after his eleClion, but he prefently after paid no regard to them. The popes claimed the fole right of prohibit- ing books, and aflferted that Chriflian princes ought to publifli their decrees on this fubjeft as from the authority of the apoftolic fee, as of fufEcient force, without any fanflion of theirs. According to the antient difcipline of the churcli, the cenfure of A 2 books 4 THE KISrORY OF Per. XXI. books be'onged to the councils. Giannonc^ Vol. 2,* P- 392. Appeals to the court of Rome were a great fourcc of the wealth and power of the popes, and many attempts were made by the more fpirited princes to prevent them, or at leaft reftrift them within certain bounds, while the popes were as watchtul to retain and encourage them. In a. d. 1491 Innocent VIII publilhed a bull excommu- nicating thofe who obftruded appeals to the court cf Rome, in order to transfer the caufes which had been ufualiy heard there to the fecular courts. After the extinction of the great fchifm, the popes were chiefly intent upon the aggrandifement of their families, and they engaged in confedera- cies, and wars, chiefly with that view. Immenfe films were raifed by them from church livings. For on the death of any incumbent, before a fuc- ceflbr was named, whatever he left was adjudged to the apoflolic chamber. Colledors were fent every where, who by fevere extorfions feized even the ornaments of the churches, and put the heirs to great trouble with refpeft to the proper patrimony of the deceafed. In cafe of any doubt, every thing was decid^^d in favour of the chamber, and thofe who oppofed the execution were harraffed with exconimunications and cenfures. Thefe abufes were tolerated in the kingdom of Sicily, and tho' *% Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 3 tho' they u-ere check.:d by AlphonTus I in a- d, 1431, they came in agiit: in a great mcialure with Ferdinand the CathL;hc. Tiiey were, honwer, oppoCed in other countries, and in Spain rellritted to the Cc\['q ofbifliopj. In FraiiCe and Gu-rniahy they wejQ aptjuffered at all. Giaifinone, Vol, 2. p. 489. ':::^\ The power of difpcn Ting with oaths, anr] even annulling the mOit fuieiija treaUc^, wita iicrciics or infidels, w^s npt r«;Hr»quifhed by the popts of this more enlightened period. But a rnemonbio inftance occurs in it of the folly, as well as .vicked- nefs, of that .pretci[irion. Tho' in a. d. 1444 the -Chriflians had made peace with AmUrath the Tuik- i{h emperor, and Ladiflas king of PoJand and Hun- gr.ry had fworri to it on the Go! pels, as Amurath did upon the Koran ; yet .in opportunity occur- ring, of Vi^hich the Chriflians thought they could take advantage, pope Eugenius authorized cardi- nal Julian to abfolve him from his oath, and ex- horted him to ren:ew the war. But Amurath re- turning from Afia in greater force than they ex- pelled, and in the courfe of the battle which fol- lotved holding up the treaty to which the Chriftians had fworn, cried, aloud, " This, O Jefus, is the " treaty which the Chriftians, fwearing by thy *' name, made with me. If thou be a God, rc- " venge thy injuries and mine," Then, gaining A3 a com- 6 THE IIIStORY OF Per. XXI. a complete vidory, both Ladiflas and the cardinal were flain. There was no want of good fen fe, or fpirit,' in feveral of the temporal princes of this period, to fet the pretenfions of the popes at defiance ; but the fuperftition of the common people, and the fitua- tion of their affairs, made it neceffary for them to give way. In a. d. 1488 Innocent VIII excom- municated Ferdinand king of Naples for refufing to pay the ftipulated tribute, depriving him of that kingdom, publifliing a crufade againft him, and inviting king Charles of France to join Nicolas de Urlino, whom he had appointed commander of the forces againfl him. Ferdinand, however, per- •fifted in his difregard of thcfe proceedings, and he appealed to a future council. But at length his fear of Charles brought him to fubmit to the terms required of him. The oppofition made by the Venetians to Ju- lius 1 1 promifed fomething more, but ended in a iimilar manner. In a. d. 1509 this pope publiflicd a moft violent bull againft them for their ufurpa- tion of ecclefiaftical jurifdiclion, threatening then with every thing that had ever been denounced b^ former popes; and for a long time they paid no re- gard to it, but appealed to a future council. Al the efFcQ it had at firft was that a few monks, par ticularly attached to the court of Rome, left thv. city. Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. r city ; while all the other clergy, fecular and regular, continued todifcharge their fun6lions as before. The pope then publiihed another bull, annulling their appeal, and laying all their eftates under an inter- ditl. This, however, they would have difregard- ed; but being diftrefTed in the war againfl: them, in which the pope joined his forces, they wifhedto make peace with him. His demands, however, being thought too exorbitant, the people fpared no inve6lives againll hirn. At length it was thought neccflary, on account o\ the fituation of their public affairs, that the doge fhould write to the pope in the mofl fubmiffive terms, leaving the fatisfaclion they were to make to himfelt; and the year following he granted them abfolution, but on the following humiliating terms. Six amball^idors from the republic proftrated them- felves at the pope's feet, and vifited the feveti churches in Rome. They were obliged to defift from* their appeal to a council, to confer only lay benefices, to admit of appeals to Rome, to allow the pope to ]Qvy any taxes upon their clergy, and alfo to grant him many advantages of a civil na- ture ; and thus he was fully fatisfied. Thus, favs the hiftorian, this republic \vhich had paid lefs re- gard to the thunders of the Vatican than any other Hate, fubmitted to the molt imperious conditions, A 4 fuel t THE HISTORY OF Per. XXL fiich as only the moft haughty and fuccefsful fo- vereign would have impofed. In order to fupport the expences which fuch a fyftem of power required, the popes had recourfe to various methods, which rendered them exceed- ingly unpopular; but yet not fomuch fo as to oc- cafion any open or confirmed revolt. The wars which Sixtus IV promoted againft the Turks, his ^jrefents, and public buildings, arid his furniftling the Vatican libiary, which he provided with Greek, Latin, and Hebrew librarians, induced him not only to create new oIEces in his court, but to dii- |)bfe of them for large fums, which was much com- plained of, as it took from able and worthy men the means of advancing themfelves. In A. D. 1457 the Germans made loud com- plaints of the pope's violation of the agreement that had been made with their emperors, in taking from the country more than he ought to have done, but he exculpated himfelf on account of the expences he had been at in repulfing the Tuiks^ when the Chriflian powers in general had been inattentive to their progrefs, and fulFered them to take Con- flantinople. On this occafion yEneas Sylvius wrote in defence of the pope, and was anfwered by James de Wimphile and others. The right of the popes to grant countries to thofe who would difcover, conquer, and chriftian- ize Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CIIUUCII. 9 ize them, as alfo to grant titles, 8zc. feerns to have been uiidifputcd iii this period. la a. d. 1420 Martin V granted io the Portuguefe all the coun- tries they Ihoald difcover from the proinontary of Genara to the Eail Indies; andin a. d. 1492 Alex- ander VI granted to Ferdinand, king of Arragon, the inveftiture of ail the countries his fubjeds fhould difcover to the Wed. But on the difcovery of America by Columbus, the Portuguefe objefl- ed ro this grant, as inconfiflent with that which had been made to them by Eugenius IV, ol all the land they (hould difcover to the Eail. How- ever, alter many afiemblies held at Rome on the fubjeft, the Portuguefe v\rere obliged to acquiefce in the pretenfiohs of the Spaniards. In a. d. 1494 the fame pope granted to Ferdinand and Ifabella the right cf conquering Africa, on condition of their eftablifhing the Chriilian religion in it; but, not to interfere with the claims of the Portuguefe, he reflricled their permiilion to the kingdoms of Algiers and Tunis; that oi Fez and the neighbour- ing countries being within the grant to the Portu- guefe. In A. D. 1496 this pope to the great dii'^ fatisfa6lion of the Portuguefe, gave the title of Cti- tkolic to the kings of Spain. He had intended to take the title of 7noJl Chriflian from the kings of France ; but fome of the cardinals remonflrated againfl. it. A 5 The IQ THE HIS TORY OF Per. XXI. The ChriRian world is indebted to the univer- fity of Paris for much of the jafl oppofition that was made to the unieafonable pretenfions of the popes and their advocates before tlie reformation. In A. D. 1430 John Sarrazin a Dominican was cenfured by it for miintaining that "all ccclc *' (iaftical jurifdiQion, except that ,of the pope '* was derived from him, that thefe jurifdiftions " are not immediately of divine right, that ail the " decrees of councils derive their force from the *• pope, that other fpiritual powers can do nothing " aoainft him, and that he cannot be guilty of (i- >' mony." In confeqnence of this cenfure, the au- thor was obli,'^'?d to retraft his propohtions. In A. D. 1470 the faculty of theology at Paris con- demned a propofition of John Meunier, another Dominican, that the apoUles did not receive their antbority from Chr;!l himfcif; but from St. Peter. In A. D. 1497 Charles VIII propof-d to this fa- culty whether the pope was not bound by the de- crees of the council of Con fiance to affemble a gene- ral council every ten years, and whether, on his refufal, the fecular princes might not call one with- out him. Thev anAvered in the affirmative, and added, that the then prefent time was peculiarly proper for it, there were fo many notorious dif- orders in the church, both in the head and the members. Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 11 members. The death of this prince prevented his prcxreeding any farther in the bulinef^. But the mod efFe£tual oppofition to the papal ufurpations was made not by arguments, but anions. Of thefe, and feme very perfevering and fuccefiful ones, there are Teveral inftances in the courfe of this period. Commendams had not been much u fed in Ger- many, tho' they were at this time frequent in other parts of Europe. Sigifmund duke of Auftria had, on this fubjeft, a difference with the cardinal o Cufa, who held the bifliopric of Brixen by com mendam from the pope, without refiding. The cafe had been propofed at the council of Mantu.. but was not decided ; and the parties coming to ai open rupture, the cardinal was taken prifo-ier, an:', was not releafed till he had paid a confiderablc fum for.his ranfom, ar.d had likewife enQ[ac[ed for the abfoiation of Sigifmund, wlio had been ex- communicated by pope Caiixtus. The agreement being broken, and hoflilities refumed, the cardinal was again niade prifoner, when he purchafedhis releafeby the farrender or .i caftle, and paying another large fum. On this Pius II excommunicated the duke. But not ter- rified with this, he appealed to a future council, the a6l of appeal being drawn up by Gregory of Heimburg, a do6lor of law. The pope then ad- dreffed 13 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. drefled a letter to the people of Germany, in which he ordered Heimburg to be avoided, as a heretic, and guilty of high treafon, for appealing to a coun- cilafter his exprefs prohibition of it. Healfo order- ed all his goods to be confifcated. But Heimburg appealed againft this bull, and this led to a contro- verfy, in which Heimburg inveighed againft the pope with more violence than had ever been done in that age. This pope had appointed a nephew of cardinal Sbigneq to the archbifhopric of Cracow, tho' Ca- iimer king of Poland had named another perfon ; and notwithftandingthe remonftra aces, menaces, and even excommunications, pronounced againft Cafimer and his adherents, the cardinal's nephew was obliged to relign ; the king having declared that he would fooner lofe his crown than fuffera bifhop in his dominions againft his confent, which, fays the hiftorian, was no fmall mortification to the holy father. In A. D. 1461 Pius II excommunicated the archbiniop of Mayence for not appearing before him, and paying the annafes of his church, accord- ing to his promife. On this the - archbifhop ap- pealed to a future council, and was fupported by the princes of Germany, v/ho complained of the exorbitant fums demanded for the confirmation of his elc£lion, the tenths of his benefice, and other griev- Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. is gfievances by which the Germans in general wtre afFc6led, in order to raife money, on theptetence of the Turkilh war, but which was einpIo)'ed for other purpofes. Nothing, however, bcin^ done in confequence of the princes declaring for him, he made his peace with the pope ; but giving fre(h offence by continuing to oflBciate as bifliop before his excommunication was taken ofF, another arch- bifhop was appointed by the pope, and the two prelates were at open war, till they made peace by a divifion of the revenues, the latter retaining the title and the office. The German princes on many occafions fhewed a fpirit of refill an ce to the papal claims. When Sixtus IV fent to collet the tenths of the benefices in Germany, for the war againfl the Turks, which more immediately affe6led the empire, and they were threatened with an excommunication, they abfo- lutely refufed to pay them. The people of Florence, more enlightened than any other in this age, had frequent contefls with the popes, and forne of them continued a lon^^ time. In a. d. 1478 Sixtus IV excommunicated Lorenzo of Medicis, and laid the city of Florence under an interdift, for hanging the archbifhop of Pifa, who had been engaged in a confpiracy againft the Medici, in which Julian the brother of Lo- renzo was murdered in a church, and Lorenzo him- U TIIE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. Jilmfelf very narrowly efcaped. But tho' the pope gave them to underftand that he would remove the intcrdi6l if they would banifii Lorenzo, they per- fifted in their negleft of it, throwing the blame of the whole tranfaftion on the pope, as the original author ot the confpiracy. They even affembled the biHiops of Tufcany, in order to appeal to a future council, and obliged the priefts to celebrate mafs notwithftanding the interdift. They were Iccretly affifled by the Venetians, but afterwards they made their peace with the pope. In the time of this pope the fpirit of refiftance appeared in Scotland. For having made Patric Graham, the archbifhop of St. Andrews, his legate in that country, the lords would not fuflPer him to exercife his lun£lions ; it being, they faid, a vio- lation of the antient rights oi the kingdom. The Citizens of Rome were never well afFefled to the civil government of the popes. They had alfo frequent contefts for the pofi'elfion of Bologna. In A. D. 1420 Martin V recovered the polTeflion of this city, after it had long been independent of the fee of Rome. In that year he left Florence, where he had refided fome time, and went to Rome, which he found in a very ruinous condition, but it was foon rcftored to its former fplendour. No- thing but the advantages the people were fenfible they derived from the rcfidcnce of the popes kept them Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. is them in obedience. In a. d. 1434 the inhabitants of Rome revolting from pope En genius, he dif- guifed himlelf in the habit of a monk, and fled to Florence. But after fit months they made their peace v/it!> Mm, and received the magillratcs of his appointment. R.ome appears to have been very ill governed in this as well as in the preceding periods, and to have fuftered extremely for want of a good police- On the death of Innocent VIII, in a. d. 1492, there were dreadful diforders in Rome. The city was abandoned to the mob, who plundered houfes, and filled the ftreets with carnage. The jud^^es durft not appear for fear of being expofed to the rage of the people, who curfed the late pope for having had, as they faid, no compaffion for the poor. At the time of the eleftion of another pope, the ftreets were fo crouded with banditti, robbers, and afTaflins, that the cardinals were obliged to in- troduce whole companies of mufketeers into their palaces, and to have canon pointed to the avenues leading to them. The ftteets of the burgh of St. Peter were barricaded with large pieces of timber, behind which were placed foldiers, while the light horfe continually paraded round the palace. The perfonal charafters of the popes in this period had nothing to recommend them. They were all men of ambition, feme of them very ra- pacious. 16 THE HISTORY OF Per; XXI. pacious, and alfo profligate in other refpe6ls. Car- dinal Borgia, who after Innocent VIII was pope, and took the name of Alexander VI, was not only, fays the continuator of Fleury, unworthy of the pontificate, but of the lowefl funftions in the church. While he was cardinal he had by Vano- tia, the wife of D. Arimano, four fons and a daughter. His eldeft fon, Lewis Borgia, was (Juke of Gandia, the fecond, called Caefar, was a cardinal, and afterwards the duke Valentinois, the moll cruel and ambitious of men; but his father had fuch a blind fondnefs for him, as to over- tuvn all laws, human and divine, in order to ad- vance him. SECTION II. Tke Hijiory of the Councils of Bafil and Florence^ X HE greatefl contefl the popes had in this period was with the council of Bafil, and tho' their condu6l was manifeflly irregular, yet by fuperior addrefs, and perfeverance, they triumph- ed in the end. At the council of Coriftance, little having been done in the reformation of the church; cither, as the phrafe then was, in the head, or the members, Sec. II. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 17 mcmhcr^, it wras appointed that other councils fhould be held, at limes then fixed for that im- portant purpofe. When this time was come, fo that it could not be decently deferred, Martin V fummoncd one to meet at Pifa ; and, fendmg three legates, it was opened in the ufual forms in May A. D. 1423. But few prelates arriving, and there being fome apprehenfion of a plague in that city, it was transferred to Sienna, where the firft fefTion commenced the 8th of November, and fome de- crees were made refpc6ling the Huffites. But be- fore they proceeded to any articles of reform, the pope, fearing left the ambaffador of the king of Arragon (hould give him fome difturbance abouf Benedi6l XIII, who was then living, and favoured by him, but chiefly dreading any regulations of reform, he put oft the council to another time and place, on the pretence of the fmall number of pre- lates attending, and the wars with which the em- pire was then diflra6led. However, his legates, having fufficlent powers for that purpofe, and being defirous of promotin^r the objed of the council, appointed another meet- ing at Bafil, feven years from that time, the arch- bifhop of Toledo alone obje6ling to it, as feeming to be made with a view to elude the propofed re- formation. Others cxpreffing the fame apprehen- fion, the legates declared that by this traiiflation Vol. V. B the 18 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. the council could not be confidered as even inter- rupted, for that, in the mean time, the piefident and deputies would ferioufly labour in the bulinefs of the rtiormation of the church. In the mean time Martin was fucceeded by Eugenius IV, a man flill more averfe to the coun- cil, ;ind who did every thing th^it he could to pre- vent its meeting, well aware that it could not but be prejudicial to his authority. This, however, was not in his power; and the firft feflionat Bafil was held December 14th, a. d. 1431, when it was opened by cardinal Julian, who had d:flin- guifhed himfelf in his embaffies to Bohemia; and the members of the council, deGrous of promoting the proper objeft of it, ufed every precaution to prevent the cabals of the Italian prelates, who were in the intereft of the pope. And being apprized of the pope's intention to diffolve the council, the firft decrees they made were in confirmation of thofe of the council of Con fiance; afferting the power of the council, and the obligation of all per- fons to fubmit to its decrees, in whatever refpe£l- ed articles of faith, the extin£iion of fchifm, and the reformation ot the church ; that if any per- fon whatever, even the pope, fhould refufe to obey its decrees, he fliould be put in a ftate of penance. They farther decreed that the pope had no Sec.II. 1 he christian church. 19 no power to dlfTolve, transfer, or prorogue, the council, ivithout its own confent. Notwithflmcling thefe fpirited dfcrecs, and all the endeavours of cardinal Julian, who wrote re- peatedly, and in the mofl: earned manner, to dif- fuade the pope from his purpofe, feconded by a deputation from the council itfelf, ari'iJ the refolu- tions of the prelates of France, who had been af- fembledat Bourges, and had affened the vaidity of the council at Bafil ; notwithftanding alfo the flrong rernonftrance of the emperor, Eugenlus perfifled in the publication of his bull for the diffolution of the council. On this the members of it pronounced him contumacious, fufpended from the admini- flration of the pontificate, and forbad any one to obey him. By proceeding fo far, however, the council fuffered much in the efteem of the princes of Eu. rope; who, dreading another fchifm, wifhed them, to proceed with more moderation, thinking it to have been poffible to gain the pope, if they had adopted more lenient meafures. Butinthisrefpe6llhecouncil had formed a truer judgment of his charader than they. The pope, tho* at that time attended by no more than three cardinals, publi filed a bull declaring the decrees of the council againft him to be null, by the plenary authority with which he faid he was in ve fled as pope. At length, how* B 2 ever. 20 [THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. ever, his temporal affairs not being in the beft fi- tuation, and urged by the emperor, who wiflied to moderate the violence ol both parties, and by any means to prevent another fchifm, he revoked his bull, and acquiefced in the decrees of the council • exprefsly confirming thofe relating to the fuperiori- ty of general councils to the pope, in whatever rcfpeds articles of faith, the extinftion of fchifm, and the reformation of the church. Pofl'effed of this advantage, the council decreed that the popes fhould take an oath, not only at their eleftion, but annually on the anniverfary of it, that they held the catholic faith, and the de- crees of all the general councils, exprefsly men- tioning thofe of Conflance and Bafil. And among their articles of reformation, they decreed that the popes fhould not give any places of power and truft to their relations beyond the fecond degree. The pope, as might be expe6led, was exceed- ingly offended at thefe decrees ; and paying no re- gard to any of their reforms, the council cited him to appear before them in fixty days. In vin- dication of their eonduft, they wrote to all the princes of Europe ; and he not appearing, they once more declared him contumacious. In the mean time, he gained a decifive advantage over the council, by fending legates to Conftantinople; who arriving before thofe of the council, prevailed upon Sec. II. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 21 upon the Greeks, who then courted an union with the Latins, to fend tlieir ambaffadors to a council which the pope propofed to affemble at Ferrara, when the Fathers at Bafil had propofed to give them a hearing at Avignon. With this advantage Eugenias publiflied a bull, in which he allowed the members of the council at Bafil to continue their fittings thiity days, but only for the purpofe of treating with the Bohemians. To this they paid no regard, but declared the pope's calling of a council to meet at Ferrara to be null, and threaten- ed him with depofiiion it he did not recall his bull for that purpofe. Not difcouraged by the fpirit which the coun- cil flieu'ed, the pope lixed the meeting of his coun- cil for the 8th of January, a. d. 1438 ; and on the 10th it was a£lual!y opened; when he declared the tranflation of the council from Bafil to Ferrara, and that every thing tliat fhould be done there from that tims ihould be null, except v*'hat related to the Bohemians. Cardinal Julian, who had hitherto prefided in the council of Bafil, now left it, and joined that at Ferrara, tho' only four pre- lates accompanied him. All the ambaffadors from the princes of Europe remained at Bafil, and the king of France exprelsly forbad any of his prelates to go to Ferrara. B 3 The 22 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. The prelates at Bafil, not difcouraged by ihe defertion of their prefident, or the proceedings at Ferrara, not only continued their fittings in defi- ance of the pope's prohibition, but again declared him fufpended from his jurifdidion. Being now in a date of open hoftility, he forbad their allemb- ling under pain of excommunication, and ordered them to leave the place within thirty days. He a] To ordered the magiftrates of the city to drive them from it, under pain of excommunication and in* terdidl; and forbad any pro vifions or merchandife to be carried into it while they continued there. They, however, fhev.-ed no lefs fpirit, declaring the affembly at Ferrara fchifmatical, ordered the members to appear before them within a month, and excommunicated all thofe who fFiould diredly or indirecl'v hinder any perfon from going to Ba- fil. Af>er this, however, all farther hoftiie pro- ceedings were fufpended bv the interpofition of the ambaffjdors from the diet at Nuremberg. Albeit duke of Auftna alfo entertained fome hope that, by his iriterceffion wi h the pope, an open ruptuif might be prevented, in confcquence of which nothing was done till May a. D.-1438. In January a. d. 1439 the pope, on the pre- tence of the plague being in Ferrara, removed hit council to Florence, the people of that city hav. ing promifed to defray a confiderablc part of th. ex- Sec.il the christian church. 23 expence ; and this city being more convenient for him in feveral refpeds. Here were all the pro- ceedings relating to the union of the Greek and Latin churches, of which an account will be given in a feparate fefiion; and during all this time the council at Bafil continued to lit, attended by the ambafTadors of all the princes of Europe, except thofe of the duke of Burgundy, who were at Flo- rence. They would not, however, confenttoany of the decrees againfl the pope, but preferved a kind of neutrality. This moderation had no ef- ^e6l on the members of the council. For, after long debates on the fubjeft, they proceeded on the 25th of June to pafs the fentence of depofition 011 the pope as "afimoniac, a perjured perfon, an •' encourager of fchifm, a heretic, obuinate in his *' errors, and a diffipaterof the goods of the church;" and it is fomething remarkable that this decree was paiTed at Bafil on the very day that the union of the two churches was concluded at Florence, an event that to app.'arance r^flecleJ the greatell honour upon him. The princes of Europe were hy no means fatis- fisd with this violent proceeding of the council at Bafil, and their depi^ties, fent to inform them. of it, were univerfally ill received. At Frankfort and Mayence they were exprefsly told that the princes of Germany would not depart from their neutrali- B 4 ty, 24 TilE HISTORY OF Per. XXL 'ty, but would appeal to a council HiOre general than that at.Bafil, to pope Eugenius and the apoftohc fee, or the perfon to whom it rightly be- longed. Eugenius himfelf, hearing of their pro- ceedings, a61ed with no lefs violence, publifhing a bull, in which he annulled all they had done, de- claring them, excommunicz ted, , heretics, and fchifmatics, and that t'here was no punifliment great enough for them or their adherent?. The prelates at Balil replied ; but after much debating on the fubje6l, refrained from calling his decree heretical. However, after much prepara- tion, they procbetled to the eleclion of another pope, and the choice fell on Viflor Amadeus, late duke of Savoy, biit 'who had relinquifhed the fo- vere'pntv, and lived a relioious and reclufe life near the lake of Geneva. After much hefitation, he accepted the nomination, and took the name of Felix V. On this Eigcnius declared him a heretic, and fchifmatic; he excommunicated his eIe6lors and adherents, and in order to ftrengthen his in- terefl:, created fevcnteen new cardinals. The ele6lion of another pope was fo like the commencement of anoi her great fchifm, which had prodiiced fo much mifchief, sftid had been fo diffi- cult to terminate, that the befl friends of the coun- cil of Bafil greatly difapproved of it. When the members of , the council demanded of the princes of Ger- Sec. II. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 25 Gerrr.any, at their diet in Frankfort in a. d. 1440, their acknov/Iedgment of Felix, they reiufed to do it. No'withflanding this, they excommunicated all who would not acknowledge him, of what rank foever they were, and alfo renewed their decree againfl; Eugenius, while he again excommunicated Fehx, calHng him antipope, heretic, fchifmatic, &c. to which he replied with equal violence. In order to fupport the dignity of the new pope, the council voted him a fifth of the revenues of the greater ecc'efiaflical benefices for the five firfl years of his pontificate, and a tenth afterwards. The princes of Europe were divided in a fingula rman- ner in this dilemma. The kinpe died in February 23, a. d. 1447. ^^^ betorc his death he granted fcveral of their demanJs in favour of their churches, and he died in feme mea- fure like a chriflian, annulling all that had been done 28 THE HISrOllY OF Per; 3^X1. done contrary to the holy fee daring the fchifnf, abfolving all thofe who had adhered to the coun- cil of Bafil after his rupture with it, and alfo refto- ring them to their dignities, provided they return- ed to the unity of the church. On the death of Eui^enius, his cardinals chofc for his fucceffor the cardinal of Bologna, who took the name of Nicolas V, and was immediately ac- knowledged by the emperor, and the princes cf Germany, as alfo by the king of France ; and from this time all refpeft for the remains of the council of Bafil was withdrawn. Thus encouraged, Ni- colas publiHied a bull, in v^'hich he excommuni- cated Felix, calling him " a child of iniquity, a '• fchifmatic and heretic." Pie alfo gave the dut- chy of Saxony, which adhered to Iiim, to the king of France, or the dauphin, and granted a plenary indulsience to thofe who fhould affift in the con- qucft of it for them. To fatisfy the Germans, he- cntcred into a treaty with them. called the Concor- dat^ in confequence of which the difpoHJ of certain eccleriaflicil benefices was refervcd to himfclf, and the reil left to free election. In the time, Felix being weafy of opoofition, and having exprefl'ed a willingnefs to refign the dignities with which the council of Bafil had in- vetted him, Nicolas was not inexorable, but pub- lifhed a bull, in which he annulled all that had been Sec. II. THE eilRISTIA.N CHURCH. S9 been done during the fchifni ; and in order to put • an end to it in the eafiefl manner, the king of France held an adembly at l^yons, in confequcriCe ci which ambafiadors were fent to Nicolas and Felix from France, and alfo from England, and it v/as agreed that the latter fhould refign, but continue a cardinal bifliop, be legate, and perpetual vicar of the holy fee in Savoy, have the firfl place next to the pope, and other perfonal honours. jPavour- able ftipulations were aifo made for the cardin^tl^ of Felix-, their dignity being allowed. Accordingly Felix refigned in proper form April 9th, a. p. 14.40; and thofe who remained of the memberjs of the. council of Balil, affembling at L^^ufanae the 16th of the fame month, authorized in proper form all that had been agreed to; they received the refigr^ar tion of Felix, and elected NipoI^s, in the ufual manner. Thus was the laft fchifm in the Roman church happily terminated, to the great joy of all Chriftendom. Felix retired to Ripailles, v.'h?re he lived three years, dying in a. d. 1.^52, at the age of 68. It is impofiible to confider this hiftory with- out feeing that the credit and authority of all coun- cils is derived from the fupport of the temporal powers ; and that without this, no regularity in the form of convocation, or in the proceedings, is of any avail. SECTION 4d THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI, SECTION III. Of the Councils of Pifa, and Lateran. A: S the fpirit of pope Eugenius IV enabled him to get the better of the council of Bafil, that of Julius II, which was no way inferior to that of any pope, enabled him to triumph over that of Pifa, notwithftanding the advantage it de- rived from the authority of the council of Con- fiance, which was certainly inlided to very great refpeft. A reformation of the church, in its head as well as its members, was univerfally deemed to be neceflary ; and in order to enfure this great ob- ject, provifion was made for a fucceffK^n of general councils, the authority of which was decided to be fuperior to that o<"the popes. Senfible, however, that their power would be materially affeded by any reformation, they had uied all their influence to prevent the convocation of any fuch council, and, as in the cafe of that of Bifil, to defeat the objeft of them when aflfembled in the moll regular manner. Many of the cardinals, how- ever, and all the princes of Europe, being aggrieved by the exa6lions of the court of Rome, favoured the calling of councils, by which they hoped Sec. III. THE CHRISTIAN CHURGJI. 51 hoped to be relieved, and efpccialiy when they had any difference with the popes, whom they wilbed by this means to mortify. In A. D. 1511, after an open war between Ju- lius II and feme of the ftates cf Italy, affiiled by the king of France, a council was called in the r.ame of nine cardinals, the emperor, and the king cf France, to meet at Pifa, after the pope had in vain been invited to concur in the meafure, and had been reminded of his engagement to call a council within two years of his eleftion. The profeiTed objeft of this council, as well as of that of Bafil, was the reformation of the church in its head and members, and the pope himfelf was in the moll refpeftful manner cited to appear and prcfide in it. In order to ward off this blow, the pope, en- couraged by the coolnefs of the emperor in the bu- finefs, publilhed a bull, convoking another general council, to meet at Rome in April a. d. 1513; and forbidding under paiu of excommunication the celebration of any other general council. He alfo publilhed another bull againft thofe cardinals who were the principal authors of the convocation of the council at Pifa, fummoning them to appear before him, and threatning them with the depriva- tion of their ranks as cardinals, and of all their ec- clehaflical benefices in cafe of difobedience. Thefe '^2 THE HIS TORY OF Per. XXL Thefe cardinals, iho' not a little intimidated hy this threat, perfiftedin their purpofe, and wrote to the cardinals at Rome in vindication of their condu6l. They alfo publiflied another apology for holding a council, and giving (heir reafons for doing it without the concurrence of the pope. And in November 1, a. d. 1511, thecouncil wasaclually opened ; when it was attended by four cardinals, the principal of whom was Caravajal bifliop of Bayeux, who was prefident, procurators from fe- veral others, many prelates, and among them the archbifhops of Lyons and Sens, the abbot of Ci- teaux, and others, a deputy from that of Clugny, fome dc6lors from the univerlity of Paris, and ma- ny other refpeclable perfons. In the firfl: feffion the members of this council aCferted their power to meet and aft notwithfland- ing the cenfures of the pope ; in the fecond they made regulations for their future proceedings, and in the third they decreed the fuperiority of general councils to the pope, and the obligation to fubmit to their decrees. As foon as the pope-was informed of the open- ing of the council, he excommunicated by name all the cardinals who attended it ; depriving them of their dignities and benefices. But the cardinals who were with him not approving of this violence, he was fo much agitated, that he fell fick, and his death S£C. Tlr. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. S5 death was c^pe6led. However, when he recovrr- ed lie abarcd nothing); of his violenc:. And in the mean time the people of Florence, who were maf- ters ol Pna, apprehending inconvenience tothem- felves lioai the holding of the council ui that citj^, when the pope was to ijoflile to it, the members removed to Milan, where they were under the proU'tli«,n o\ the emperor, and where they were re- ceived with great joy. At Milan the council was better attended than It had been at Pi fa, two more cardinals having joined it, and feveral more bidiops and abhors. They then appointed a farther time for the pope to fix upon fome place where they might meet him, for the purpofe of holding the council, anfwertd }{is excommunications, and forbad the domeftics of ^iny of their members to leave the city withouC the confent of their matters; as many of them, te- rified by the bulls of the pope, had done. In ano- ther fefTion they decreed the convocation of the council at Rome to be null, and allowed the pope twenty four days to retraft what he had done v/ith refpeft to it ; and this term being cxpiied, they proceealed fo f;ir as to decree his depofition, and exhorted all chriftian Deoole no loniier to acknow- ledge him, being " a diflurbsr of the council, con- '' tumacious, the author of fchiim, incorrigible, and " hardened." VoL.V. C The ;U THE HISTORY OF Per. XXL The cmpercr had never been very zealous for the coiincij, nv.d being at length g'linecl by the pope, the member? found it necefTary for them to leave Milan, and transfer (he council to Lyons, where they were under the prote6lion of the king ol France. But he not being able to engage oiher princes in their fupport, they could not proceed any farther. Lewis hinifclf, however, accepted the decrees of this dcfeited council, and forbad his fubje6ls having any recouvfe to Rome : while the pope, perceiving his advantage in the general de- fertion of the council, ifTued a bull, annulling ail that had been done at Pifa, Milan, or Lyons. He aKo excommunica ed the king of France, and laid the kingdom under an interdi6l ; and to punifh th« city of Lyons for receiving the council, he dep}iv- cd it of the privilege of holding its annual fair, and removed it to Geneva. The king, provoked by this violence, replied by a fpirited protefr, and alio flruck a medal, with th^ arms of France on the rcverfe, and this motto Perdau Babylonis no- men. About this time cardinal Cajetan publifhed a treatife, and fcnt a copy of it to the members of this council, in which he aa'erted the fuperiority of the pope to all councils. This the king of France referred to the judgment of the univerfity of Paris, who appointed three perfons to reply to it; but the Sec. III. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 35 the members of ihe uiMveiTi^v did not themfclves proceed any fartlier tba:i to condrrnn what he l^ad advanced a^ainli the atiilioriry ot ihe councils )f ConOancs and B.ifil. In th's trea'ile th^ cardinal advanced that " St. Putcr had alone the govem- *' mcniot the ch:3rch, that llio' the other apolHes *' received their apoflielTiip from Chrifl himfclf, " yet as part of his flock, ihcv were fuljtrfl to Pe- '• tcr; that he received his authority by the order '• of nature, but they theirs by fpccial lavcur; that *' he was the vicjir general of Jtfus Chrifl, and " they his lieutenants and delegates; (liat their au- " thority expired at their dea h, but that his v.-as '• continued in his fuccefTor?; that their power was *'• that of executing, but his of comsTiandin^ ;" dif- tinClions fays Fleury, al ogethcr new. He further alTcrted,. that in no cafe except that of herefv could a council be lawfully called to denofe a pope, and then that they had no other bufinefs than to chufe another. Julius, tho' difappointed in his endeavours to procure the attendance of the arclibifli'jp of Tole- do, the celebrated Ximcnes, and the archbiHiop of Seville, neverthelels opened his co mcil with much folemnity, May 3, a. d. 1512. wiien it was attend- ed by fifteen cardinals, three hundred and eighty biinops or archbifliops, but all of Ilal)', and fix- teen abbots or generals of orders. And the third C 2 fedion. 3« THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. feffion, which was held in December, was attended by the bifliop of Guixk, who was fent by the em- peror to fignify his renunciation of all that had paffed at the council of Pifa, and his approbation of the prefent council of Lateran. In this ftffion were read all the pope's bulls in condemnation of the council of Pifa, and* againft the k'w'ere exceedingly exafperated at the condu6; of the council of Conflance, efpecially in the violation of the fafe condu6l that had been given 48 TIIE HIS TORY OF Per. XXI. given him ; and nothing that was done hy the council, or the popes afterwards, had any tendency to appeafe their refentment. Being a vyarLke peo- ple, and ha^'ing an able commander in Zilc^. they had reconrfc to arms, rather than, as would better have become chriUians, fuffcr perfccntion without refinance. The war was kept up a long time,, and Vv/'il.h a degree of ferocity and cruel.ty which has too, gene- rally chara6l.erifed religious and civil wars. But the iffue of this, as well as of f^^try ether fimihif cafe, fbewed that the caufe of iriiih'is nevrr real y promoted by arms. Notwithfl-anding the ^reat faccefs oi the Kusfites for a confideiable time, their numbers dirnini'Jied rather than increafed, as it is probable they would liave done by perfecuti- on, and after their great defeat in a. d. 1434, all who oppofed the church of Rome in that part of Europe dwindled to an inconfiderable feft ; and what is particularly remaikabis,. having leen the folly of having had reccurfe to arms to fuppcrt iC- ligion, they as well as the Anabaptifts aturu-ards, became the mod peaceable; an ';^ paffive otall chrifli- 3ns, For fuch are the Moravian brethren, who are all that remain of the once formidable Hvffites. . It will beneceffary to give fome account cf, their wars, as well as of other particulars in theii; h^ftory, bat the recital (hall be as brief as ppljilble. After Bcc. V. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 49 After tlie death of Has and Jerotn of Prague, near five hundred of their followers in Bohemia were fummoned to appear before the council ; and not attending, they were declared to be con uma- cious. Seeing their extermination was determi- ned, they formed an army of forty thoufand men for their defence, under the command of Zifca, who chofe for the place of his c)nef refort a moun- tain fome miles from Prague, where they formed themfelvcs into a regular body, openly difclaim- ing the authority of the pope, as no more than a- ny other bifhop, rejedling purgatory, prayers for the dead, the ufe of images, confeflion, and the falls of the church, and they communicated in both kinds. Winceflas, who favoured them, grant* cd them the ufe of feveral churches in Prague. Martin V, prefently after his cle6lion in a. d, 1418, publifhed a bull againft the Hudites, order- ing tliem to be delivered to the fecular arm, and enjoining all chriftian princes to afhfl in extermi- nating them. In this bull he inferted forty five articles of the do£lrinc of Wickliffe, and Has, condemned by the council of Conftance, in which, he direfted that all fufpe6lcd pcrfons fhouldbe ex- amined on oath. So far were the troubles of Bohemia from be- ing appeafed by this bull, or the decrees of the council, that they were increafed, and that year the Vol. V. D Hufsitcs iCf •' tHE RIStGRT OF -; Per.XXR HLiffites v.-ere joine*d^7 forty'' Picards/'probablf Waldenres'from Picardy, who came to Prague* ^ith ^ their wives and families. Before recourfe was ha'd to'open war, a DominiGan was fent tote-* ciaim'the Hiifsites ; but he foon returned; ancf ^ave it as his opinion, that nothing" would reduce them but force. This too was the opinion of Ger-- fon, in' the advice that he gave to- SigifTiiotid tlie. j-ear before. So much -wetcth^ HiifsiteV ihcreafi cd, thatonlhe :i6tfi-of April, being affembled' in the caftleof-Vifigrade, they dejAited Nicolas- dfe Hufsinetz to Winceflas, to requeft the ufe of more fchurcbes, thofe which had been alloA^ed them tiot being fufficient. He de fired time tf) confider off their rcqueft,' and -at the expira'tionof tlfe time tha:t he hdd fixedi'required th'totQ appear ' before hitV?, imt-wtthbui'^ariiis ;. but bf;,ihe advice of Z^ifoa, Vho knew the' timic(-tem^«rrif>f'th^ king, they ajS- \ J^eitred with th&ir ztihs.Xi^it^^y^:^^ ptifilege -of t-lidr nkti^'/aiid id" ihe^'^himilir^ir ^ ^gbf-J^^Mii cdtog^'^ird erefoliitityfi, fee* di^miffed them with r-favCm'rdUe tH- /Tt^er. •• ^j_ •'* --'bn the death of *Wincefias,:iJ a. d. i4'i'8,^- ^^iif- ca and his followers refufed to ackriowl^>ge 'hif « brother Sigifmoftd; %ing tlvtft^?cft€r /His H)nfent totheH3eathof Jvlin;=Hus >^M Jfeitirrt-df I'raf le, be was it^wort1-i)^f tbe ztm^v'^^ fating adi-ati- 5£C,V. .THE .CIIRISTIAr>^ CHURCH. 5X tage of tl^AfcC'?ut tbt-s tim,e there appeared fpme new-fec- 'taries, called Orchtts, whoexercired.^reat cruelties on. tbe.caiKollc priefts, and Zir«:a rc,qv;ived them a- . m6»g\His bU'jfl ctToDps. ' This farn^ '.year , the, pope pubh&sdia.'cruradeagainft.the Hursifes ; but the army that was raifed in^confequefice of it deferced Xh ei r com ma n dcr ' .o.n' [he. ! -.a ppi*9ai:h ci Z. ifca .■ A t fthe hegeof Pvobi this.'yiiar,: Zifta Ipfl t|ie Qnly c>s hthat he-Jtfo had ; :hht nptwithftanding this difad- - y^ntag.e wli,enlie re'dlver-ed of the wjound, he refu- mcd the corarpand ".of the arniy. . D 2 The i2 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXL The emperor, being now feriouily alarmed at the progrefs of the Huffites, afierabled the diet of the empire at Nuremberg, when all the nobility of Germany agreed to join their forces againft them ; and accordingly they all took the field, ex- cept the eleflor of Treves, who was fick, and who arrived on the frontiers of Bohemia in Augufl ; but not being able to take Soez, which they be- fieged, the troops deferted in the month of O6I0- ber. The emperor himfelf had not been able to join them, becaufe he could not bring his troops from Auftria and Hungary, as they difliked tha fervice, before December. It being impofsible then to do^ any thing, he propofed a truce ; but the HufiTites refufed to agree to it, except on fuch terms as the emperor would not admit, viz, that preaching fhould be free thro' all Bohemia, that the communion fhould be in both kinds, that the clergy fhould have no pofTefsions in land, or any civil jurifdidlion, and that mortal (by which they meant public) fins in any perfon fhould be animadverted upon. Shortly after this the Huffites addrefTed a let- ter to certain princes, to juflify themfelves againft the charge of rebellion, and in this they accufed Sicrifmond of the death of John Hus^ and of pro-, moting the crufade againft them ; profefsing that they hadrecouife to arms in the defence ot their religion Sec.V. the christian church. 53 religion, their liberties, and their lives. Ai the fame time they threatened to adl^ hoftileiy ngainft all who would not admit of the four articles above mentioned. In this ceffation of hoQilities they held a council in Prague, when they agreed oti twenty two articles, fome of which, however, occa- fioned a divifion among them. About this time there arrived in Bohemia fome f)f thofe who called themfelves brethren of the free fpirii, who had been very numerous in France, Flanders, and Germany, but ftill more im Suabia and Switzerland, tho'few of them efcaped the pur- fuit of the inquifitors. One of their leading prin- ciples was faid to have been that bafhfulnefs and modefty are marks of inherent corruption, and, that they were not properly purified, till they could behold without emotion the naked bodies cf the different fexes ; and therefore they, fometimcs at; leafl;, frequented public worfliip in that Hate, whence they were called Adamites, and were univer- fally and naturally fufpeded of incontinence. Zifca fo far from receiving thofe people, fell upon them in A. D. 1421, and putting fome oi them to the fvvord, condemned the reft to the flames, which they fuffered with the greateft fortitude. Mo/Iieim, Vol. 3, p. 274. It can hardly be doubted, however, but that ihefe people were no other than Waldenfes, Picards, or D 3 Lollards .^-i' THE mStORY OR Per. KXl Lo!»ar;.]s (terms of the fame fignification) that '-fie' indeceneies they were charged with as Adamites were mere'talumnies, arid that the hue reafoiiG^f Zjfca's averfr'^n to them was th*^ir differing in opi- iiicn fiorii him, and their tai-ing jiart with his chCiiries. 'They denied the do£irine of tranfub- llantiation, and refufr^^o adpre'th^ liofl. Ont of th(^m being put to the tortCrt^ -faid,- i' It is not '' we that aie in an error, but )'ou w'ho caufe us to *' be burned. Deceived by falfe tedchers, you', *' pfofbate yourfclves before a creature, a piece of '•' cdiifecrated bread, and burn incenfe before it,- '■'• imagining that you are offering upon the altar ** for the hving and the dead, the bo(^y of jcfus ** Ghnll whieh js in heaven." Bcaufolre in L'En- Jant's Bafe, Vol. 2, p. 329. . ■ -• The Waidtc^fes were in Bohemia in a. d. ii^8;"'anW ' vv-tre well received .af Zaiee and I.kani x>rl'thi'ri^!erE'gfa, near the frontiers- of -Min. r\\ii''ft6ti\-'i^hiz%.:p\^tQ'^^^^ probably entered Bo- hcmiti: ' BeVn Jin g'^e^Ht numbers in an ifland form- ed "b*-' thGliver Laufuitz near Neuhaus, in the dif- tria of 53%ciiir^,'thcy took arms,* and were defeat- ed" by Zifca.- lb. p. 393. ■ The * L'Enfant fays they joined the Taborites. But ac- 'cordhig to 6ther accounts ihe divifion of the HufiUes rn- 10 Orphelins and Tiiboritcs did not take place till afty: tSie 4-athof Zifca. ,. - jBiEG. V. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. em ,-;:;XH3 fame yeaV viz. a. d. 1.421, the HufsUec '¥n'a-rl*:an offer of the crown of Bohemia to t,he king of Poknd ; but he declining it, they offered it to.W.ithold, duke of Luthiania, who accepted' c^ iti and fent an army to their afsiftance. But mark- ing his, peace with the emperor, he foon yfter ^abandoned them ; when they were again left lo themfelves ; but they had no more occafipn for the jife of arms during the life of Zifca... In a. ,p^. .1424, the empemr defpairing of conquering^ the jHufsites, propofed a treaty in vyhich he agre.C^ to give up to Zifca not only the govcrnmeiit an^l the command of the forces, but the revenues of the ^country, retaining the fovereignty only. Thcfe ^erms were accepted, and prefcntly alter, when ^^ifca^tV^as going to wait on the emperor, he was feiied with the placr-ae, and died October 6tb, a! i^. ^ ^ , .. , . '> eta} ..., On the death of Zifca the Hufsites dividea. into two parties, one called Tahorites, command*- ' ed by Procopius, fu-rnamed the Great ^ diXidifiZ o- ther ■ Orp^itiiiis (to 'fignify the lofs ' thty . ha'd -hi tlieirgreaLC«jicf Zifca.) who chofe ht'fh chiefs cvefy y. They propofed the four articles abovementioned, promifing that if they were granted, ihey would, in every other refpeft, conform to the catholic (church. They were permitted to Argue at large in defence of all their articles, and Aere anfwered by the members of the council, thfdifcufsion con- tinuing from January 16, to Mai^hS; whtn, re- ceiving no fatisfa£lion, the dep/ties returned to Prague, accompanied by aml^ffadors from the council. / / Tliefe ambaffadors were ^ceived with much refpeft, and employing the^ addrefs in concert with Maynard, a Bohemiai nobleman, they fuc- D 5 ceeded 53 TEE HISTORY OF PerVIXXI. tted&d: in fowing "divifions among the Hufsites, .and incjuced the count of Piir.l>ii to revolt from thcn!^. -..Prefently after this',- fhey were driven out of Piagiiie, and a battle being fbaght in a. b. 1434, on tie oSave of the feflival 6f the holy facranient, both the Procopius's were" fiaih : 7nd afterwards when they bad.entered into terms with their ene- mies, all the old - foldiers who had fought under Ziiljca Were treacheroufly Jiut to death. . After this they made no appearance in the^ field ; but a treaty b;-ing ^entered into beLweeri^'them and the deputies pf the counjcil; it cpntii:nkd a long time, the Hufl^es objcfting chiefly to the ufurpatioirs of the pofTcrjons of the chuich being, termed facrilege. At length howdvsef,' at an^afferrtbly held at Ifliw in .tkv-]ff:''iii3^at wbjdi tbe:emperor aiTiRcd, tbej gave '«p three x)f hc;Rrilc:Ies th^y had before i-nTiltecl upon, -andiCpntentd- themfelv-cs with gaining- the, fourth, ' which-, was t.e ' corn.muifuan. in boih /kinds. - T-h«s.an ei4 w.as;put.to,a cruel war, which ha^d ^Lu^at^dtiic ounttyr-twjeaty: two. years. But ithe *t)opeaftdfhe^-CQg.rt 'of Rome objected to thetcrii»s. ^The -H-ar^ites. hid. fartkcr demanded ot the coua- ciloi Ba&', that tieir children' might receive the ciKl>ariil immcdi^ely after bapiifm, but it had not.been granted tothem. Oir thefc accounts the fcbifjTEi, tho* not the «ar, waS: .rcilewcd by . a ccnfl- derable number of tie -i&^^f#4s' wlio'publiflied ',.,#' forty Stc.'A^.'^^- THE CHRISTIANC HURCH. S9 forty f»'3 articles of a new confeffion of iheir faith. In A. D. 1448 pope Nicolas fcnt a legatcinto BohetTiia, but he hefitating to fatisfy the, demands of Rokyfan, to be archbifhop of Pragye, which the Bbhemian.s infilled upon, it was with.^difBgulty th>t he efcaped out of the country. . At this time there v^cpc tWo tieutoiants in the .kingdom ol Bu- hemia^ NJjiynaird, a favourer, of ^he old religion, and Petarfcon, a friend of Rokyfawv He d)irig was fucce^ded by Podiebrad) vvho.feized uponthfe city of PraguiCj and p«t Maynard in prifon; wher« he foon died ; .Uid being then fold governor of the kingdom, he 'jg4ve the/arebbilhopiix: to -Rokyfan; without W'aitii3g for the bull from Rame. In A. D. 14 r.3 .LAdvflas, then thitteen years of age, .was crowned kui^ of. Bohernia^acoprding to the rites of Jthe^cre the hafl that w:a]?4^rr:ie5J beibie;R.pkyfan; He difcovcrcd a fliii greater ayerfion, to th,e .Huflites after his return tO:t,he kjiigi'lckm, igi a.^-d. 1457, juft before his intended marr^agti witjajf da^ighter of the king of France;, and as. he pref^ntly af^er . this .died of' pojfonj, his death vvas generaH)^ imputed cither to Rpky fan, or Podipbrad*jWhofe interefl it * This name. is written by F lei^ry and others iro- gcbracj and under Ins e£igies in L'Euiaiit's HiUoryJt 00 THE HISTORY OF Pkb. XXI. it was that a prince fo zealous for the catholic re- ligion fliould not be their king. On his death, Podiebrad was elcfted king of Bohemia ; and finding it neceffary to gain the al- legiance of the catholics, he took advantage of the divifions among the Huflites, and exterminated the greateft part of them. On the defeat of their army, the two parties before mentioned had ceafedi but they had feparated a fecond time, and the Calixtins, being the ftronger, had feized upon the city of Tabor. Being, however, perfuaded to fend deputies to a general aflembly of all the Huf- fites, and abide by the refolutions of the majo- rity, they were condemned, and Podiebrad upon their refufing to comply with the articles agreed upon, marched againft them, and befieging them in Tabor, not only took the place, but it is faid cut them all ofF to a man, and demolifhed the for- tifications. Podiebrad alfo compelled all the Maniche- ans, or thofe who pafled for fuch, to become catholics or leave the country. About two thoufand of them were baptized, but more than four hundred thoufand retired to Stephen duke of Bofnia, a Manichean like themfclves. The bi- fbop of Neva fent three principal chiefs of the fea is Podibraski. I hare given the name as I find it ia L'Enfant's Hiftory. Sec.V. the christian church. 61 fe€i in chains to the pope, who put them into a monaftery, to be inflrufted in the principles of tho catholic faith, and then fent them back to the king, Fleury, Vol. 23, p. 123. The people here called Manicheans were pro- bably no other than Waldenfes, or fuch as going by the appellation of Adamites were put to death by Zifca. It was not to be expefted that, in an age io enlightened as this, and when opinions were fo much difcufled, all the Bohemians fhould confine themfelves within tho limits of the firfl reform by John Hus, or the Calixtins. Great numbers foon cxprefTed a wifh for a farther reformation. At the head of them was Gregory Rokyfan's filler's fon, and not being able to gain Rokyfan himfelf for their head, they, by his advice, and afliftance, with- drew to a place in the lordlhip of Letitz near Leu- tomifchel, between Silefia and Moravia, which had been laid wafte by the ravages of war, and there they regulated their worfliip according to their own ideas, Crantz, p. 21. This ihey carried into execution about the year a. d. 1453; »nd in a. D. 1457, they had digefted their fcheme of church- governmem, and at firft called themfelves brethren of the law of Chrijl ; but being afterwards joined by others, who had formed fimilar plans, they took the name of Unitai JFratrum, or the United brethren JC>2 THE HISrORYpF -,P£nrxXV irethrcn, dnd^ Xhc^ kW agreed nevfertodtfer.d.thcin"- ffelves by arms, bufQTi y by player,' and reafonaj^ijk reTnonilrances.ai?jiiT{t' their eneiTifes. \^.- .j Their bumbtr inc!-ei!{iiT;g, thcj. wer.e exprjt^ 'tcr great caladiity and perfecuiion, neither Roky- fin, northe king, chufing .to.-patr6n:ze: them. ' B^- ing declared outi«iv\'s, ti^feyUwVre: diiven from th^r habitaiions in the depth of winter, and .jRany^ j5C 'therri'diSd-in'tifiron." All the antilogies. they ad- drefTrd to the king, or the ftate*, only ferved to^gjX- afpera'te therri, and the peifecufion did npt ab%Je "till the deathof Pbdifebrad, in a. d. 1471. Some time -Before this Rdkyran hid died, thiey fay ia dif- ^air.- iP^'odiebrad,. defirous to recommend liimfdf to his catholic fubjecls, al^^ays communicated in "both kinds, and was at enmity, with Pius lias long as he lived; but having punifhedfomejca- thoiidSjbn the charge of treafon.in a;5 pi. 114.665. he ^ ivns excommbniGated, and his fubjefts* a,bfolved ■ from the jr oath of airirgiance: His crown w.ts fii-ft * ofiFeredlti* Cafiraer king of Poland; but. he not ♦ chufin(f'tof contend with Ppdiebrad, 'who\Vas,fup- portecP %y- feVefal of the princes of .GertEtiny^^it was off^leci to Matihias^king of Tlnpiga^y, who;^E ■ firfl ciUb 'detlihied it, but'was uittr^vards.,. en.(JQw- " laged tni 'engage with Podicbrad, the cadibhc3,in ' Bohemia dtfciurin'g for him. Ilowevir, f gor?; aftjer this Seg.V. * the CRRICTUN church* 63 this GafitnerjAv'it-li ahe" confent of Podi'ebrad, per- fciUud;,.hi** tWn Uiadifltis t6 be appointed h'isfucr cefTor,' and-tfa©' Ahc -jJopc ¥efu(cd to confirm the cTyotce, helacGa^HntC-fcihg of Boheiuia. • ■'"' -^rFf<>i^l'Jg,;;t474*'tli€'Ca}ixfins revolted fr-qm UlaV (dlflasj-^hd'itv 13. b.'i^^^, they .dioye the catholics oat of ' Pt-ague. They alfo' compelled the fnoni;:s to It&ye tlie city, and-deIlroylJlatiiflas the united. brethren ■for the jsiofl; .pai't c^^o-fQ^ipestti, 'iho' f(^v«rai 2ktr tempts -were made-toe^fcite ^im to perGgd^e them ; stnd irr -A.*D. -i^^Si they/weie banifed ft-Olp Mq- -raVia,- Lufatia, anji Sil^fia^it^Klh ha^'^eeh ferzed *by-MatUiiaS'kiag;of -fliSfegaVy ; .andj^^^ ♦wc^nt" as iar i^jI^ jJ^ltSldavja'i ; aji^-. :tleing :;tafe«h by the ' Ta^rta^s-tV^fl' letdcd n«ar mount .Gaucafiis.b^'ond ■ ihe Gai^n.fca;. .tAtthis :trme,'haifrey^r,, die bre- thren jii^ Bohemia- werenob* moleftcd. ' Buttlicy ' weii' vO^foj^nnditclf cUvidtd among ■ ih^mfclvc.^ ; foj[Ti'^ of- tlii^ni ■ b.puties being fent by the council in return, found the Greeks but ill difpofed to the union, and particularly offended at a decree of the council, in which mention was made of the antient hercjy cf £ 3 tfie 6S THE HISTORY OF* Pir. XXI. the Greeks. After much difficulty, the Greeks conicnted that the council fliould be held in fome fe.apoit of Italy, the/ they had confented to meet at Baiil, the pope having thwartcd^the negociation of the council, which he thought took too much upon it in the bufinefs. Ambaliadors both fiorn the pope and the council were fent to Conftantinople at the fame time, and gallies to take the charge of the Greeks. Bbt thofe of the pope arriving the firll, the emper- ov and his fuite chofe to embark in them. Befides the emperor himfelf, there was Dermetrius one of his brothers, the patriarch of Conftantinople, me- tropolitans, bifhops, abbots, in all feven hundred perfons, with powers from the patriarchs of Anti- och, Alexandria, and Jerufalem. They arrived at Venice the 8th of February a. d. 1438, and thence proceeded to Ferrara, where they were re- ceived by the pope with much ceremony. Before any regular feflions were held at this council of Ferrara, there were feveral congregati- ons, in which the five following articles were dif- cufred, viz. the proceffion of the holy fpirit, the addition of flioque to the creed, purgatory, and the flate of the dead before the day of judgment, the ufe of unleavened bread in the eucharift, and the fupremacy of the church of Rome. Thefefsi- or^s were deferred fix months becaufe the ambafTa- dors Sec, Vr. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Gp dors from the princes of Europe did not attend, being direfted to continue atiBafil. On the fubjedl: of purgatory, with tvhich the private conferences began, the Greeks themfelves could not agree ; and the firft article that was re- gularly difcufied was the addition to the creed, on which the fpeeches were very long, the Greeks in- filling on the impropriety of making any addition to it, and the Latins maintaining that tvhat they had done was not by way of addition, but only of explanation. They, therefore, prcpofed to diCcufs the quellion o[ tlit p^oceji on, lince, according as that was determined, the addition to the creed might be retained or rejetled. In this flate of things the council was transferr- ed to Florence, where the debates were refumed, and continued till the 5th of June, the emperor earneflly wifliing for an agreement, and a majori- ty of the prelates being alfo inclined to it, but Mark of Ephefus flrenuoufly oppofcd it. /\t length, however, the following form of a confeiTion of faith was agreed on, '* The holy fpirit is eter- ** nally from the Father and the Son, and from all *' eternity proceeded from them both, as from, one " fole principle, and by one fole production, call- *' ed fpiration ; (he Son having received from the " Father from all eternity that produtlive virtue, E 4 *'by ro THE HISTORY OF Per. XXt *' by which the holy fpirit proceeds from the Son " as from the Father." It was foon agreed that leavened or unleaven- ed bread might be ufed in the eucharift. They agreed alfo that there is a purgatory, and that it was indifferent in what the pains of it confifted, whether (ire, or darknefs, temped, or any thing elfe. On the fubjed of the fupremacy of the church ct Rome there was more difficulty. At length, however, the Greeks acknowledged, that the bilhop of Rome was the fovereign pontiff, and vicar of Jefus Chrift, who governs the church of God, fav- ing the privileges and rights of the patriarchs of the Eafl. Agreeably to this, a folemn aft of union was drawn up, and figned the 6th of July a. d. 1439. The pope, however, did not give the Greeks leave to celebrate the eucharift in public, left fomeoffhcir rites fliould be [fuch as he could not approve ; and on the other hand they would not, ai the requeft of the pope, choofe another pa- triarch, in the place of Jofeph, who died at Fio- rence, to be confirmed by himfelt, but deferred the ek'Slion till their return to Conllantinople, which was the iftof February a. d. 1440. The reception of the emperor and his prelates, on their return from the council, was by no iTicans fuch as they wifhed. The gieat body of the clergy regarding them with abhorrence, would not 3ec. VI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Vi not admit thofe of the clergy who had fabfcribed to the union to any ecclefiailical fun6lion5'. The The monks were more particularly irritated, and excited the people againll them. Wherever they went they wereinfulted as traitors to their religion, and apoftales, and by way of reproach called azy- mites ; while Marc of Ephefus was extolled to the ficies, as the only defender of the true religion, and who alone had the courage to maintain the honor of the Greek church againfl. the Latins. In this ftate of things he had a great advantage in writing, as he and feveral others did, againfl: the union; and tho' it was ably defended by BefFarion and o- thers, their v/ritings had no effeft on the people in general. Few would attend divine fervicc, even with the emperor himfelf, and in fome churches his name was left oui of the diptychs. The' one of the deputies who had fabfcribed to the union was made patriarch, and the pope fent a legate to Con- flantinople to aft va concert ivith him, all they could do was of no avail ; and the emperor him- felf, expe6ling little afsilhmee from the Weft, and dreading a revolt of his own fubjeds, became in- different about enforcing the union, and of this thev p'jpe complained. Tho' Metrcphancs, whom the emperor had made patriarcli of Conftantinople, favoured the union, and advanced the favourers of it to all the E 4 ccclefiaf- rs THE HISrOP.Y OF Veil XXI. ccciefiaflicai dignities that became vacant, great and general complaints were made of it. The pa- triarchs ot Alexandria, Antioch and Jerulalem, all publifhed fy nodical letters, pronouncing fentenoes of dcpofition againfl, thole v.rhom he had ordain- ed, and fexcdrnmunicating them if they perfilled in cKerciuDg their ecckhaflical fundions. They alfo wrote to the emperor, threatening him with excommunication, if he proteded Melrophanes, and adhued to the Laiin church. In Rufsia the news ©f this union was as ill received as in Greece ilCelf. There the legate 111- dorc whom the pope fent to announce it, was ap- prehended as a {"educe r, and apoftate, who had had fold them to the Latins, He tbund means, hc'.vtver, to efcape out of prifon, before they pro- ceedcdany farther iJgainliliJm. After the great defeat of the chriilian powers at the battle of Varna, the Greek trnpcror, having no expe8ation of afsiiiance jfrcm the Weft, faid nothing more about the union oi the two churches, or ofh-s league with the Latins. When ti^e affairs of the Greeks wore an un- promihng afpedt, by the near, approach of the Turks to Conllantinople, pope Nicolas addreffed a letter to them ; urging them to confirm the uni- on of the churches, and in conuqueiicc of this ;he cmperror Ccnilantine fent arabi^lladors to Rome, requclting Sec. VI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. fS requefting the pope to fend feme able pcrfons to aflitl ill the redii^lion of the rchifmatics ; when cardinal liidore, a Greek, was fent, and was received by the erripevor, and a fmall num- ber of prelates, December 12, a. d. 1451. But this meafure ojily increafed the obSinacy of the Greeks in general ; and when the cardinal performed mafs in the church of St. Sophia, the monk Gennadius, being applied to by the citi- zens vvho ran in a tumult to his cell, without go- ing out of it affixed to his door a writing, in which he denounced the greateft miferies on thof^j ivho received what he called the impiou> decree of the union ; on which priefts, abbots, monks, nuns, foldiers, and citizens, in Hiort perfon-s of all defcriptions, except a fmall part of the fenate, and thofe about the court, particularly devoted to the empsror, began to cry out with one voice, " A- " tbema to thofe vvho are united to the Latins." They would not fo much as enter the church of St. Sophia, confidering it as prophaned, and a- voided all thofe who had affiflcd at ths f^rvice in it, as excommunicated pcJ Ions, refufin^ them ab- folution, or entrance into their churches. Two years after this Cunftantinople was taken by Mahomet II; and liidore, vvho was in the city at the fiege, was taken prilbner, but had the addrcfs to make his efcape. He was the fame E 5 perfoa 74 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. perfon who had been fent to RufTia to eftablifh the Latin fervice there, and had been thrown into prifon as a fchifmatic. Mahomet gave the chriftians leave to chufe their patriarchs, as they had done under their former emperors, retaining the power, which they had had, ot confirming, that is, dire6ling, their choice. By his order they chofe G. Scholarius, who had declared for the union of the churches, and the emperor afterwards paying him a vilit, requefled him to explain to him the principles of the chrillian religion, which it is faid that he did in fo able a manner as greatly ftruck him, and made 5^ him more favourable to the chriilians than he had been before. This patriarch, not be- ing able to engage the Greeks to embrace the uni- on, quitted his preferment after he had held it five years, and retired to a monaflcry. There was no abatement of the antipathy of the Greeks to the Latins in this period. In a. d. 1509, the patriarch of Condantinople excommu- nicated Arfenius, archbilliop of Malvafia in the Morea, which was then in the poireffion of the Venetians, and all who had been ordained by him, becaufe he had fubmitted to the church of Rome. Arfenius fled to Rome, and complained to the pope, who wrote to the Venetians on the fubjeCl, ,defiring them to oblige the Greeks to make fatis- fd£licn Sec. VI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. re faftion for the injury ; but the Venetians were in dangfrr in making ihe attempt. On the fame principle on which the apparent union of the Greek and Latin churches was brought about, feveral ot the eaftern fc6laries were induced to fubmit to ihe fee of Rome ; but in all the cafes it was the a6l of a few, and had no effv;6l with the great mafs ot the people. After the union of the Greek and Latia churches was determined upon at Florence, Con- flantinc, patriarch of the Armenians, fent letters to Modena, and four deputies, to whom the pope ex- plained the articles of the cathohc faith, and efpeci- ally the dodrine of the council of Chalcedon, and others which the Armenians had hitherto rejcQed, and all the feven facraments. All thefe they agreed to receive, and the decree of their union with the church of Rome pa fled the 22dot November, a. d. IJ39. In A. D. 1440 the Jacobites fent deputies to Florence, and were united to the Roman church. Pope Eugenius addrefled letters to their patriarch John,whc/apoligized for his own non attendance at the council, on account of his poverty and infirmi- ties, but fent a legate with pov/erto agree to the u- nion. Accordingly, he, in the rameof his principal, accepted a long conftitution, in which the pope defended the catholic faith, in oppolition to the errors of the Eutychians. Complimentary letters were 76 THE HIS TORY O Per. XXI. wcrealfo received from the king of Ethiopia; and Philotheus the patriarch of Alexandria, in praife of the union, but the whole ended in words. In A. D. 1444 the chriftians of Mefopotamia fent Abdalla, the archbilliop of EdefTa, -to Rome, to fignify their acceptance of the cathoHc faith ; and pope Eugenius affembling a council, as a con- tinuation of that of Florence, pafTed a decree of the union of the Syrian Church with that of Rome. The fame year fome Chaldeans or Nellorians and Maronites fent deputies to Rome, to acknow-. ledge the catholic faith, and they were received in the fame council. But this alfo had no efFeft in the Eaft, where they continued as remote fiom the church of Rome as ever. In A. D. 1460 Pius 11 received a deputation from the patriarchs of Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerufaiem, promifing obedience to the fee of Rome, according the council of Florence, which they faid had been agreed to, in an alfcmbly con- voked for the purpofe. In A. D. 1496 Conflantine, king of the Geor- gians, fent a deputation to pope Alexander VI, acknowledging him to be the vicar of Chrifl;, and to requell that he would oblige the catholic prin- ces to jointhofeof the Eafl againil the Mahosne- tans. He alfo defired him to fend him the decreesi of Sec. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. rr of the council of Florence, which condemned the errors of the Greeks. The pope received the de- puties with much joy, and promifed every thing in his power. Before this, viz. in a. d. 1478, the queen of Bofnia dying, left her dominions to the fee of Rome, with a reveriion to her fon, if he fhould abandon the Turkifli intereft and Mahomitanifm, and return into the bofom of the church. SECTION VIL Of Various Opinions advanced in this Period, T HE prefent period abounded with men who thought with great freedom and acute- nefs, on many rubjc6ts of theology and church go- vernment, the cffeds of which would have been very confpicuous, if it had not been tor the omni- potent authority of the church of Rome, which, wherever it interfered, as it did in all cafes in which its intereft v^^as the moft remotely concern- ed, fuppreCTed every thing that threatened innova- tion. In the account of the more remarkable opi- nions J-S THE HISTORY OF Per. XXt nions that were advanced in this period, I fliaU be- gin with thofe that more particularly afFeded, or threatened to affcdl, the court of Rome ; and the more fundamental do£lrines of the church. In A. D. 1479 the following propofitions of Peter de Ofma, protelTor of theology at Salaminca, were condemned by the archbifhop of Toledo, after an examination belore man)' doftors; and the condemn tion was confirmed by pope Sixtus IV. " Mortal fins may be effaced by contrition *' only, without the authority of tfie church. Pri- " vate confcffian is not of divin;^ right, but found- *' edonthe oriers of the church. The pope can- *' not remit the pains of purgatory. The church <« ot Rome may err in its decifions. The pope ** cannot difpenfe with the orders of the univerfal church." It was remarked that thefe propofiti -^ns were condemned by the pope without particuldr fpecifi cation, in order, as it was expreffed in the bull, that thofe who knew them might forget them, and thofe who were ignorant of them might not learn any thing new. This mode of condemna- tion indicates an apprehenfion of fuch doclhnes as thefe recommending themfelves to thofe wh^ fliould hear of them; but it would certainly excite the curofity ot many to know what the unnamed propofitions wae. The Sec. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH* 79 The fame year fome fimilar propofitions ofjohn of Wefalia, a do6lor of theology, and a preacher at Worms were condemned by the inquilitioa. " Hz *' denied that bifhops had the power of making laws *' He maintained that indulgences are of no value, and *' that the eleft will be faved iho' all the priefts fliould "condemn them. Jefus Chrill, he Taid, appointed nei- " therfaftsnorfeftivals,and did not forbid the ufe of ** any[kind of meat, on any day; holy oil does not *' differ from common oil ; they who go on pilgri- " mages to Rome are mad." Some of his propo^ fitions have an humourous turn, as this, " If St. " Peter did appoint any faft, it was only that he ** might have a better fale for his fifties." The archbifhop of Mentz wrote to the univer- Tity of Heidelberg and Cologne, to defire that they would examine thefe propofitions j and feve- ral afiemblies were held on the fubje£t, John was publicly interrogated, and after fevcral fubfequent fittings obliged to retra6l what he had advanced. For fome time, however, he relufed to do it. His examiners were blamed by many perfons, as having proceeded with too much warmth in the bufinefs, efpecially as it was faid that fome of the propofitions might have been fupported, if they had been properly explained. In A. D. 1485 John Laillier, a licentiate in theology at Paris, advanced the following propofi- tions. 80 THE HISTORY OF Per. >IXL tlons. " St. Pefcr did not receive from Ci>riil *' more power than the other apoftles. All thofe *' who compofe the ecclefiaftjcal hierarchy have ** received equal power from Chrifl, even the cures. *' The fovereign pontifFcannot remit all the pains *' due to fmners by virtue of his indulgences. Con- " feffion is not of divine right. The decrees and ** decretals of the popes are a morkery. The "■church of Rome is not the chief ot olhtr church- " es." He aifi advanced other propofitions con- trary to the authority of the church, in favour of the marriage of pritfls, aoainll the canonizing of faints, iafting in Eafter, &c. which were cenfured in a faculty of theology,. June 5. a. d. i486. Being refufed the degree of doclor, he appealed to the bifhopof Paris, and prefentcd an explanati- on of fome of his propofitions, which he faid were not fo ftrong as Tome that had been advanced by Gerfon, In confequence of thefe cenfures, he was obliged publicly to rctraft his propofitions ; and on this he was abfolved from the excommuni- cation which had been pronounced againfl him, andreftored to the pov/er of obtaining the honours of the univerfity. The faculty, however, would not give him the degree oi doHor. The court of Rome was not a little alarmed on this ocfafion. Innocent VIII publilhcd two bulls, approving of the coddemnation of Laillier, forbidding hirn to preach, Sec. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 8^ preach, making bim incapable of the degree of :6t. Infinite punifhrnent -*' is not due,. even to mortal fin. which is only finite, *' Neither croffes nor images are to be adored with '<' the adoration of latria, even in the fenfe of I*' Thomas Aquinas. God cannot be united hy- ** poftatically to any but a rcafonable creatu:e. " There is more leafon to believe that On-ea •' was faved, then that he was damned !" The other propofuions were more properly of a meta- .phy^fical nature, aud fo were his explanaUons of VpL. V. F thefe S2 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. thefe. Having made his fubmiflion to the holy fee, he was abfolved by Alexander VI in a. d. 1493 > w^hen his innocence, and the purity of his fentiments, were acknowledged. After this he gave all his time to the ftudy of the fcriptures, the controverfy with the Jews and Mahometans, and writing againft judicial aflrology. That he might give himfelf wholly to his ftudies, he renounced the fovereignty of Mirandola and gave all that he bad to the poor. He died at Florence in d. d, 1494, at the age of thirty three, puttmg on before he expired, the habit of the Dominicans, for whom lie had a great regard. A friend of Picus, Jerome de Savonarola, ex- cited more attention than he did ; and the confe- quences of his opinions and conduft were much more ferious. He was a Dominican, and in a. d. 149a began to diftinguifh himfelf by his preach- ing but much more by his prophecies. Picus of Mirandola brought him to Florence, where he publifhed explanations of the book of Revelation, and foretold that the church would be renewed, after a great fcourge which would fall upon it. He was vehement in his declamations againfl the clergy and the court of Pvome, which foon made him many enemies. But in A. D. 1478, after having been idolized J^y the people of Florence, as a prophet, and even direfling Sec. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. ^ direfting their public mea'lircs, efpecially in de- fending (heir libems agaiuft ail attacks upon rhtm, h' incurred their indignation by favouring, as ii iv ; s fuppofed, the eKP.curion ol fome of the pariy of Pe- ter ot Medicis. in the night, than which nothing could be more oppofice to public liberty, and e\ en to a law which he bimfelf promoted a fhort time b<"fore. Alfo Lewis Sforza. jealous of his great influ- ence, employed fome monks to decry him. and did him ill offices with the pope, who was already fuffi- ciently irritated againft him, on account of his Iree ctnfures of the court of Rome, and his vvriniiir to the emperor and the kings of France, Spain, Portugal and England, to engage them todema-id the convocation of a council, for the reformation of the church, in its head and members. The pope, therefore, fummoncd him to appear before him. But not chafing to put himfelf into the power of his enemies, he contented himfelf with willing an apol.)gy for his condua,- and be- ing forbidden to preach, he employ d anorher per- fon, who in his fermons fpoke in his favour. On this Alexander excommunicated him as a heretic. This proceeding. howe\ er, he (hewed to be null and inflead of being filtnced by it, he in a. d. J 498 rtfumed his funttions, on which the pope excrmmunicateJ him again ; and the people of J^ioreiice, wiiating at that time the pope's mtcrefl ^2 iQJ ^ tHE HISTORY OF Ter. xitl. for the rellitution of Pifa, obliged him to refrain from preaching. But the Dominican, whom Savanorola had employed to preach in his place, ivas fo far from being intimidated by this, that he propofed to prove the truth of hh do6lrines, and the holinefs of his chara6ler, by pafiing through the fire. A Francifcan acce'pted his challenge, and offered to go through the fire along with him, to prove the contrary. But when ieVery thing was ready for the trial, and the people were affem- bled to fee the iffue, the Dominican infilled upon taking the hofl with him ; and this not being per- mitted, nothing farther was done. Savanorola being now unpopular among the citizens, was attacked in a church in which he had taken refuge ; and being obliged to leave it, and appear before the magillrates, he was afked whether the revelations to which he pretended 'were real ; and when he declared that they were, tho' on leaving his afylum, they had promifed to fend hirn to his monaftery, they ordered hiiii to ■prifon, and appointed comnfiiffaries from among his enemies to examine him. They did it by torture, and in a particularly cruel manner, tho* commonly pra£lifed in the inquifition, viz. [by ty- ing his handi. behind him, then drawing him up l3y a cord faflened to them, letting him fall with hi= whole weight, and checking him before he got t© f JPG. VIL THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. a5 to the ground ; by which rneans his arms were diflocated. Not content with this, they applied hot coals to his barp feet, a|id infulted him in the groffeft mariner. All thjis, however, he bore with wonderful ponftancy, and as foon as he was in a condition to do it, he fell upon his knees, and prayed for his executioners. The pope hearing that he was in cuftody, defi- red that he might be fent to Rome ; but this not being approved of, he fcnt two judges, who, tho', they could get no confeffion from him, even by a fecond torture, condemned him tq die, along with two others. When they were degraded before their execution, the bifhop who performed the ce- remony, faid to Jerome in the courfe of i't, "I fe- *' parate thee from the church triumphant," he replied, " Thou mayefl feparate me from the " church militant, but not from the church trium- " phant ;" and to the lafl; he perfifted in Jcclarin^^ that every thing he had foretold would certainly come to pafs. Alter this they were ail hanged, their bodies burned, and their afhes thrown ir-.'.o the river. This was the 23d of May a. d. 1498. A life and defence of Savanorola was written by John Francis Picus of Mirandola, nephew of the celebrated John Picus, who maintained that the pope had been deceived by the enemies of Savano- y Q rgla. 86 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXL rola. Hie letters, which I have lately pern fed wi'h much fatisfaflion. are certainly thofe of a tnan of real piety. The writer of thefe letters mi^ht be deceived, but I cannot think him an irnpoilor, who would end-favour to deceive others. In the larne year in which Savanorola died, Peter D'Aranda, bifhop of Calahorra, aud maf- ter of the lacred p^slace, was degraded, and con- demned to perpetual imprifonmcnt in the caflle of St. An^eio at Rome, on being convided, as it was faid. of judaifm. He was faid to have taught that the Jewilli religion had one principle, but the chnltian three. In his prayers he faid glory to the. .J-athcr, ivithout adding to the Son or the Holv Spirit. He faid that indulgences were of no avail, but were inveuced for the fake of the profit that was di awn from them, that there was neither hell nor purga.ury. but only paradife. He obferved no tail, and faid mafs aitcr dinner. From his -faying mafs., or receiving the Lord's fupper, it is evident he was not a Jew, but probably an unita- rian chriflian. About twenty years before 'he reformation, a phyfician of Bologna, named Gabriti de Salodio, denied the divinity of Chrift, and moreover affirm- ed that he was conceived and born as other men are ; and yet the citizens would not fuffer the in- . qMiijors to punilh Lun. Robinfon, p, ^44. Joha S£C.VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. «7 John Reuchlin, a learned German, eminent for his Ikill in the Greek and Hebrew languages, and who contributed much to the reftoration of literature, and eventually to the reformation in Eu- rope, made himfelf many enemies by his favouring the Jcvvs. A Jew of the name of Pfeffercorn, becoming a chriftian, perfuaded Hochllrat, a Do- minican inquifitor in Germany, and Arnaud de Tongre'*, profeffor of divinity at Cologne, that all the books of the Jews ought to be burned, as full of impiety and blafphemy ; and they eafily pro- cured an order from the emperor Maximilian for the purpofe. The Jews, however, having fome intcreft at the imperial court, procured an order to the univeility of Colo^jne, and others, to give their opinions jointly with Reuchlin, who was then with Eberhard, count ot Wirtemberg, V^i<5tor of Corbie, and Jamffs Hockftrat. Reuchlin faid that the Jewifli books on indifferent fubjeds ought to be fpared, and that only thofe that were written again ft chriftian ity fhould be deftroyed. On this Pfeffercorn wrote againft that opinion, and Reuchlin in defence of it. But the theolo"i- ans of Cologn, examining the work of Reuchlir?, found in it forty five propofitions, which they faid were erronaous and heretical. Reuchlin anfwer- ed their charges, in an apology addrcffed to the emperor, on which he was cited before the inquifi- F 4 toi tor Hochllrat, in the prefence of tlie elector of Mayence ; when, notwithflanding Reuchlin's ap- peal to the court of Rome, the i'nquifiror fcrbad the reading of his book. ItVasalfo ordered to Be burned by the univerflty of Taris. This en- touraged Pfcffercorn to vvrite again in anfv/er to l^euchhn, who again appealed to Rome. AH th« learned in Europe took his part, and the pope, having appointed commiiTaries to examine tlie hnj^ finefs, the Dominican was in the iilue obliged to pay the cxpence of the Cdulej and abfoive him from his excommunication. There were fome other controverfies -within this period, which, tho' of trifling confequcnce in themfelvcs, may deferve to be juft noticed in this Xe6lion. At the council of Bafil in a. d. 1435, the opinions of AuguRin de Roma Vv'ere condemn- ed. Ke attritjuted to the human nature of ChriH what belonged to the divine nature, and alfo a'cri- ted to Chrifl himfelf what belonged to chrifli- zr.s, on account of their union with him ; faying that Chrifl fmned tvery day, meaning his mem- bers, which with himic f make but one perfon. In A. D. 1462 there was a warm difpute be- tv'ecn the Francifcans and Dominicar;s en the fubj^fl: of that blood of Chnfl, v/hich v/as fepava- tcd horn his body before bis baiial, viz. whether it iv^s kparatcd from his divinity, fo as liOt to be inthkd Sec. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 6« mtitled to adoration ; the Francircans -maintain- ing that it ought tobeadorcd, and the Dominicans the contrary.' Pius 1 1 ftammoned the ableft th©- ologiaos on both 'fidi.s to difpute before him, which they did witli fo ranch warmth that they fwcated'profafely. Tl\e pope not chufing to of- fend either of the parties, made no decifionon the fubje6l,; 'bu^ forbad any ixjore difputing about it. This pope Itld himfslf maintained that it was not contrary tor reh'gion to alTert that fome of the blood of Chri ft remained on the ear.h. The uni- Terfity of Pans a^.fo had corne to a fimilar decilion, in the year a. d. 1408. In A. D. 1470 it was maintained, by Peter dc Reve, in the univerfity of Louvain, that propofi- tions relating to any future event, as that there wrl be a refurreftiou of the dead, cannot be affert- ed without a beliei in the doftrine of fate or ne- ctfTiLy ; and an appeal was made to the univerfity of Paris, which alTerted that this was a falfe confe- quence. The divines of Louvain, nor. fatisfied v/Uh this anTwer, appealed 10 ihc pope, and on that occafion the cardinal Peter aux Iun<:, after \ards himfflf pope, under the name 01 S.xtus IV, wrote a trcatiie on the fubje^l of future conun^^encics ; but all the propofiuons of Peter de Reve, iv/enty five in nu;r.ber, were condemned. r 5 The 90 THE HISTORY OF - Pzr. XXI. The dodrine of the immaculate conception of tke virgin Mary was firft advanced as an innocent, and then a probable opinion ; and it is curious to obferve how this, as other opinions in favour of the dignity of Mary, gained more and more ere? dit, till it became hazardous to call it in quef- tion. At the council of BaCl, in a. o. 1438, this dodrine was decreed to be a pious opinion, agree- able to the catholic faith, and it was ordered that no perfon fliould presach againfl it, and that the feftival of the conception fhould be celebrated the 8th of December. In a council held at Avig- non in A. n. 1457, thefe decrees of the council of Bafil were confirmed, all perfons were forbidden under pain of excommunication to preach the con- trary do£liine, and the clergy were ordered to an- nounce it to the people, that no perfon might pre- tend ignorance of it. NotwithQanding thefe decifions, the Domini- cans were always difpofed ]to deny this do6lrine ; but it was enforced by the univerfity of Paris, which in tlitfc times vras generally the umpire in theological controverGes, as well as by papal au- thority. Upon occafion of a difpute between the Dominicans and Francifcans on this fubjeft in A. D. 1483, pope Sixtus IV publiflied a bull, in which he declared that they who faid it was herefy to Sec. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 91 to preach that do6lnne were excommunicated, and if any perfon preached or taught contrary to that decree, he incurred the indignation of God, and olthc apoftlcs Peter and Paul. All perfons however, were not filenccd. For in A. D. 1493, a Francifcan having maintained that the virgin Mary was conceived in origin- al Cn, after preaching this do£lrine, was cited before the univerfity of Paris, and obliged to re- traft it. And in a. d. 1497 the faculty of Paris, after dehberati ng on the fubje6l in three aflemblies, fefolved that the bleffed virgin was preferved by a fingular gift hem the (lain of original fin. They farther thought the queliion of fo much import- ance, that they engaged by oath not to admit any perfon into their body who fhould maintain the contrary do6tnne. This fame year they obliged John Mercelle, a Dominican, to reira6t lome propofitions which he advanced, as they thou^jht, derogatory to the ho- nour of the virgin. For their curofity I fhall re- cite them. '•' God can produce a mere creature in '*' greater glory than the holy vi?^gin by his abfolute " power, tho' he cannot according to his ordinary " power. It is a problem whether the virgin ♦' Mary was, as to her body, more handfome than '= Eve. It is apocryphal to fay, that Jefus Chrift *' went before the virgin Mary in his airamption. *' We 9^ THE HISrORY OF Peji. XXI. 'f We are not obliged to believe under pain of mor- *' tal fm, that the holy virgin \ya.s fa^cen up to heaven " jn body ,^nd foul, becaufe it i^ not an article pf " faith." All thefe propofitions yvpre declared to he calcu^lated to lefTen th^ .devotion of the pjeople Itowards the blelfcd virgin, and mod of them were idenoniinated falfe, fcandalous, impious, or offen- ifive to pious ears, &c. <5:c. &:c. SECTION VIII. Of the Clergy and the Monks. T J_ HE (late of the clergy in this period did hot materially differ from that in the preced- ins : for tho' fome reforms were made, or rather direcled to be made, refpeding them, it doe« not appear that they were much improved by them. At the council of Bafii, in a. d. 1437, all priefts ivho publicidy kept concubines, were or- dered to be deprived ot their livings, and the bi- fhops were direCled to take pains to expel all con- cubines, and fufpefted women, from their diocefes. It was obferved that fome of the fuperior clergy not only tolerated this evil, but derived advantage, fiom Sec. Vlir. THE CHRISTIAK CHUllCTI. '93 from taxing it. At the fame council it was order- ed, that there fhould be a theologian in every ca- thedral church, that a ddttor or bachfelor ih theoi logy who had iUidied tth years ih fome privileged univerfity, fliould give le6lurcs twicie a Week, and thatja third part of the 'prebends fhould be glvtii to do6lors licentiates, or bachelors, in fomc factiUy* It is evidenl from thefe provifions, that the great hoAy of the clergy were very ignorant; but we have the moA dire6l evidence cf this \Vith refped to Spain. So great was their ignorance, that hard- ly any of the Spanifh clergy uhderllbod ladh. Self indulgence of every kind Was their great pur- fuit ; concubinage was almofl: public among then;; and the leaft of their diforders was carrying ztnis. and going to the wafs. Nothing .W-as itibrfe coni-^ mon than buying and felling benefices. It was done without fcruple. In order to remedy thefe evils in feme meafure, it was ordered in an extraordinary council held by car- dinal Bcrgia,aftervvards pope Ale'xanderVI, held at Madrid in a. d. 1473, thatin every cathedral church there fliould be one canonry hel d by a theologian, and another by a lawyer, and a canonift chofen by the biPnop and the chapter jointly. The archbifhop of Toledo, the[cdebratedXimines alfo held a council the fame year, in which it was ordered, that no liv- ing fhould be given but to thofe who undeiflood latii^ 94 TFE r^ISTO^.Y OF Per. XXI htitj, and that the clergy fhould not ferve as Tol- diers, nor fend any to ferve for thtm, except to the king's arm cs. Other decrees were made a- gainft concubinage* fimony, an.l gaming, among prieft*;, and alfo againfl fhows exhibited in church- es. Fleury, Vol. 23, p 369. In A. D. 1498 the fame archbifliop held a fy- nod at Alcala, in which it was ordered, that every funday, and on all t'le feftivals, the cures (hould, after high mafs, explain the gofpel to the pe?irs in Fiaiice, and in a ihoi!: t;rr;e majr-y monafM'ts uf Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 103 of his order ucre built in that neighbourhood, and they afterwards fpread over all parts of Europe. Giannone, Vol. 2, p. 492. SECTION IX. The Hijlory of Jetzer at Bern. M c. ANY of the fuperftitions of the hurch of Rome were fupported by pretended mi- racles, and efpecially thofe of the apparitions of dead perfons; and as every thing of this kmd fell under much fufpicion by the detedion of one- of them at Bern, in Switzerland, a Ihort time before the reformation, and is conGdered by many as having contributed to prepare the way for it, I fhall for this reafon give a more detailed account of it than it would otherwife have been entitled to. I abridge it from Ruchat's HiJlory of the Reformat tion in Suntztrland. His authorities are taken from the public atls of the State of Berne, copied by Stettler in his hiftory, of whofe fidelity Mr. Ru- chat fpeaks in the higheft terms. The two orders of Dominicans and Francifcans had been a long time divided on the fubjeCt of the immaculate conception of the virgin Mary ; the G ,1 former 104 THE HIS rORY OF Per. XXI. former denying that doftrine, and the latter main- taining it. The Francifcans, fupported by the principal univcrfities, were perpetually infulting the Dominicans with their incredulity on this fub- jp^l, and efpecially in their fermons addrefied to the common people. This irritated them fo much that, at a general chapter of their order held at Wimpfen in Germany in a. n. 1506, at the lodg- ings of Werner de Selden prior of the Dominicans at Balil and vicar in Upper Germany, it was ob- ferved that, as the P'rancifcans fupported their doflrine by falfe miracles, it was neceffary (or them to fupport theirs in the fame way; and at length it was determined to make Bern the fcene of their operations, on account of the inhabitants of that city being a plain fimple people, and therefore more eafily impofed upon. It happened conveniently for their purpofe that a ftupid young man of the name of John Jelzer^ a taylor of Zurzach, applied at that time for ad- miflion into the order at Bern; and in 1507^6 was received. So^n after his entrance into the mo- naftery, and btfore he had made his profeffional vows, they began to afFright him with apparitions in the night, and efpecially with one of a pretended old Dominican, who faid that he was fufFering for his fins. Terrified with this apparition, Jetzer would have quitted the order, but, though with fomc Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 105 fome difficulty, he was perfuaded to continue in it, and at his own requeft another apartment was afiigned him in a remote part of the houfe, and more convenient for the ufe that was to be made of it; and four perfons undertook to condudl the bu- finefs. Thefe were John Fetter of Marpach the prior, Dr. Stephen Boultzhorfl; the reader, Francis Ultfchi of Bern the fubprior, and Henry Steinegher the fteward. Accordingly the fub- prior, on the eve of the three kings in a. d. 1507, appeared likeafpirit, follow- ed by a company of devils in the form of dcgs during feveral nights; and in one of them he en- tered the chamber of Jetzer, who calling for help, the Reward and the cook, who were alfo in the fe- cret, encouraged him, and advifed him how to proceed in future. On the 7th of March the fpirit appeared again in a more frightful form than before, cx.inguifliing his candle and throwing down the holy water, with which he had been provided. And vv'hen Jetzer, as he had been taught faid " the Lord have *' mercy upon thee, and deliver thee," he replied, " Thou and thy brethren can deliver me, and I " will come a^jain in eioht days." After that in- terval he appeared agam, and after much conjura- tion, faid that he had been prior of that monaflery one hundred and fixty years before, and for fome G ^ crime 106 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. crime which he had committed had been torment- ed in purgatory ever fince. He then told him wKat bimfclf and the brethren fhould do for his deliver- ance. Among other things Jetzer was to difcipline himfelf till the blood flowed from him, and to lie upon his face in the form of a crofs &c. &c. Be- fore the ipirit took his leave, he with the confent of jetzer, took him by the band, that he might give him an idea of the torments he endured; and what he did to him gave him fo much pain in his mid- dle finger that the nail came oflF. After eight days more the fpiritappeared again but without any thing terrifying in his appearance, to tell him what was fliii neceflary to compleat his deli- verance. This being complied with, after eight days irore he appeared m a facerdotal habit, and wuh a choarful countenance ; and in difcourfing with him faid that feveral perfons were in hell, and others in purgatory, for ailerting the immaculate conception of the virgin, and efpecially J. Scotus, who fir ft advanced that do61rine ; that St. Barbara and the Vir^fin Mary herfelt would foon appear to him, and that he mufl prepare himfelf by fading and prayer for fo great an honour.. When Jetzer in- formed the brethren of this, they gave him feveral queftions to propofe to the virgin, the principal of which related to the dotlrine of the immaculate conception. In Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. lor In the night between the loth and nth o\ April his room was entered by a perfon dreffed in white, who faid fhe was St. Barbara, the fervant of the virgin; and upon this fhe took the paper contain- ing the quellions, and faid fhe would deliver it to the virgin. The next day after mattins the reader appeared again as the virgin, attended by St. Bar- bara, who was the prior, and two angels, which were wooden images ; and after much difcourfe, containing a folemn declaration that fhe was born like other women, in original fin, though fhe con- tinued m that Hate only three hours; fhe, as an efpecial favour, took his hand, and nailed it to the bed poH ; faying that fhe would vifit him again, and favour him with the four othei wounds of her fon. This treatment, as may be fuppofed, was not much to Jetzer's liking; but fhe exhorted him not only to bear it with patience, but to receive it with gra- titude for the honour that was done him. All this was at this time publ.fhed in the city, and bo.fled of in the fermons of the friars, as an honour to the Citv of Berne, and to all Sivitzerland. On the Palm t'unday tullowing the fupprfed virgin appeared to J{ tzer again, difcourlea more at lar^^e cancerning her conception, and pron ifcd to honour him u-iiii more vilits. At this lin,e ths fub-prior went to mttt the provincial of the-ordcr at Ulrn, informed him of what h^d been done, and lt)8 THE HISTORY OF Pxr. XXL and advifed a meeting of the principal fathers of the order at Pfortzeim. at the time of holding th« chapter, when the prior and the reader w. uld attend. ^jEight days after Eafter the four principals of the tnonaftery, after fome preparation, waited upon Jetzer, and gave him two papers, containing ihe oppofite doftrifies concerning the conception of the virgin, and direftcd him to requeft at her next vifit that fhe would tear that which was falfe; and the night following this was done by the reader, who perfonated the virgin. Some of the friars afFefting to doubt whether the apparition might not be that of an evil fpirit, Jetzer was dire£led to requeft the next time the virgin appeared, that fhe would repeat the -paUr nojitr, the ave Maria^ and the apoftle's creed. This fhe readily did, and at the fame time pretend- ed to bring him a lighted candle from heaven. At another time this virgin pretending by fome trick to change a white wafer into a red one, as a proof of the reality of the vifion, Jetzer, forgetting his promife not to ftir from the bed on which he lay, jumped out, and feizing the pretended virgin, difcovered the impoRure. Thfey then told him that they had done this in order to try whether he was a man caf;/ to be impofcd upon ; and that not being able to deceive him, they now had no doubt ol the truth of the former appearances ; and fhow- ing Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. i09 ing him that other wafers could not be coloured with blood as that was, he was made to believe that the red wafer was really one that had been made fo hy the virgin, and that they had taken it from the altar where (he had depofited it. After this, the oLber a£lors being gene to the chapter to confult with their brethren how they fhould conduft themfclves in the prtfent cizcum- ftances, the fub- prior appeared to Jetzer again as the virgin, and perfuaded him to receive the four remaining marks of her fon's paffion ; and he im- preffed them upon his feet, hands and fide, with a hot iron, which made him roar with pain. But he was perfuaded to bear it with patience and gra- titude. The prior and reader being returned from Pfortzheim, and after difcourfing with Jetzer, finding that he had fome fufpicion of a trick with refpeft to the red wafer, they determined to take him ofFby poifon. But he, fufpefling that there was fomcthing noxious in fome foup that was giv- en him, gave it to fome young wolves, and they died in confequence of it. Still, however, he was made to believe, that tho* the foup had killed the wolves, it would not have hurt a man. In the mean lime the fub-prior perfonating the virgin Mary, and another friar comimg to drefs his no THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. his wounds, be difcov^red who they were. But again they (aid they did it only to try h-m. They then contrived to make a ftatue of fha virgin Mary appear to fht^d tears ot blood, and to hold a coiivertarion Mith an image of efns who complamed of the honor done to her. in derogati- on of that which was due to himfelf only. And when Jetzer aded the paflion of our Saviour as he had been inftru6led to do, they would have given him the red wafer which was poifoned ; but he de- clined it, and took another. Many of the people of the town were permitted to fee this miracle of the tears of blood, but feveial of (hem thought it to be only a trick ; and when after this exhibition one of the friars was concealed behind a board in the wall near the image of the virgin, in order to make her feem to converfe with jetzer, he difco- vered the cheat by the motion of the board, and openly reproached them all as impoftors. The council of Berne, being at a lofs what to think ot the affair, dt fired the provincial of the Dominicans to inquire into it; and he fent two deputies to Jetzer; who after ufing very harfh lanouage, and ill treatment, made him pronnfe that when the bifliop of Laufanne came to examine bim (as they had heard that he wouMj he would not divulge any thing to the prejudice of the order. The bifliop accordingly came, but he could. Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Ill could not difcover any thing ; as rbev bad taken down the cell of Jcfz.r, and alfo that vvh;ch was next to it, left their apparatus for impofiiig upon him Ihould have been found out. The prior then perfonated St. Bernard ; and after difcourfing with Jetzer in that chara6ler, would have gone out of the window like a fpirit, that had no occafion to tread the ground. But Jetzer, difcovering the trick, pufhed him with fuch violence, that the fub-prior and the fteward, who waited without to receive him, were obli- ged to carry him away, and take care of his wounds. About this time Jetzer refufed to have hii wounds dreffed by the friars, and then found that they healed of themfelves in three days. And when the fub-prior and the fteward entered his room, one of them in the charafter of the virgin, and the o- ther in that of St. Catherine of Sienna, he knew them by their voice=, and, falling upon them, he wounded one of them in the fhoulder, and ftunned the other with a blow of a hammer. In defending themfelves, however, they ftruck him a blow on the cheek, which was fwelied eight days.- He then compUined to the prior, and, to the reader, of the impofition in very harfh language. And after this he furprized three oi the friars in the cham- ber of the prior regaling themfelves in company with 112 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. with women, and fharply reproved them for their eondu6t. Finding that they could not impofeupon him any more, they compelled him by harfh ufage and toiture to take an oath that he would never difco- ver 'he impofture ; but not depending upon this, they put a poifoned water into his mouth as he was a<51;mg the paflion of our Saviour, which they had perfuaded him to do once more; but, fufped- ing their intention, he did not fwallow it, and fpit it out when the ceremony was over. Still hoping to deceive him, they dreffed a per- fon to refemble the virgin, who fpoke to Jetzer when he was on his knees before the great alrar. But being now well apprized of their tricks, he replied *' Thou art not Mary^ but the devil, and drew his knife in order to wound her; when fhe put out the candle and efcapc d. On the 24th of September the reader and the fub-priorwentto Rome to confultwiththeir general. He being abfent, they applied to his vicar general, whoenjoincd them toproceedno farther, promifmg to procure a brief from the pope to prevent any inquiry into the bufmefs. But the citizens of Bern not being fatisfied, the affair wa^ brought before their council, and the prior and jeizer were both examined; when nothing bein^; difcovered, the lat- ter was conducted to Laulanne; buttjimking him- lelf Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. US felf bound by his oath, he profefTed, when he was interrogated, that he believed the trutii of the vi- fions. The council of Bern not being farisfied with this, he was examined by torture; when he confefled all that he knew, and the biftiop wrote to Rome, to confult his fuperior upon the bufinefs, which now appeared to be of confiderable impor- tance. In the beginning of the year a. d. 1500, Paul Hughes, the vicar of the order, with other ecclefi- aftics arrived ; and to cover the difgrace of the ordef he degraded Jetzer, But being then examined a- gain before the council, and confronted with all that were concerned in the impofture, he perlifled in his evidence againft them, and in his account of the fcandalous lives that they led. On the gth of February, Jetzer perfifling in his evidence when again put to the torture, the four friars were apprehended, and committed to th« cuftody of foldiers. The pope (Julius II.) being then applied to, and all the four being examined in his prefence, they confeffed the whole, and begged for mercy ; but alter much formality in the proceedings, the judge appointed by the pope fen- tenced them to be firlt degraded, and then burned alive; and this was executed on the 31ft of May, in the prefenceof an infinite number of fpeftators. Jet- zer was made to walk in the ilreets of Bern with a Vol. V. H mitr© lU THE HISTORY OP Per. XXL iritre of "paper on his head, expofed upon a ladder for one hour before the houfe of the provoft, and banifhed from upper and lower Germany. Thus ended this bold attempt to impofe upon the world by a pretended miracle, which naturally led perfons to fufpedl that other miracles pretended to have been wrought in proof of oihtr do6lrines, and efpecially of purgatory, and others in which the emoluments of the priefls, monks or friars were concerned, might have no better foundation, tho' it was impoffible to prove the impofition. This ftory is alluded to in that admirable poem of Buchanan intitled Francifcanns, the obje61; of which was to expofe the order of Francifcans, and the friars and monks in general. With the lame view he dwells more largely on the cafe of a nun, who being pregnant, but to difguife her fex was drefTed like a man, was delivered of a child in the vefTel in which fbe, together with the monk with whom flie had co-habited, was failing on the river Loire in France, to go to Bourdeaux, We are not, however, to infer that all the mem- bers of thefe religious orders were thus licentious; tho' in certain periods, and efpecially a little before the reformation, the generality of them perhaps were fo. There were among them at all times nu- merous examples of the mod fervent piety, tho* debafed with much and grofs fuperflition. They really Sic. X. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. it^ really renounced the pleafures and vanities of this life, in order to facilitate, as they thought, their preparation for another. SECTION X. Ar ikies relating to Church Difcipline, I N this period fome new feftivals v*rere introduced into the church. In a. d. 1441 the council of BaQl decreed the feftival of the vifitation of the virgin Mary to be celebrated the 2d of July In A. D. 1456 pope Calixtus III confirmed the celebration of the feftival of the transfiguration, an office was compofed for the purpofe, and indul- gences annexed to the obfervance of it, fimilar to thofe annexed to the obfervance of the feftival of the holy facrament. In a. d. 1476 Sixtus IV. in order to guard ag?inft the plague, and an inundati- on with which the city of Rome had been afflided, granted indulgences to " thofe who would obferve this feftival of the holy facrament, and that of the immaculate conception of the virgin Mary," fo exprefled in the bull. This order was received with much fatistaclion, becaufe, tho' the fame had been H2 ordered tld THE HISTORY OF PER;XXr. ordered by the council of Bafil, that council wa» by many confidered as fchifmatical. In a. d. 1481 the fame pope eftablifhed the feftival of St. Jofeph, ordering the obfervance of it to be univerfal; whereas it had before this time been confined to the cloiflers of the Carmelites> the Francifcans, and perhaps the Dominicans, The jubilee in a. d. 1450 was frequented bjr more perfons than any former one. Many were crufbed to death in the churches and other places. Ninety feven perfons were thrown off the bridge of St. Angclo and drowned on occafion of a mule paffing over it. Perfons of great diflindion at- tended this jubilee, and among them the count of Cilley in Stiria, a man addi6led to every kind of vice, and who continued to be fo after his return. The people of Poland and Lithuania were allowed the benefit of this jubilee, on their paying half as much money as the journey to Rome would have cofl them, of which the king was to have one half for the expences of the war againft the Turks, One fourth was to be at the difpofal of queen Sophia, for thepurpofe of giving portions to young women, and the remaining fourth was to be applied to the repairs of churches in Rome. This, being more than was wanted, was reduced one half, and ftill was a great fum. Ik Sec.x, the christian church. liy In A. D. 1470 Paul II. reduced the term of thfe jubilee to twenty five years, to commence in a. d. 1475. The jubilee in a. d. 1500 was not fo well attended as the preceding, on account of the wars in Italy. Alfo the fame indulgence was granted to thofe who did not go to Rome on their paying a certain fum of money, which it was pretended would be employed in the war againft the Turks. Notwithftanding this, Rome exhibited on this oc- cafion a fcene of the greateft diforder, fays Mariana, cfpecially among the clergy, who ought to have fet a better example. Among other regulations to fecure the decent celebration of pubhc worfhip, it was ordered in the council of Bafil, in a. d. 1435, that all perfons Ihould bow on the pronounciation of the name of Jefus. It was at the fame time forbidden to fay mafs in fo low a voice that no perfon could hear it. Alfo plays performed in churches by children were forbidden, together with mafquerades, and fales in churches, and church yards. Dances and plays in churches were forbidden at a council held at Sens in a. d. 1485. In March 1471 Galeazzo Sforza duke of Mi- lan accompanied by his duchefs Bona, filler of the duke of Savoy, paid a vifit to Florence]wherc they took up their refidencc with Lorenzo de Medici, but their attendants, who were very numerous, were H 3 accommodated J IS THE HISTORY OF Phr, XXL accommodated at the public charge, and this occa- Honed a (bene of general riot and diffipation. Ma- chiavelli fays it was the firfl time that an open dif- regard was avowed in Florence of the prohibition of eating flefli in lent. Rofcoe's life of Lorenzo, P- 137- The evils which arofe from the privilege of afy. lum in churches and church yards in England was great in d. d. 1488, all kinds ot criramals being by that means fcreened from the purfuit of juftice. Henry VII. applied to the pope for a reme- dy. But all that was done was to order that, if any perfon quitted his afylum to commit any new crime he loft the privilege, that debtors might be com- pelled to fatisfy their creditors, and that traitors, tho' they could not be forced from their afylums, fhould be kept in view, and prevented from a6ling againft the king. We have feen the fii ft eftablifliment of the iri' qui/itioii In a preceding period ; but it was not fully cftablifhed in its prefent form, at leaft in Spain, till the year a. d. 1478, when certain officers were ap- pointed for the fole purpofe of judging in articles of faith, heiefy, and infidelity, independant of the biftiops.* The occalion of this eftablilhment was the * The man who pat the finifhing hand to the Inqur- fitorial fyftem in Spain, and brought it to its prefent form, was Thomas of Torcj^u^maia, confelTor to Fercli- Sec.x. the christian church* in the relapfing of many Moors and Jews, and their perverting others. After the taking of Grenada, the inquifition was extended to all the conquered countries, afterwards to Sicily, and Sardinia, and all the other flates of the king of Spain, except Naples, and the Low Countries, where the people always revolted on every attempt to introduce it. It had now got the title of the holy office, and be- fides herefy, took cognifance of fortilege, fodomy, and polygamy. The king appointed an inquisitor gmeral for' all his dominions ; and he, with the eonfent of the king, appointed particular inquili, fitors for each place. The king alfo appointed a councilor fenate, to affift the inquifitor general. His officers, whofe bufinefs it was to apprehend the prifoners, were cdXl^d. fayniliars.. In about a. d. 1440 great numbers of per- fons were, at the inftigation of the inquifitor, driv- en out of Bifcay to Valadolid, and Dominga de Calvados, and burned alive at thofe places, for re- fuling to abjure do£lrines condemned by the church of Rome. Geddcs's Tracts, Vol. i, p. 455. In A. D. 1485 the ereftion of the inquifition occafioned much difturbance in Spain, many perfons being put to death in it, and among them H 4 there nand and Ifabelb. He was made InquiHtor General of all Spain, and alfo the chief inftrument of the expulfion of tha Jews and Moors. Robinson^ p. 323. t^ THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. there were faid to;have been many that were innocent. Some of the chief nobility joined the complainants; faying the inquifition was a violation of their liber- ties, that the inquifitors were not content with the confifcation of the goods of perfons accufed,that the informer was allowed to be a witnefs, that^the accu- led had no knowledge of his accufers, and that there was no confrontation of witnefTes. From complaints they proceeded to open revolt. The Hates of Arragon intreated Ferdinand to regulate the tiibunalof the inquifition on the model of o- ther tribunals, and forbid the confifcation of goods. One of the inquifitors was murdered in a church by a band of perfons ; but he was afterwards can- onized as a martyr. In A. D. 1517 alfo ftrong remonflrances were made againft the proceedings of the inquifition in Spain. Complaints were made that innocent perfons were put to death in it, and a deputation was fent to the king at Bruffels, requefting, as before, that their proceedings might be made to conform to thofe of other tribunals, that the in- form-r fhould noi be a witne(s, that the accufed fliouii know his acCLifcr, and ih.u witneffes fhould be corj^rori'rd. The Je^«. sand Moors ftjengthtned th s rippl'Ccition by the (vfFer ot a l«^rge fum of ri'-iHy. But cardinal Ximenes vep'cferjttd that,. ii the irquifiiion vv«s icjcvmif d, thiy would be lia- ble Sec. X, THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 121 ble to be murdered, and there would be an uni- verfal revolt through Spain, This had its efiPtff, and nothing was done. Sometime before this, viz. in a. d. 1510, the people of Naples revolted againft the inquifition which the Spaniards had introduced into that ci- ty. In order to appeafe the tumult, the viceroy- ordered all the Jews, who were newly arrived from Spain, whether converted or not, to leave the kingdom ; and there being then no pretence for the eftablifhmcnt of the inquifition, he abolifhed it, with the advice of the pope himfelf, interelled as he was in keeping it up. The liberty of the prefs, after the invention of multiplying books by printing, could not fail to alarm the governing powers in the church, in this age of reading and thinking. At the council of Lateran in a. d. 1515, it was decreed, that, fince many books containing pernicious do6lrines, and offenfive to perfons in high flations, had been printed, nothing fhould for the future be publifiied in Italy till it had been examined by perfons ap- pointed by the pope, and in other places by ihc bifhop of the diocefe, or the inquifitor of the place, under pain of excommunication, to be pronounced, without delay. No council ever met with better intentions than that ntid at Bafil ; and notvvilhrianding die H 5 oppofition 12J2 THE HISTORY OF Ver. XXI. oppofilion the members met with from the pope, and the coolnefs of the chriflian princes, they made feveral ufeful reform5 ; but as the credit of the .council funk, they came to have no effe£l. They ordered that no town or place fhould have an interdiiSl laid upon it, except for the fault of the whole tokvn or its governor. For the eafe of fcru-. pulous confciences, they decreed that it was fafe to communicate with any perfon who was not ex- communicated by name ; and when the excommu- nication had been pronounced by a competent judge, and properly notified- They ordered that nothing fhould be taken for provilions, collations, cledlions, and inflitutions, at the court of Rome, for any benefice whatever, on the pretence of an- nates, or any other caufe ; that if the pope himfelf fiiould aft contrary to this decree, he fliould be denounced to the council. The pope and his le- gates prGiCiled againfl this decree, but in vain. They condemned all expcdative graces, mandates, and rcferves of benefices, which the popes had been ufcd to appropriate to themfelves. They reduced the number of cardinals to twenty four. They or- dered tliat nephews of popes or cardinals fhould not be eligible to this dignity, that they fliould not be under thirty years of age, their revenues fhould be derived from the lands, and places belonging to the Sec.X. the christian church. 125 the fee of Rome, that they fhculd be the pope's council, and fign all his a6ls. Pope Eugcnias in his defence of the archbifhoo of York, whom he had made a cardinal againll the archbidiop of Canterbury, carried the origin of thecardinallhip as high as the old Teflament, and afferted its dignity above that ofan archbifliop. Thefe he faid, prelided over particular churches, but that the cardinals had the jurifdiclion of the whole church, in conjun6lion with the holy fee. The builnefs of confeffion was fo gainful to the church, that it was watched with the mod fcrupu- lous attention. At the council of Tortofa in a; D. 1429, it was ordered that phyhcians fliould not pay three vifits together to any perfoa who had not confelfed. And, at a council held at Paris, the fame year, phyficians were diredled to exhort their patients to confefs before they adminiflered any medicines to them, and not to adminiller any if they refufed. Extreme un(!n;ion by its denomination implies that it is not to be repeated. Notwithftanding this, Pius II, tho' he had received this facrament when he had been fuppofed to be at the point of death, but had recovered, received it a fecond time before he aQually died. At the lime, however, there was much difpute about tlie propriety of it, SECTION IM ' THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. SECTION XI. Mifcellancoiis Articles. I. Of Ike ^aldenfis and Jews, A: BOUT the year a. d. 1560, the Waldcnfesjbeing, hke the primitive chriftians, accu- fcdof fhocking enormities, Lewis XII. defired the parliament of Provence to inquire into the fafts, and punifli them as they fhould appear to deferve. In confequence of this many perfons being falfely accufed were put to death; but the king, who meant well, hearing that the people were innocent made farther inquiry, and finding (hat they were not guilty of any of the crimes laid to their charge put a flop to the perfecution; faying that thofc who had fufFered were better than himfelf and his catholic fubjefts. Laval, Vol. I. p. 40. The cruel perfecution of the Jews was carried on in feveral places within this period, tho' in o- ther refpe«fls more enlightened, and liberal than the preceding. At the council of Balil in a. d. 1434, chriftians were forbidden to have any com- munication vathjews, and to fell, or pledge to them any ornaments of ciiurches. They were ordered to Sec. XI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 125 to wear a particular drefs, and to live as much as poffible by themfelves. At the fame time thofe of them who would become chriftians were allowed to retain what they had got by ufury, provided they did not know to whom it belonged. At a council at Frifingue, in a. d. 1440, Jews were forbidden to lend on ufury, to have -chriftian domeftics, to have their windows or gates fhut at^whitfuntidc, to appear in public in paffion week, to fay any thing againft religion, the virgin Mary, or the faints, when the facrament was carried to the fick. It was alfo ordered that no chriftian fhould go to the bath along with them, or take their medicines. Ferdinand and Ifabella, after expelling the Moors from Spain, iffucd an cdi6l in a. d. 1492, by which all the Jews were ordered to leave the country in the fpace of four months, if they did not embrace chriftianity ; and all who could not afford to pay for their paffage out of it were made ilavcs, Mariana fays that feventy thoufand fami- lies and eight hundred thoufand perfons left Spain in confequence of this edi6l. But the Jews fay they were not lefsthan an hundred thoufand fami» lies. The favour that the learned Abrabinel had with the king and queen could not fave him. He went with the reft of his brethren into exile into Italy. Great numbers, however, gave way to the ftorm, by pretending to become converts to chrifti- anity 126^^ THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. anity; but they were narrowly watched by the officers of the inquifition. John II. of Portugal permitted the Jews to take refuge in his country, but he made each of them pay him eight crowns of gold; and Emanuel, who fucceeded him, marrying the "daughter of Ferdinand, banifhed boih the Moors and Jews, snl not allowing them to take their children that were above fourteen years ot age, fome killed them- felves, and others their children. Thofe who fled being obliged to go from one port to another, and many delays being purpofely thro^vn in their way, many of them were entirely impoverifhed. In A. D. 1494 twelve Jews and two JewefTes were executed in Hungary on fhe charge of killing a chriflian, and drinking his blood. But they fuffered the mofl by the inquifition in Spain and Portugal; fo that great numbers, finding it incon- venient to leave the country, outwardly conformed to the catholic religion.. In a. d. 1498 two hun- dred and eighty Jews in Spain made profeflion of the chriflian relioion. o In A. D. 1506 the populace of Lifbon rofe upon the Jews, on the occafion ot one of them, who had been newly converted, cxpoling a pre- tended miracle, while he was attending divine fer- vice. He was immediately dragged out of the church, and burned in the middle of the ftreet. the Sec. X. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 127 The people were headed by two monks, and they made a dreadful maflacre of the newly converted Jews, fparing neither men, women, nor children. This maflacre continued three days; and about - two thoufand perfons periflied in it. The king however, was much offended, and the two monks were punifhed with death, and their afhes thrown to the winds. In the fifteenth century Paul of Burgo, who had been a Jewifh Rabbin, embraced chriftianity, and was made bilhop of Carthagena, and after- wards of Burgos. He wrote, among other things, a work entitled Scrutinium Srcipturarum, which has been printed. He had a large family, which fubfifts ftill in Spain, and in much fplendor. He died in a. d. 1431. La Croze' sEthiopie, p. 54. In A. D. 1614, a profeflbr in the academy at MarpuTg, of the name of Victor, being fhocked at the myftery of the trinity, renounced chriftianity, for Judaifm, and retired to Theflalonica, taking the name of Mofes Pardo. BasnagCf Vol. 9, p. 844. II. Of the Propagation of Chrijlianity. Little occurs about the propagation of chrifti- anity in any form within this period. In a. d. 1490 the king of Portugal fent miffionaries to Con- go, and the king of that country was baptized. But ns ' THEHISrORYOF Per. XXI, But finding that he would be allowed to have no more than one wife, he returned to his former re- ligion, tho' his fon perfevered in the profeffion of chriftianity. III. OJ the Moors in Sj)ain. On an apprehenfion of a revolt of the Moor* In Spain in a. d. 1499, king Ferdinand, by the advice of Ximenes, fummoned the Moorifh prieft* and monks before him at Grenada, and by threat- ening them with death, engaged them to become chrillians, and endeavour to convert other Moors. On this occafion the number baptized was very great. Among others, a Moorifh prince, of the name of Zegri, was converted, and he afterwards became a zealous catholic. But in general it could not be fuppofed that many of thefe converlions were real. At this time it was faid, that five thou- fand copies of the Koran were burned. This per- fecution occafioned a fudden revolt of the Maho-. mctan Moors, and about an hundred thoufand of them appeared in arms ; but having no plan, or regular commander, they were foon difperfed, IV. 0/ the Turks. The recovery of the holy land was in this pe- riod wholly defpaired of by the chriftians in the Weft, and mftead of meafures of oiFcnce, their great Sec. X. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 129 great ohjeft was to defend themfelves againO the Turks. The great objett of the council of Mantua, in A. D. 1459, was to promote the union of all thechriftian powers againfl this formidable enemy. Pius II had this bufinefs much at heart, ancx. to appearance he brought the princes of Europe to ciiter into his meafurcs ; but dying as he was rea- dy to embark in perfon on the expedition, the en- terprize came to nothing. V. Of UnhcUevcrs. There were, no doubt, many unbelievers, in this, as well as the preceding periods ; but as they had no intereft in being martyrs, they would na- turally difguife, or deny, their principles'. Accord- ing to the philofophy of thefe times, originally de- rived from Averroes, they held that there was only- one foul in ail men, and of courfe that all fepairate confcioufnefs ceafed at death. At the council of La- teran in A. d 1513, a decree was made againfl: the philofophers who taught this do£lrine, as alfo that of the eternity of the world, and others of a fimilar tendency. They had b^n taught by Peter Pom- ponatius, a profeflTor of philofophy of great reputa- tion at Padua. However, he always faid that, tho' there is no proof in natural reafon for the doc- trine of the immortality of the foul, it was eftablifh- ed by the fcriptures, and the authority of the Vol. V. I church. 130 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXL church. Sigifmond Malatefta, prince of Rimini, who commanded the armies of the Siennefe and Florentines, and who had the charafter of bemg the greateft general of thefe times, was a man without any religion, openly denymg the immortality of the foul. He was excommunicated by Pius II for retufing to pay a tax to the church. At length, being defeated by the troops of the pope, he con- felled his errors, and received abfolution. VI. of Superjlition, Many inftances of Juperjlition occur in this as well as former periods ; and as they are inftruc- tive, as well as amufing, I fhall recite a few of them. In A. D. 1480, the inhabitants of Perufia had a warm conteftwith thofe of Clufium, afhfled by the Siennefe, about the ring which Jofeph gave to the virgin Mary when he married her. The former faid that they got the pofTeflion of it in fome mi- raculous manner, and were ready to expofe their lives and fortunes for the recovery of it from the latter, who had ftolen it from them. Pope Sixtus IV, notchufmgto hazard his authority on the oc- cafion, did not venture to decide in thecaufe ; but Innocent VIII confirmed the inhabitants of Clu- fium in the poCTefTion. In A. D. 1492 the title written by Pilate for the erofs of Chrift was pretended to be found ia Rome, Sec. X. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. J 31 Rome, and was faid to have been fent rhitber by Helena the mother of Conftantine. Another ti- tle being pretended to be found at Thoiloule, and to have been there long before the fi'covery of that at Rome, Alexander VI, in a. d. 1496 pub- lifhed a bull, in which he aflerced the authenticity of that at Rome, and granted indulgences to thofe who fhould vifit the church in which it was kept the laft funday in January. In the fame year the Turkifh emperor Bajazet fent the pope the. iron head of the lance with which it was faid the fide of Jef|is had been pierced. All the clergy in Rome, accompanied by the pope himlelf, went in foiemn proceflion to receive it. However, the emperor was faid to have the fame relic at Nurem- berg, and the king of France at Paris. Judicial aftiology was in great credit in thefe times, tho' always regarded with lufpicion by the friends of religion. In a. d 1493 ^^-^ Simon Pbaio-s, a profelfor of judicial uflrology, having been forbidden the pra6tice of his art by the arch- bifliop ot Lyons, appealed to the p rliament of Paris. They referred the caule to the faculty of the univerlity, who in a. d. 1494 declared the art to be '• pernicious, fabulous, fuperftitious, anufur- " pation of the honour of God, a corruption of " goo.^ morals, and invented by daemons for the " deftruftioH of men." The parliament, in confe* I 2 quencd ji32 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXI. quence of this opinion, confirmed the decree of the archbifhap of Lyons, and forbad the exercif^ of the art. X)fthe Art of Printing, and the Progrefs of Literature. Notwithftanding this fuperftition, this was the age in which the foundation was laid for the ad- vancement of literature in all future ages, by the invention of the art of printing. This noble art to which religion and literature are fo much in- debted, was invented about the year a. d. 1440. There has been much difpulin^ about the origin of it ; but it is with the greate ft probability afcri- bed (as I think is clearly proved by Dr. Cogan in the account of his journe-y along the Rhine} to Laurence Cofter a magiftrate of Haarlem in Holland about a. d. 1430. But a fervant of his, John Geinsflefche, having robbed him of his types, which were made of wood, and joining J. Fauftus a perfon of property at Mentz, and af- terwards Guttenberg]of Strafburgh, and they taking into their fervice P. SchaefFer, an ingenious young man who difcovered the method of caftina: metal types, and then printing books in Latin, while Cofter only printed a few in Dutch, the Ger- mans carried away the honour of the invention. At Sec. X. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 133^ At firfl; their printed copies were fold as maniiTi fcripts; but appearing to- be too numerous, an4 too like one another, to have been executed in that way, the fecret was difcovered; and from Germa- ny the art was foon carried to other parts of Eu- rope. This art, by making books cheap, put it within the power of the poor, as well as the rich, to acquire knowledge. The literature of Europe gained much by the extindiion of the Greek empire by the Turks, many learned men leaving Conftantinople, and being received with much diftinftion in Italy, efpeciaHy by the Medici of Florence. Till this period very few Europeans underflood any thing of Greek. It vvas in favour of free enquiry that Lewis XI ol France, gave leave to read the works of Occam, and other Nominalifts, which had been prohibited in the univerfity of Paris ; the advocates for them pleading their merit, in oppofition to the do6lrine of a profelTor at Louvain, concerning the certainty of future events. Biblical knowledge is much indebted to cardi- nal Ximenes, who in a. d. 1502 began the con- {lru6lion of a Polyglott Bible, employing the moft learned men that he could find in Hebrew, Ara- bic, and Greek, in the execution of it. But it 1 3 was 134. THE HISTORY OF Per. XXL was not printed till the year a. d. 1515. when it was dedicated to Leo X. The cardinal himfelf defrayed all the expence of this work, which was very great. PERIOD S£C. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 155 PERIOD XXII. From the biginning of the Reforma- tion IN Germany, a. d. 1517, '^o the CONCLUSION OF THE Council of Trent IN a. d. 1563. SECTION I. Of tht Proceedings of Luther, till they attraBed the Notice of the Pope, V V E have feen in the courfe of this hiftory the amazing and almofl; incredible progrefs of corruption and abufes of every kind, both in do6lrine and difcipline. At the period to which we are now arrived the call for reformation was loud and univerfal, the neceffity for it being in all refpefts apparent. Thiough all Europe ignorance, efpeciaily of the fcriptures, and of theology, was extreme. Divines in general knew nothing of the bible, but through the Vulgate verfion, and they fladied nothing but what was cdHed fc ho lajlic iheo- I 4 Hy> j^S.5 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. logy; or the woiks of Lombard, Aquinas, and Scotus the fabjefts of which were fubtleties of the mod trifling kind. Public worfhip confift- ed of mere ceremonies, and Mias read in a language not underllood by the common people, and reli- gion in general confided in little befides the wor- ihip of images, pilgrimages to particular relics, paying tithes, and purchafing indulgences. Church livings were given to thofe who paid the mod for them, and generaHy to foreigners. At Geneva, of a great number of canons in the' ca- thedra, ail were foreigners except one. The great- er part of the clergy never preached at all, but left that bufinefs to the monks, or the mendicants; who indead ol explain mg the fcriptures, and inculcating the prirciples of found morality, generally amufed their hearers with idlr legends. The great bufinefs of thii clergy. feCuiar and regular, was to get all •the ni-.ney rhey couid from the laity, efpccially for the redemptiou of fouJs out ct purgatory, grant- ing liberty to eat meat in lent, and burying in holy ground. Chuich difciplme wiis talkn into the jgrtated abufe by excommunications , on frivolous pretnces, and abfplutions purchafed with money, A'.'d the generality of the clergy, indead of fhewing good examples, were debauched in the extreme. As an example uf this, I diail quote the complair ts of Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. t^ of the people of Bern addieffed to the bifhop of Laufanne in a. d. 1477. ''• We fee clearly," they fay, " that the clergy " of our parts are exceffively debauched, and ad- ** diSedto impurity, which they pradlice openly, ** and without Ihamc. They keep concubines, *' they flroM by night round the houfes of profti- *' tutes, and fo impudently, that they have no re- " ftraint from honour, confcience, or the fear of <* God. This gives us great concern. Our an'- •• ceftors had a police, which put a ftop to thefe *« diforders when the eccleliaftical tribunals were *' relnxed in this refpeft." Ruchat's Preliminary Difcoutfe. p. ig. In A. D. 1533 the people of Laufanne, among twenty two different articles of complaint againft the clergy fay that " fome of them had murdered *' the citizens, atone time two in one day, without " any punifhment ; that fome of them had beat che " citizens with their fifts in the church, and in the *' mid ft of divine fervice, that they were all whore- " mafters, efpecially the canons, and debauchers of " married women, whom they refufed to leave, tho' " ordered by the bilhop ; that they often abufed *' and fought with one another in the church ; that *' they went through the flreets by night, (^ifguifed " as foldiers. with naked fwords ; that fome of " them took poor ^iris by force, and ravilhed ihem I 5 « itt 138 THE HISTORY OF Per.XXH. " in their own houfes ; that they were public ** gamefters, blafphemers, and revealed the lecrets " of confcflion ; that they falfified wills in their own " favour ; that many of them had a great number *' of children, whom they fent a begging, inftead of " maintaining them, Sec. Sec, Sec, * The * Complaints of this kind wc have feen to have been ■ made in fcveralof the preceding periods, and many of the abufes here enumerated were attempted to be cor* re^ed by particular fynods and councils, efpecially that of Basil. But the effe6l of the orders and regulati- ons that were given for this purpofe was partial, and never of long contmuance, fo that there were frequent calls for the repetition of them. We are not, however, to consider this flate of things in Switzerland (which is probably exaggerated) as that of all chriflendora. There were, no doubt, in the very worft times many of the clergy, and alfo of the monks and friars, of exemplary charadters. Literature had unqueflicnably at this time made confiderable progrefs ; and certainly the clergy in general excelled the laity in this refpect. We fhould make feme allowance for the vices of the clergy from confidering the character of the times in which they lived. And it would be againft all probability to fuppofe that the wealthy clergy were ever more diffolute than the equally wealihy laity. That the chara6ler of great numbers cf the feudal barons was pro- fligate, and violent, in the extreme, all hiflory bears witnefs. Sec.K the christian church. 13^ The reformatioq was no lefs neceflary in the head than in the members ; all the popes of thcfc times being men of ambition, and fome of them addifted to vices the moft difgracefal to humaa nature. Yet they were poffeffed of the m jfl; abfo- lute authority, and laid all Europe under con:ri- bution. They drew immenfs fums from the elegy alfo by annates, penfions referved from livings, and tenths, fometimes double and treble, on church revenues, all on divers pretences of religion. After many attempts to procure a reformition of the numerous abufes with which we have feen the chriflian church abounded, and which were increafing every day, all ot which had been pre- vented from having any confiderable efFeC by the exertion of the civil power, always direfterl by the popes, it plea fed God that a folid and pr-rmanetit reformation at length arofe from a quarter froflfi which nothing of the kind had been expefled, viz, from a perfon of the order of monks, which had always been peculiarly devoted to the intereft of the fee of Rome. To this reformation nothing that had been done by any of the preceding reform- ers, the Waldenfes, Albigenfes, Wickifites, oi Huffites, at all contributed. Indeed, in every view the concurrence of circumflances that afTifted in bringmg about this extraordinary revolution defervc the clofeft attention, on which account I fliall 140 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. lha]l be the more particular in the detail of them. And as^ the charaSers ^and condu6l of the feverai popys in this period were among the mod confider- able of thefe circum fiances, it will be neceffary to attend to them. On the death of Julius II, Leo X, of the fa- mily of the Medici, was elefted pope, a,t the age of thirty feven* He was a man diftinguiftied, as were the reft of his family, by the love of literature; but with this he was a lover of pleafaie, and had little knowledge of, or iefpe£l for, religion. His court being a fcene of luxury and boundlefs pror. fufion, amohg other meafures to recruit his exhauft- cd treasures, he was advifed by cardinal Pucci, bis coufin german, a man ignorant of ecclefiaAical difcipline, of the councils, or canons, to make a new publication of indulgences; on the pretence of a want of money to complete the church of St. Peter at Rome. Thefe indulgences, we have feen, were originally relaxatioci of canonical penances, granted at thein- tercelHon o^confe (Tors, and other perfonsof eminent piety, and afterwards, for money to be expended in pious ufes, efpecially for the recovery of the Holy Land, and in the ivars againft infidels and heretics. In later times it had been pretended that this pow- er arofe from a fuperabundant flock of merit in the church, that of faints, martyrs, and confefTors, but Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 14r but more efpecinliy that of Jefus Chrifl: ; 'his fuflPer- ings having been more than fufficient for the pur- pofe for which they had been endured. This flock of merit was allowed to be at the difpofal of the pope, and from the nature of it, it might be applied not only to the remiffion of penance in this world, but of the pains of purgatory, and final damnation in the next. The value of thcfe indulgences it hadi been the bufmefs of thofe who publiihed them, and who had a profit from their fale, to exaggerate in the moft extravagant manner; and on this oc- cafion they exceeded every thing that had been done before in the fame way. Thcfe indulgences allowed thofe who purchafed them to eat eggs, milk, cheefe, and butter, during lent, and on other faft days, and alfo to chufe their own coafeffors. But what was more, the purchafers had the allarance of the intire remiffion of all their fins, and deliverance from the pains of purgatory for all thofe for whom they interefled themfelves. AH the revenue that Ibould arife from the fale of thefe indulgences in Saxony, and as far as the Baltic Sea, the pope was faid, but it feems without fufficient authority, (Rofcoes life of Lorenzo Vol, 2 p. 2 8 2. j to have given to his filler Magdelane, for whom he had a particular affeftion, and who was married to Francis Cibo, a natural fon of In- nocent 142 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. Kocent VIII. In order to make the moft of the privilege, he employed bilhop Arcembold. who had alicenfe from the emperor topublifh \\] i»-'d'il- gences. and who fold tnem to the higheflt bidder; the pope having given orders to Albert of Bran- derburg, archbiOiop of Magdeburgh and Maycnce, (a manwhoft chara£l:<^r refembledin all refpefts ;hat of the pope himfelfj to caufe them to be preached thr :/ all Germany ; and he was allowed one half of the profi' s. The Francifcans having declined the office, he employed John Tetzel, a Dominican, who had with great fuccefs preached indulgenc- es for the knights of the Teutonic order. This man had a {Irong voice, and was poffefTed of tvery art "by which to recommend his goods to the populace, but he ^vas a man of profli,^ate manners, who had been fentenced to death for the crime of adultery hy the emperor Maxiirjilian, but had been par* donti at the interceffion of Frederic eleflor of Suxony. Tctzel and his companions did not fa'l to inaij^nify their (office. They had the impudence to fay that " the red crolFes elevated m the rlnjrrhes *' in which they preached, with the arms of tht p-'^pe *' annexed to them, had the fime virtue as the crofs ** ot Chrift; that Tefzelhimfeif had favedmore fouls " bv the indui^t r^ces that he had fjifpofedof than St. " Paul by ail his pleaching; that as foon as the " found bEC . ?I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 143 <« found of the money that was paid for them was " heard m the bafon in which it was received, the «' fouls for whom it was given were releafed from *'pur^ato!y tha. repentance and contrition were not " neceffary ; Uiat thefe indulgences enfured a par- " don for every crime and blafphemy that could be '• imagined j and, in fhort, that no crime was abfo- ** lutely unpardonable, but that of defpifmg thefc '• indulgences." Thefe affertions the confefFors were obliged by an oath not to contradi£l, but to confirm. Such was the impudence of this Tetzel, that the bifhop of Meiffen faid he fhould be the laft who fhould make a traffic of indulgences in Saxony. And a circumftance which added much to the indignation with which this condufl was viewed, was the manner in which thefe preachers fpent much of the money v/hich they got from the people, as in taverns and places of debauch. They alfo paid their hofts and fervants, Sec. with indulgences, inflead of giving them money. Notwithftanding thefe ihocking abufes, fuch was the blind fuperftition of the people, that where- ever thefe preachers came they were received with triumph. When they entered any city they had the pope's bull covered with a iluflP of filk, and embroidered with gold, carried before them, pre- ceded by the magiftrates and the people, carrying lighted 144. THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL lighted candles. The bells were rung, andinlbn- jnents ot mufic played upon. The red crofs, above mentioned was then elevated in the chuTh, and the preacher mounting the pulpit made luch an harrangue as has been mentioned. The form of the abfolution figned by Tetzel concluded with thefe words, " I re-eftabhfh you in the innocence *' which you received at your baptifm, fo that if " you die foon the gate of pumfhnient will be fhtU, *' and the gate of happinefs open to you; and if " you do not die foon, this grace will be re- ** ferved and fecured to you." Thefe horrid abufes, however, proceeded ivith- out open opDofition till they excited the attention o^ Mai tin Luther, a man raifed up b) divine pro- vidence for the great work of an efFtcti.al reforma- tion, and endued with talents, and a temper fuited to it. He was born Nov. lo, a. d. 1483, at IPc^be, in the county of Mansfeidr, and in that city* his father, who had fome property in the mines in that neighbourhood, was a magiftrate, lefpecled for his orobity. Luther having been educafed at JEifenach, fmifhed his ftudies at the univerfity of £rford in Thuringia; and at the a^^e of twenty two A. D. 1505 he entered the monaftery of Auguflincs at Erford, being induced to do fo, tho' contrary to the wifhes ot his father, by the fudden death of one of his companions in a florm, by which his own jife had been m danger. The Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. i45 The firft months of his rtfidence in the monaf- tery he was very melancholy, owing in fomr: niea- fure to his ill ufage by the prior, who employed him in the meanell offices, and often fent him to bc^ ill the city, which was particularly difa-:eea- bie ro iiim. But he was relieved by the inttr^ofi- tion of the vicar general, ^ [ohn Stupitz, who had been very attentive to him during his melancholy ; telling him that God had great views in his iriab, and that by this means he might be prepared ior fome great work. By his orders he had liberty to ftudy, and to this he foon attached himfelf with un- common ardour. He had been a year in the monaftery when he for the firft time faw a latin Bible; having till then known only thofe paflVges of fciiplure which are contained in the liturgy and breviary. His fovor- ite ftudy for fome time was fcholaftic theology, when he was an admirer of the writings of Occam, which he preferred to thofe of Scotus or Th. Aqui- nas. He alfo read with care the works of Gerfon. For his amufement he applied to mufic, diffipating his melancholy by finging pfalms and hymns. He alfo exercifed himfelf in the art of turnery, and ufed to fay, that in all events, he could get his living by the labour of his hands. In A. D. 1507, Luther :ook holy orders, and the yen following he was called to teach philofo- Vol. V. K phy 146 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. phy at the univerfity of Wittemberg, where he greatly diftinguiflied himfelf by Kls fuperior know- ledge, and accutenefs, and alfo by the freedom of his fentiments ; which led one Martin Polichiu?, who had himfelf acquned fo much reputation as to have got the title of the light of the -world, to fay that this young monk would diflurb the doftors, and change the fyflem of the fchools. On occaiion of fome difference in his order, Luther was fent to Rome, wh«re he was much ftiocked at the impiety of the Italian pricfls; who feeing him officiate with much devotion, laughed at him, and bid him make more halle. On his return he was made do£lor of divinity 06lober ig, A. D. 1512. He then applied himfelf to the ftudy of the Greek and Hebrew, that he might read the fcriptures in the languages in which they were written. On this he abandoned fcholaftic theology, and the philofophy of Ariftotle, as abounding with vain fubtleties ; and as he always delivered his fentiments with great freedom, he was fufpe£led of herefy fome years befoie his dif- pute about indulgences. At this time his le£lures were much crowded, being heard with much ad- miration to explain the fcriptures in a plain and clear manner, without any of the terms ufed in the fchools; and ufing no authorities for his opinions befides Sic. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. ur befides the fcriptures themlelves, or the writings of chriflian fathers, a method of teaching then quite new. In a very early period Luther embraced the do6lrine of juflification by faith without works, having been taught it by an old monk, who com- forted him in his (icknefs; and his reading of the fc. iptures, together with ihe works of Aullin, con- fimed him in that opinion. And he then pub- lifhed fome thefes on the fubjeft of free-will. Be- ing ordered by his general Stupitz to vifit the monafleries in Mifnia and Thuringia, he explained his fentimenti with fo much freedom that he gave great ofFcnce to George duke of Saxon)', before whom he preached, fo that from that time he con- ceived a great dillike to him. He alfomade him- felf obnoxious to the Dominicans by the contempt which he exprefTed for Th. Aquinas. Such was the charader, the general condu6l, and fentiments of Luther, when Telzel, in a. d. 1517, c^me to publifli his indulgences in the diocefe of Magdeburg. Luther had not at that time given any particular attention to the lubjecl ; but feeing the people crowding to buy them, he faid, in his fermon, that there were things more pleafing to God, and of more importance to faivation, than running in fuch crowds to purchafe pardons. The cleftor, however, who had at great expence pro- K 2 cured us THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. cured for his church of AH Saints many rehcs and indulgences, in order to draw the devotion of -he people to it, not being pleafed with the liberry he took, Luther, who was unwilling to offend him, and who was not as yet apprized ot the mai^nifudc of the evil, ^' as Qlent on the fubjeft. But his atten- tion was forcibly recalled to it by the reports of the extreme rapacioufnefs. and the Icandalous lives of thofe who pub ifhcd thefe mdulgences. and efpeciaily by fome who confelFed to him retuCng to fubmit to the penances that he impofed, on the pretence of their being pollcfled of mdulgences which fuperfeded them. Thefe people complain- ing to Tetzel, he was much enraged at ir,and threat- €ned with the inquilition all who doubted the authority ot the pope. He even prepared a pile of wood in the public fquare of Wittemberg, in order to burn them in effigy. This violence gave frelh provocation to Luther, and examining the fubjeft afrefh, he compofed fe- veral thefes upon it, and drew ninety- five conclu/ions; but they were all calculated to corre£l the abufes, and not to abolifh the ufe of them. Among other things he advanced, that " the life of a chriftian ought " to be a perpetual penance, that the pope has only *' the power of remitting canonical penances, that *' the canons of penance do not extend to the dead, " that the treafure which the church diftributes is " not Sec. r. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH* 149 ** not that of the merits of Chrift or of the faints, *' becaufe neither of them depend upon the pope, *' that the true treafure of indulgences is the gofpel, " that the gofpel was the net with which theapoftles *' caught men, but that indulgences are a net with " which priefts fifti for money." Belides thefe logical thefes and conclufions, he propoted fome plain queftions for theufe of the common people; fuch as thefe, " Why does not •' the pope who takes fo many fouls out of purga- ** tory for money, do the fame out of charity ? Why *' does the anniverfary of the dead fubfift by alms " if fouls are delivered out of purgatory by papal " pardons ? He concluded, however, with declar- ing, that he was willing to rpceive inftru£lion if he was in an error, and that he was tar from preferring his own opinion to that of ail the world; but that he was not fo filly as to prefer the fallibility of man to the word of Cod. It 'was impolTibk but that fuch plain good fenfe as this mufl make an imprefTion on many perfons. Having maintained thefe propofitions in the uni- verfity of Wittemberg, Luther fent them to the archbifhop of Magdeburg, and alfo to the bifhop of Brandenburg, in whofe diocefe Wittemberg was; when the latter advifed him to take care of himfelf ; for that in attacking the power of the church, he might bring himfelf into a difagreeable fituation. K 3 Notwithltanding 150 THE HIS I ORY OF Per. XXII. Notwithftanding this caution, Luther preached two lliort but plain fermons, one on the fubjett of indulgences, and the other on repentance, in wiiich he advanced that it was not certain that fouls can be redeemed from purgatory : that fatisfa6lion for oflPrnces, confiding in good works, ought not to be difpenfed vvith, and that finners ought not to apply for indulgence from them He advanced other things equally folid and ufeful. Such was the effeQ of thefe thefes, that they were circulated with extreme rapidity thro' Ger- many; and the people in general began to open their eyes, and to defpife the indulgences as ufelefs, fo that there was a genera! aveifion to the publica- tion of them ; and Tetzel coming to Friberg a lliort time afterwards, not only got htile or nothing, but was very near being killed by the miners. Every body was afiomfhed that a fimple monk fh rdd have the zeal and the courage to oppofe the ex- toitions of the pope and his mmiilers, when fo many biHiops and powerful ecclefiaflics kept a profound * filence, and left their churches a prey to avarice and impodurc. But Tetzel, depending upon the prote£lion of the pope, condemned the thfefts of Luther to the flames, as full of hercfy and blasphemy; and after burning them in public, he attempted the refutation of them in two difputjvtions* which he printed. In * the Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 151 the firft of them he maintained that " alms given *' for the releafe of fouls from purgatory are of ** more value than thofe that are given to the poor; " and in magnifying the virtue of indulgences, " he faid, that, fhould a man have ravifhed the *' bleffed virgin he could abfolve him both fi-om *' the crime and the punifliment." In the fecond he afferted, *' the authority of the pope to be fu- *' preme with refpe6l to councils and the univerfal *' church, that he alone, as the hufband of the *' church, has the power of granting indulgences; ** and that it was blafphemy to fay that Leo X had ** lefs power in this refpefl than St. Peter himfelf!" He concluded with faymg, that " whofoevcr fhould *' write againft indulgences, or the power of the *'■ pope, raufl; exped eternal damnation hereafter, *' and the moll rigorous puniihment at prefent ;" adding, from the Pentateuch, every beaji that touches the mountain fliall hejioned, Thefe propofilions of Tetzel being brought to Wittemberg, were publicly burned by the (ludents, to revenge the airront offered to their maflcr; but Luther himfelf had no hand in it. He defpifed every thing that Tetzel had done, but he publifhed more thefes, in which, without fpeaking of indul- gences, he undermined the foundation of them, attacking the merit of good w'Oiks, on which it was K 4 pretended 15a THE HISTORY GF Per. XXIL pretended that they were founded, and maintained the dofclrines of eleflion and predeflination. All this paffed, in a. d. 1517. In the year following Luther attended the chapter of the Auguftins at Heidelberg, where, in the prefence of the eleftor palatine, to whom the eleflor of Saxony had given him recommenda- tions, and Laurent de Bibra. bifhop of Wurtzburg, a man of piety and good fenfe, well difpofed to a reformation, he propofed more tbefes on the fubje6l of free will, good works, and jiiflification by faith alone; in which it was faid that he difcovered the fubtlety of St. Paul, but not that of Scotus. This was the account that was given by Martin Bucer, thenalmoner of the eleflor Palatine; who faid that he maintained the fentiments of Erafmus, but more openly. On this occafion Luther gained fomuch of thd ^fteem of the bifhop, that before he died:, which was in the year following, he wrote to the ,ele£lor Frederic to conjure him not to fuffer a good and honeil man like Luther to leave his eflates, an advice ,which he did not forget. In all this Luther •only propofed fubjefts fordifcufTion. He refpe6l- cd the decifions of the church; but perceiving the weaknefs of the fcbolaflic doOrines, and the grofs abufes of the papal authority, he began to rejecl every thing that was R,ot founded on the fcriptures. The Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 155 The firft who undertook the defence of Tctzel ao-ainft Luther were Sylvefter de Prierias, maCer of the facred palace, and John de Eyk, or Ecthi- us, proftffor of theology at Ingolfladt, a friend of Luther; who by order of his biftiop made feme critical remarks on his thefes, and with more afpe- rity than became a perfon who profefisd friendlhip. Among other accufations he inlinuated that he was tainted with the venom of Bohemia, which at that time was the moil injurious refl.61;ion that he could have thrown out. Luther anfwered with equal feverity, but tho' without any refpe^l for the fchoolmen, with due regard to the authority of the pope, afcribing the abufe of indulgences to his flatterers. Prierias's treatife was in the form of a dialogue, dedicated to Leo X. In it he expreffed great contempt for Luther, and alTerted the authority of the popes in the higheft terms ; taxing with herefy ail who denied it. In anfwer to him Luther in- filled upon his maxim of trying every thing by the fcriptures, which he maintained on the autho- rity of St. Auitin. He now proceeded farther than he had done before, attacking the infallibili- ty of the pope and even that of councils. He did not on- it to cenfure the power which the popes claimed over the rights of prmces, and did not fail to mention the tyranny of Boniface VIII, K 5 and 154 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. and the bloody wars of Julius II. And as Pric-, rias had inlinuated that hs would not have written as he didagainft indulgences it he had had a bifh- oprick, and a church in which he could have pub- liihed them himfelf, he laid that if thefe had been his views, the method of fucceeding in them wa^ well known, and even refounded in the ftreets of Rome ; alluding to feme popular ballads in which the venality of the court of Rome was expofed. Luther alfo took this opportunity of publifh- ing an explication and proof of his original thefts, written fome time before; a vvol"k compofed with much care, but in which he was far from njefting the authority of the pope, or the generally receiv- ed do6lrines. On the contrary, he cenfured the Bohemians for rejcdling the do6lrine ot purgatory ; faying that they preferred a dodrine of fifty years flanding to theanticnt faith of the church. This work he dedicated to Leo X, exprtffing his per- fuafion that he would do him jr.flicc ; complain- in'^ of the conduQ of his enemies, and the indecent manner in which indulgences had been puljlifhed ; and avowing his rabmilfion to the holy fee in the moil refpe£lful manner. He concluded with fay- ing, *' I fubmit to your judgment my perfon and " my writings. You have the power of taking my ** life, or of giving it to me, to approve or to con- «' demn me as you plcafc. Whatever you pro- '• nouncc Sec. I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 155 •' nounce I fliall receive it as the award of Jefus «« Chrift, who prcfides in your perfon, and fpeaks *' by your mouth." This work Luther fent to the bilhop of Bran- denburg, and alfo to his vicar Stupitz. This bifhop difapproved of the fhameful traffic of indul- gences, but he thought the doftrine of Luther ftili more dangerous. Writing to Stupitz Luther re- minded him of an excellent remark of his, which he faid he would never forget, viz. that there is no true repentance that does not begin with the love of God and of virtue. This he faid was the firft light he received on the fubjeft. and after de- firing him to tranfmit his book to the pope, he concluded in this memorable manner. " I have '• no fortune, and I wilh for none. If I had any *' reputation, I am daily lofing it. I have only a " weak body, fubjeft to continual illnefs. Let ** them take my lite by violence, or in any other *' way, I ani ready to obey God. They cannot *' fhorten my life much. Jefus my mafler, and ** my redeemer, is fufHcient tor me, and as long as *' I live I will fing hymns to his honour." SECTION 1J« THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. SECTION II. The Progrefs of the Rejormationfrom the Time that Luther aitraBcdthe Notice of the Pope to the jii- vanccment of CharUi V to the Empire, a. d. ITHERTO the difpute about in- clulgences had been coniined to the monks. The grandees, indeed, as wel! as the cominon people, had been fpe£ialors, but they had taken no part in it. . And had the pope contented himfelf with impoung filenceon thedifputants, the affair might hai^e proceeded no farther. Leo himfelf is faid to have been inclined to this meafure 3 faying that Luther was a rnan of fpint and ability, and that all 1 the difpute ara'e from the quarrels and jealoufies of . the monks. Bat, happily for the intereft of the reformation, and the progrefs of truth, he was over- come by the importunity of the Dominicans, and cfpecially of Tames Hochftrat, of the monaftery of Louvain; who told him that his au'hority and his intereft were at flake. He, therefore, proceeded fo far as to cite Luther to appear before him ; but perhaps without inteuJing him any harm, Lu- ther Sec. II. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 15/ th^r, however, when he received the cit;\tion, which was in Auj^uH. 8, a. d, 1518, concludrd that his ruin was determined, but he did^noton that account hefitate in forming his rcfolution. Writing to George Spalatin, a perfon of great authority in the court of the eleftor of Saxony, who had been tutor to his nephew, and to the duke of Lun-.n- burg, he faid he was able to defend himfelf, that he did not expeft to efcape violence, but that, at all events, the truth fhould be defended. This he wrote when he had no expectation of prote6lion from the ele6lor, or any other perfon, Stupitz, writing to him at this time, fays, *' The world is violently fet againfl; the truth, it " has few protedors, and thofe very timid. I am " of opinion that you quit Wictemberg for feme *' time, and come to me, that we may live and die *•' together. Your prince is of the fame opinion. " That is enough." The eleaor was not a little embarraffed, as he did not wifh to quarrel with the pope, who had ordered him, on the obedience which he owed to the church of Rome, to deliver the heretic Luther into his hands. Cajetan, his legate in Germany, alfo had orders to require all perfons, ecclefiaflical or fecular, the emperor alone excepted, to deliver him up, and that under pain of excommunication, interdift, and deprivation of goods and dignity to any who fhould afford him 158 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. him retreat or proteaion. Accordingly the ekaor promifed to fend Luther to Rome. The diet of the empire was this year held at Augfburg, and one of the commiflions which the legate Cajetan had was to terminate the affasr of Luther, and if pofTible by inducing him to retra£b what he had advanced. If he refufed to do this, he was to demand him of the eleftor ; and it he fhould refufe to give him up, he was to excommu- nicate Luther and all his adherents. In order to accomplifh this, he had prevailed upon the emper- or Maximilian (who, however, was known to have an efteem for Luther) to promife that if he Omuld be condemned, he would fee that the fentence fhould be executed. Luther, knowing that at Rome his enemies would be his judges, got Spalatin to entreat the eledor to obtain the pope's leave to have commif- fioners appointed to examine hitn in Germany. But all that could be done was to have the legates take cognizance of the atfaii at the time of the diet. Accordingly, Luthei being afTuref^ by the elt ftor, that he fhould not be fent to Rome, went to Augf- burgh. But previous to this he had given more offence by the publication of a fermon on the a- bufe of excommunication, in which he maintained that an unjuft excommunication does not deprive a chriftian of conimunion with Jcfus Chrift, and that Sbg. II. THE CHRISTIA.N CHURCH. t59 that fuch an excommunication, endured with pati- ance and humility, is the gieateft; virfue. He af- ferted, however, that men ought to bear with pati- ence the chaftifements of the church, fince it was the power of Jefus Cbrift which (he exercifed, tho' it might be in the hands of Herods, or of Pilatcs. Before he fet out, the members of the univerfity of Wittcmberg, which Luther had aheady made very famous, wrote to the pope in his favour; af- furing his holinefs that he was orthodox, and faith- ful to the holy fee ; and they requefled Charles de Miltitz to inlerpofe his good offices in his fa- vour. But this produced no good efFcd, and Ca- jetan h.ad orders to in fi [I on Luther'^ recantation. This prelate, however, endeavoured in the firfl inftance, to get Luther into his power, that he might fend him to Rome; but Luther, apprized of his danger, declined feeing him till he had obtained a fdfe conduct of the emperor, which was readily granted, and the pope and the cardmal thought proper to difTemble their chagrin. Luther being introduced to Cajetan, which was on the 12th of 0£lober, was willing to fpeak on his knees before him ; but the cardmal very po- litely would not fufFer it. Hovvever, after hearing him with great patience, he required of him three things, thai he fhould retra^l what hs had advanc- ed 16o THE HISTORY OF Per. XXH. ed refpefling indulgences and juftification by faith alone, that he fhould keep rhlence on the fubjed for the future, and in general refrain from aay thing that might difturb the church. But gradually, and without defign, entering mto a difpute on the fubj. 61$, Cajetan appea-cd to be altogether unacqu;unted with the fcriptures, to which Luther conftantly appealed, and mlifled chiefly on the bull of Clement VI, in which Lu- ther faid that the fcriptures were talfely quoted ; and to this bull he oppofed the fentiments ot the faculty of theology at Paris, and the writings of Gerfon. Cajetan, provoked at this, faid they would chaftife the divines at Paris, and that Ger- fon and his difciples were condemned already. In this altercation the cardinal did not fail to magnify the authority of the pope, as fuperior to that of the councils, or even that of the fcriptures. The next day Luther again waited upon the cardinal, accompanied by four councellors of the cm.pire, a notary, and another witnefs, when he read a proteftation of refpedt for the Roman fee, but declared that, being perfuaded that he had not advanced any thing but what was orthodox, ne could not retraft till he was convinced of his error ; that he v/as willing to appear before any proper tribunal, to give an account of his writings, and that he would fubmit to the judgment of the uni- verliticr Stc. II. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 161 verfities of Bafil, Fiiburg, Louvain, and Paris. The cardinal, paying no attention to this, refumed the difpute, without giving Luther time to reply; when both Stupitz and Luther afked leave to defend themfelves in writing, Luther faying that they had difputed enough the day before To this the car- dinal, recoll«£ling the part he ought to have afled, faid he had not been difputing, he had only been inftrufting him, and that with gentlencfs, out of regard to his illuftrious prince Frederic. Confid- ing too much in his poweri, he had gone out of his province oi judge, to which it had been his wifdom to have adhered. In this laft interview Luther pfefented his an- fwer in ^writing to the cardinal's objections, in which he fuflSciently fliewed his unwillingnefs to quarrel with the court of Rome. For he oonclu- ded with expreffing his fubmifiion to the judg- ment of the church, i)n« dehred the legate to in- ftrud him, ai»d intercede with the pope for him, ** to have'compaflTion on a foul that only fought the " truth, and who refufed to retra6it only becaufe he " could not do it without prevarication." The le- gate received this aniwer with difdain, and only laid that he fhouid fend it to the pope. But re- fuming the difpute, Lu.her by his acute remarks on the bull of pupe Clement, which he had re- queflc > to be read, greatly cmbairaffed the legate; Vot. V. L vrho 162 THE HIS TORY OF Per. XXIL V'l.o finding himfelfurcquai to the conteft, fent for S'upi'z, and ordered him to employ all the autho- r>ty he had over Lather. This he promifcd to do. bat when the legate defired him to convince Luther out of the fcriptures, he replied that that was above his flrength ; tor that he was not com- parable to Luther either for genius or knowledge of the fcriptures. Btfides, in order that he mi^ht not be refponfible for the confeqaencts, he had ab- folved Luther from his vow of obedience, Stupitz, willing to heal this breach, joined with Lincius in perfuading Luther to give fatisfac- tion to the cardinal ; and he fo far yielded to them, that he wrote him a letter, in which he aflced par- don for the irreverance with which he had treated the pope, blaming the violence of his enemies. He alio promifed to keep filence, and fubmit to the authority of others, tho' not to that of Th, Aqii'nas; and faid he was ready to do every thing except diredlly retra£ling what he had advanced, provided his enemies would be more moderate. Hearing nothing from the cardinal, Luther ap- pealed from the fentence of the pope, to the pope heter informed, and leaving his appeal with a pub- lic notary, withdrew privately from Augfburg ; and when he was got to Nuremberg, he was for the fit ft time apprized of the danger he had been in, the cardinal having had abfolute orders to feize him Sec. II. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 163 him, and fend him to Rome. This provoked him fo much, that lit faid that fuch an order ci uld only come from a villain. Stupitz and Lmcius fet out after him, without taking leave of the legate ; and the former, fearing to fuffcr for permitting Lathed to eicape fought an afvlum in Saxony. When Luthtr was gone, the notary, not daring to carry his rippe.d fo trie cardmal, exp^fed it in the public fq.iare of the city. But he, without taking any notice of it, wrote to the eleflor, reproachmg him with procuring a fafe condu6l tor a heretic already condemned, and with much haughdnefs demanded of him either to banifh Luther from his eflaes, or fend him to Rome. Theele6lor, offended at this conduft, only fent the letter to Luther with orders to anfwer it. The meafures of the cardinal having had no good fuccefs, he was much blamed by fome for his visour, and bv others for his tamenefs. The eledor was at firfl; inclined to fend Luther out of his ef- tates. and he was as ready to j^o; expreffin;^ him- feli with great piety and magnanimity on the oc- cafio t But at length this prince came to a firm refolution to proteft him, and in anfwer to the le- gate faid, that he had lent Luther to Atigfbu.g as he had pr mi fed, and that wJien he was there he ought to have beea convinced of his errors, and L a not j64 the history of Ter. XXII. not have teen commanded bv mere authority to retra£l ; that orthodox iintverfifies had affured him that his docliine w.^s p-;ire, an i fijially declared his refolution that 'be iinive-fi'-y of Wnteniberg. the mv^mbers of uhich had declared Luther's fenti- menrs to be catholic, (houlJ not iolc a profeflbr of fo much ufc to it. At this time MdanQhon, then m his twenty- fecohd year, at the recommendation of Reuchlin, who was his relation, came to be profeflbr of Greek in the univeriity of Wittemberg, and he proved to be of the greateft importance to Luther, and to the caufe of the reformation in general. Such was the reputation which at that early age he had acquired for his knowledge of the belies lettres, that Erafmus, writing to (Xcolampadius, faid,that if that young man lived, he would take from him the glo- iy he ^had acquired. With him Luther loon formed an intimate connection which nothing ever broke. Prierias at this time made a fecond publicati« on, in which he advanced fuch high maxims witk refpeft to the power of the pope, as tho' they had always been avowed by the zealous catholics, it was thought unfeafonable to infill upon at this conji 6lure, as they gave Luther a manifeft ad- vantage. The Dominicans tbemfelves were aware of Sec. II. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. ICS of this, and endeavoured to fupprefs the book. But Luther foon put it out of ;their power. For he himfelf reprinted it, with a preface, notes, and a conclufion, in which hejno longer obfervedfthe mea- fures he had hitherto done with the court of Rome. *• Ifthefe," faid he, "are their preter.fions, there is " no remedy but fome exemplary chaftifement, to *' revenge the majefty of princes, and to exterminr:ite ** thofe monfliers, who would attribute to the pope *' the rights of God and of all fovereigns ;" adding " If this be taught and believed at Rome, and if *' the pope and the cardinals, which, however, I ** do net believe, be informed of it, I boldly de- " clare that Antichrift is now fitting in the temple *' of God, and that he reigns in Babylon, [that Ba- *' bylon which is clothed in purple, and that the " court of Rome is the fynagogue of Satan. Fare- ** well unhappy Rome, the wrath of God is come *• upon thee to the uttermofl, as thou haft well ** deferved. Let us leave it to be the den of dra- " gons, of evil fpirits, and monfters. It is full of *' the idols of avarii:e, peifidy, and all wickednefs, ** a new pantheon of impiety." Healfo at this time publifhed an account of the conferences at Au^fbargh, with very free reflcdii- ons, in which he intimated a doubt whether the authority of the pope was fufficiently proved by the wordi of Cnrift to St. Peter, '< Upon this rock L 3 " I I6fi THE HIS TORY OF Peh.XXII. *«I will build my church." Befides this, he pro- poled another appeal to a council, tho' he did not intend to publifh it till his fentence of excommu- nication, which he now daily expeded, fhould ar- rive. But the eagernefs of the public to get the writings of Lurht-r was now become very great, and the printer fhewing fomc copies of it, it was publiftied a^ai^{l his will. This gave more of- fence than any thing that he had done before ; tho' in faft this appeal implied nothing more than the fuperiority of general councils to the pope. The court ot Rome, feeing the fpirit ol Luther, the applaufe that his ronduft met with, and the protedron of the eleftor, which was now dtclared, and who might interell other princes of the tmpir' in his favour, began to think that they had a6tea with too much precipitation. They therefore wifhed to gain Luther by milder methods, and in this they were very near fucceedmg. With this view the pope publifhed a bull, Novem.ber 9th, eflablifhing thQ do6lnne of indulgences on the immemorial ufage of the church, but without any rcflediions on Luther. On the contrary, his adverfaries were cenfured for publifhing fome errors when they were only fentto preach the word of God. It was expe£lcd that he would have fubmitted to this bull, .and have faid nothing mofe on the fubjed. Eat: it Sec. n. THE CHRISTIAN CTIURCII. l67 it was now too late. Luther had acquired more hght, and was determined to purfue it. In the mean time the eleftor dreading the pow- er of the pope, tho' determined not to dehver up Luther, took a middle courfe, by making him with his own confent a prifoner ; and then he in- formed the legate that he was ready to deliver him up to any judicature, that fhould be appointed to examine him, provided it was in Germany. When Mltitz the nuncio arrived, and found the general efteemin which Luher u'as held, he dropped the defign of carrying him to Rome, and endeavoured to reconcile him to the pupe. For he faid that if Luiher fhould be delivered to him, he believed it would require not lefs than twenty thoufand men to condufl him to Rome. He therefore, began with praifing tjie zeal and talents of Luther, and only blamed him for accufing the pope of the extravagances of other pci fonji. He faid that, as a monk, he owed fubmillion to the holy fee, and aflurcd him that the pope was ready to receive him into his favour, that h^j had already fhcwed his forbearance in dc;ferring the fentencc of excommunitation, and that, as he had promifed to fubmit to the pope, he ought^if he was fiacere, no longer to refufe his retra61ation, now that the pope had decided in favour of indulgences. He alfo highly compliinented the ekaor, and menlioned L4 the 16» THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. the great refpeft the pope had for him, as he faid he had ftiewn him by fending him the golden rofe, which he brought with him. In order to gain his point with Luther, the nuncio refolved to punifh Tetzel, and with this view ordered him to meet him at Altemburg. Tetzel dechned his interview, but Luther went thither, and met the nuncio at the houfe of Spala- tin, in the beginning oi January a. d. 3519.- There the nuncio fpared nothing to flatter, and at the fame time to intimidate Luther, but he could not prevail upon him to fubmit implicitly to the judgment of the pope. However, Luther believ- ing that they now really wifhed that the differences fhould proceed no farther, propofed that they fhould be referred to fome prelates in Germany, who fhould have private orders to delay the decifi- on till the affair fhould be forgotten, and thus fave both the pope's honour and his own ; and he named the archbifhcp of Salztburg as one of his judges. In this ftate of things the eleftor at firfl thought of writing to the pope, to apologize for his conduft and that of Luther too ; but on fecond thoughts he declined it. Miltitz went to Leipfic in his way to Coblentz, to meet Cajetan, without whofe concurrence he had orders to do nothing defini- tively. And being informed of fome;^fcandalous condu6l Sec. II. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 169 condutl of Tetzel, who was then at Leipfic, he reproved him, and alfo his fuperior, with fo mucli feverity, that believin^i; that he was to be made a facrifice to the reconciliation of Luther with the pope, he was reduced to a flate of defpair, Luther hearing of it wrote the letter of fubmilhon to the pope which he had promifed, and he did it in language expreffive of the greateft humility, only- declining to make a formal retra6lation of what he had written, as that would, indeed, be of no avail to the holy fee, but of real prejudice to it. He acknowledged the power of the pope as only inferior to that of Jefus Chrift, and promifed to exhort all perfons to hjonour the fee of Rome, and juftify it from the prophane exaggerations of the preachers of indulgences, and never more to touch upon the fubjed, provided his adverfaries would renounce their impoftures. In fhort, he engaged to do any thing to give his holinefs fatisfaftion. This is ufually confidered as a moft lamenta- ble weaknefs in Luther, and a bafe compliance with the court of Rome. But his opinions were not as yet abfolutely fixed with refpe£l to the au- thority of the church of Rome, at leaft that of coun- cils, on which it was in a great meafure founded ; and he was willing to comply as far as he could with the wifhes of his moft refpe6lable protestor. Alfo he, like other good men, dreaded the confe- L 5 qucnces iro THE IirsrCRV OF Per. XXIL quences of fuch a fchifm as would be made in the church if he had not taken this ftep. That Lu- ther had any fears on his own account by no means appears. But if he had, they were the feelings of human nature, mixed with conHderations of more importance. It was net, however, wuhout a great conteft with himfelf that he complied thus far. For he was then reading the decrees of the pope, in order to prepare himfelf for the difputation at Leipfic, which will be mentioned hereafter, and he told Spalatin, who informed him of the wifties of the eledor, that they made him doubt whether the pope was not either antichrift, or his apoClle, fo miferably was jefus Chrift crucified in thefe decrees. He added, " I am cruelly tormented to fee the peo- *' pie thus impofed upon on the pretence of the " lav/s of Chrill, and tl}e chriftian name." fJ^t if it was weaknefs in Luther to make fuch a fubmif- fion, it was foi!y in the extreme in the court of Rome not to take advantage of it. The progrefs of the reformiltion was at this time favoured by a circumftance of an external nature, as it will be feen it was feveral times afterwards. The emperor Maximilian died in the be-iinnin? of the year a. d. 1519, and in the interregnum the eleftor ot Saxony was vicar of the empire, not only in up^ier and lower Saxony, but in feveral other provinces; and the univerfdl eileem in which he Sec. n. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. m he was held was in fome meafure refleded lipon La^her. h was alio then in his power to afford him effctlual proteai >n^ and it was knwn that he would do fo. His writings were now read with the grealeft eagerneCs, and his difciples were a(lo- nifhingly multiphed thio' th-c whole empire. His courage and his doftrines were equally admir^'d, and allperfons wifhed to know f »mething move of him. On this account there was a great refort of perfons trom all parts to Wittemberg, and n-any were heard, with their hands joined, and their e»'es lifted towards heaven, thanking God that tha: city was become another Zion, from which the light of the gofpel would be diffufed over ail the world. In the mean time, the elector of Treves, being an ecclefiaftic, accepted the office of the judge of Luther, and the eltftor of Saxony was requcfted to fend Luther to him. But he made fo many realonable objections to his caufe being decided hy him alone, which indeed had not been the pro- pofal of Luther, and efpecially in the prefence of Cajetan, who would certainly have dire6led all thf proceedings, that the eleaor of Saxony propo- fed to bring hi.ii to the diet of the empire, whicli w:is to be held at Frankfort, to have the caufe decided there; and this was acceded to; Luther abfolutely 172 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. abfolutely refuCng to make an unconditional re- traftation, which they again endeavoured to bring him to. Luther was now much encouraged by the great increafe of his reputation, and not only in Germa- ny, but in all parts qF Europe, where his writings were eagerly read, and with general approbation. He was more particularly flattered by a letter from Frobenius, the famous printer of Bafil, and flili more by one from Erafmus, informing him of this circumflance. He could not, he fays, exprefs the alarm which his Vv^ritings had occafioned among the monks, who, he faid, mortally hated literature, ai fatal to their theological majefty, of which he faid they make incomparably moie account than of thaC of Jefus Chnft. He defcribed their malice, and calumnies in the ftrongeft language, and faid that they inlinuated that he himfelf was the real head of* the faftion, i nd evf n affillcd him in his compofi- tions. But he faid he ihouH endeavour to a6l a neutral part, as more ufeful to literature, and be- caufe he thought that greater advances would be made by prudence and moderation than by too much vehemence. Such was the uniform maxim of this great man who by the hints that he had occalionaljy given in a fine vein of irony, concerning the abufes of the court of Rome, and the irauds of the monks, was hated SBC. II. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. tYs hated by the bigoted catholics as much as Luther hitnfelf. He afterwards owned that he had not, like Luther, the fpirit of a martyr. Erafrous alfo vrrote to the ele6lor, to tell him that the morals of Luther were held in general efteem, and that his writings were every where read with the greatefl avidity ; a teflimony which had no fmall weight ia determining this prince to prote6l him. At this time the Francifcans holding their chapter at Jutterbach, in the neighbourhood of Wittembcrg, took that opportunity of expreffing their zeal for the church by their condemnation of fifteen propofitions extrafted from the writings of Luther. But fuch was the confidence he now had in himfelf, and in his friends, that he anfwered them with a threap that if they did not retra6t what they had advanced, he would expofe them and their order, in fuch a manner as fhould make them repent of it. Eckius writing in defence of the Fran- cifcans, Luther replied in an ^pdogy, which was afterwards publifhed, on which Eckius publiQied thirteen propofitions againft the doctrine of Luther, and Luther anfwered in thirteen others, in one of which he faid tl^fit the authority of the pope was only fupported by the decrees of the popes themfelves, and that to thefe might be oppofecl the fcriptures, hiftories of approved credit, eleven hundred years old, and the canoas of the firll council of Nice. The lr4. THE HISTORY Or Per. XXII. The court of Saxony began now to be Itnciifly alarmed, and Spalatin being dcTired to inform Lu- ther of it, he replied Jhaf, after the nfk hich he had run, he had no doubt of ihe divme protection; that he was informed the court of Rome was fo much difturbed, that they had recourfe to their ufual arms of defence, poifon and aflaffination; that if it had not been for his regard for the elettor and the univeifity of Wittemberg, he would have declared hii whole mind with refpeClto Rome, or rather that Bab) Ion which was fo oppoled to the fcriptures, that one or the other mufl be renounced. He added, " I ahvays declared that I was ready " to withdraw myfef rather than involve our prince " in the d,mgers that threaten me. As to mvlelf, •* I ihiU not avoid dea h, thu' in my Apology I '* fufficient y flattered the court of Rome, and the *' pope." II«)wever, in order to give forne fatisfac- tion to the court of Saxony, he publillied an ex- planation of one of his ''hefes, in which he admit- ted the fnperiority of the church of Rome over other churches, but only on the foundation of the con fent of the people, which however, he allowed to be fufficient for the purpofe , Eckius, who faw Luther at Augfburg. challeng- ed him and Andre Rodenltein generri.'lv called Caroiftadt, from the place of his birth, to a public diiputation, which was accepted, . and jtave was obtained 1 Sec.ti. the CHRIS 1 an church. its obtained of George duke of Saxony to hold it at Leiplic, nofwithllanding iheoppoGtion of the uni- verhtv and the bifliop. Accordingly the difput^nts appeared in that city June the 8th, and the difputati- on commenced on the i8th in the hall of the caftle. It began between Eckius andCarolfladt on the dif- ficult fubjeft of g* ace, which Carolftadt maintained to be in the ftri6left fenfe necefTary to all good works, and Eckius with certain limitations. This difpute continued feveral days without any great advantage on cither (ide. After this Eckius challenged Luther, and their difputation commenced thr 14th of Ju^ on the author iiy of the pope, in which Luther maintained from the fcriptures, that Peter had no fupcriority over the other apoft'es; but being unwilling to deny the authority of general councils, he was embarraffed when he was urged with their decifions. He did not abfolutely deny the do6lrine of p?irga- ^ tory, but intimated fome doubts on the fubjeii. In difputing concerning indulgences, he did not deny the infallibility of the church in matters of faith, but he maintained that this was not a quefti- on concerning faith, and that he only condemned the abufes that had been introduced into it. And Eckius faying that, tho' induli^ences were not to be; defpifed, they ought not to be too much con- ' fidtd in, Luther replied, that if all perfons had, held ^7G THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII.. held that language l)e fhnuld have kept an eternal filence on the fubjea. After this they paffc.l to queaions concerning repentance, abfolution, ^and fatisfaaion. When Luther had done, Carol Radt and Eckius difputed two days on the fubjea of grace and free-will ; but nothing deferving of much notice was advanced by either of them. This difputation, which was publifhed, termi- nated like mod others, each party claiming the viaory. The audience in general were difpofed in favour of Eckius. But the confqfuences were m- jurious both to the pope, and to Luther. The reading of the aas of this difputation, opened the eyes of many perfons with refpea to the foundati- on of the power of the pope ; but on the other hand, Luther was thought to favour the opinions of WicklifiFe and Hus ; and as the Bohemians lay- under a great odium, he of courfe partook ef it, and was with many confidered as a heretic. This difputation produced many writings, and among others Melanchton's account of if to CErolampadius, which was anfwered by Eckius, and defended by- its author with fingular judgment and moderation. Eckius alfo wrote to the ekaor, perfuading him to burn the writings of Luther, and Luther publifhed an explanation of his thefes. It was on this occafion that, not being able to reconcile James and Paul on the fubjea ot juftification, he feid Sec. II. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 177 faid that the ftyle of James was below the majefty of an apoftle, and not to be compared to that of Paul; feeming to intimate a doubt of the authen- ticity of the epiftle of James ;* but he afterwards faw his error in this. This difpute brought forth the mod dangerous enemy that Luther ever had, Jerom Emfer, a pro- feffor of canon law in the univerfity of Leipfic. Writing to a Romifli do6tor in Bohemia, he faid that Luther entertained the fentiments of the Bo- hemians. On this two of the Bohemian brethren wrote to him, exhorting him to avow and defend the truth, and fending him a book compofed by- John Hus, and that from which the articles of his condemnation had been drawn. This letter being anfwered by Luther, gave occafion to a re- port that he was in flri6t correfpondence with the Bohemian brethren. But he defended himfelf from the imputation in a letter to Emfer, in which he faid, that his mofl zealous 'friends were thofe who had no connexion whatfoever with the Bohe- mians. In all this time the reformation was greatly promoted by the writings of Erifmus, efpecially by his new verfion of the New Teflament, and his edition of tiie works of Jerom in a. d. 1519. This gave great offence to the divines of Louvain, who engaged Dorpius to write againllhim. But Eraf- V&r.. V. M mus 178 THE HISTORY OP Per. XXII. mus replied with fo much eEfeft, that Dorpius made an ingenuous retra6lation of what he had ad- vanced; and afterwards he with great force recom- mended the fludy of the fcriptures in their original languages, in preference to Logic and the Meta- phyfics of Arillotle, which he faid confumed all the time of fcholars to no good purpofe whatever. At the diet at Frankfort in a. d. 1519, the eleftor of Saxony gained great honour by refuting the imperial dignity which was unanimoufly of- fered him ; the elei the Galatians, publifh- ed this year A. d. i5i9> hoping to accommodate matters with the pope, he repeated his proteftatioii ct obedience to the fee of Rome. In public he continued to explain the pfalms and the gof* pels. About this time the reformation was greatly advanced by Ulric Zuinglius, who indeed began to explain the fcriptures in a manner very holliJc to the church of Rome in a. d. 1516, before the name oi Luther had been heard in Switzerland. This extraordinary perlon was born in a.d. 1481, in a village near the Lake of Zurich, of which bis father was bailiff. He ftudied theology at Balil under Thomas Wittembach, a man who» Was well M 2 aware its origin in the lUh century; and it is generally af- cribed to Urban II, who in A, D. 1095 gave it to Fulk count of Anjou. Others afcribe it to Leo IX, about fifty years before this. VEnfanfs Pise, Vol. 1, p. ISO IHE HISTORY OF I^er. KXIJ. aware of the abiifes of the tiines, and efpecialjy that of indulgences, which he combated as occalion ferved, and who was difgufted with fcholaftic theology. When he had finifhed his ftudies, Zuinglius was chofen paftorof the church of Cla- ris, and there he preached ten years, applying clofc- ly to the ftudy of the fcriptures and the Fathers, and there he learned Hebrew. In this (ituation belaboured much to enlighten the minds of his parifhioners, but mpre to reform their worftiip ; and he particularly endeavoureji to difiuade the Switzers from furnifhing troop* for pay to foreigners, by which he got many ene- mies. From Claris he was invited to the church oi Notre Dame of the hermitage, the moft cele- brated in all Switzerland, in a. d. 1516. Here he was in a v(^xy confpicuous fituation, on ac- count of the greaJ: number of pilgrims that reforted to it ; but his method was to inculcate truth, ra- ther than dire&ly cxpofe error. But while he was at Claris, he had written to the bifhop of Con- llance about the reformation of abufes. He had alfo fpoken of them to the bifhop of Sion, a prelate who was himfelf very fenlible of them. The reputation which Zuinglius acqviired at the hermitage, was the occafion of his being invi- ted to Zurich, Deer, the loth, a. d. 1518. There he began vrith explaining the gofpel of Matthew, being Sec. IL THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 181 then thirty four years of age, having declared his refolution not to preach in the ufual manner, but to follow the method of the Fathers, and to ex- plain the fcriptures by themfelves ; and in this he united ccfjiuge with prudence. In^ this year he oppof he Francifcan Samien, who publiflied indulgences, and he was commended at firft by^the bifhop of Conftance, wha encouraged him to pro- ceed with firmnefs, affuring. him of his fiipport. In return, he exhorted the bifhop to favour the' progrefs of truth, which was now burlling upon tliem on all fides, in fuch a manner that it wa^ not poffible to refift it. After this, however, the biihop grew cool, and rather thwarted the endea- vours of Zuinglius, tho'he was fufficienlly difguil- ed with the pride and arrogance ol the court of Rome. Zuinglius alfo addTcQed himfelf to Antonius Pucci, the pope's legate in Switzerland, and had four converfations with him on the fubjeQ, in which he openly propofed his views ; declaring that he fhould expound the fcriptures in fuch a manner as would give a great fhock to the pope. In this laft fituation of Zuinglius, his labours as a preacher and a lefturer, as well as in other ways, were very great, and expofed him to much danger both from the Catholics and the timid friends of truth and liberty. Many attempts were made up- M 3 on 182 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. on Iiis life, but they were fruflratcd by the care of his friends and of the magiftrates, who placed guards near his houfe every night. His greateft enemies, as thofe of Erafmus and Luther, were the monks, in confequence of his having advifed the magiftrates to let the monafleries fall after the deceafe of the prefent members, and to employ the revenues of them for the ufe of the flate. He alfo obtained of the magiftrates an order to all the ec- clefiaftics to preach nothing but the pure word of God, and to omit every thing fufpeded of no- x'elty. All this pafTed before any thing was heard of Luther, That Zuinglius was a perfon of fome note and chara6ler as a fcholar, is evident from his receiving money from the pope's legate while he was at Claris, to buy books, and his having been made acolyte, and chaplain to Leo X, who with all his faults was a lover of learned men. SECTION Sxc.III. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. tg3 SECTION III. The Progrcf^ of tht Reformation Jr nm the jicccffion of Charles V to the Empire, to the Citation of Luther to appear at the Diet of Worms. XT is fomething remarkable that Luther began his reformation independently of any thing that had been done beiore him, fo that he was truly a great original in that way. He ever dreaded the reproach of herefy, and it was by flow degrees that he was brought to any connexion with thofe who had been denominated heretics ; but the af- finity between bib do6lrincs and thofe of the Huf- fites in Bohemia could not but foon be peiceived, and all his enemies eagerly propagated reports of his connexion with them. Some colour was giv- en to them by the publication of a fermon this year, in which he exprelTed a wifh that the church allembled in general council, would reflore the cup to the laity. The bifliop of Mifnia cenfured this piece, and forbad the* reading of it in his dio- Cefe, and the duke of Saxony wrote to the cle6lor M 4 to I8i THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. to complain ot it. But he anfwered with great prudence, that he did not take upon ' him the de- fence of any of the writings of Luther, tho' -^jaere I were pcrfons of acknowledged piety and good fenfc who faw nothing reprehenfible in them. Luther eafily defended himfelf from this ac- cufation in two publications. The firft bore the title of an Apology, in which he ftlewed that the Bohemians could not be called heretics on account of their receiving the communion in both kinds, becaufe they did it with the confent of the church ; nor could he be called a heretic for having expreff- ed a wifh that the communion in both kinds might be reftored, unlefs Pius II was a heretic for hav- ing wilhed that the priefts might be allowed to marry. The fecond piece contained a refutation of the fentence of the bifhop of Mifnia, in which he was very fevere on two or three ecclefiailics, whom he confidered as the authors of it. This publication was difliked by the ele6loral court, and the impreffion of it was flopped for fear of pro- voking the pope. This interference of the court difpleafed Lu- ther, and what he wrote to Spalatin on the occafion difcovers his fiimnefs and the juftnefs of his way of thinking. *' You would have me," he fays, " continue to teach, but how can this be done with- " out offending the pope. The icnptures con- " demn Sec. III. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. lafJ *' demn the abafe of facred things, and the popes " will never bear the condemnatioh of the abufes V ot which they are the authol's. I have devoted ^' myfelf to the fervice of God, and may his will " be done. Let us leave this bufinefs to him, and "make ourfelves eafy. What can they do ? They " may take my life, but this I cahriot lofe more *' than once. They may defame itte as a heretic, »' but was not ]efus Chrift cortdemned by the *' wicked ? Every time that I meditate on the fuf- "^ferings of our Saviour, lam concerned to perceive *' that my trials appear fo great to many perfons, " This comes from our not being tifed to fufFef, " that is, to live as the difciples of Chrift. Let *' them do what they pleafe. The more they en- " deavour to deflroy me, the more I deride their " efforts. If I did not feai- to involve our prince " in my deftruclion, I would write all I think *' without referve, in order to provok^^ them the " more." At this tinie the rievir etiiperor was expcfted in Germany, and it was thought that he would be favourable to Luther, as it was well known that the pope had oppofed his eleftion. He therefore addreffed a refpeftful letter to the emperor, in which, however, he expreffed himfelf with proper firmnefs, explaining his fentiments, and exprefling the hope he had of his protection, concluding u-ith M 5 laying 186 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. faying, that if there was any thing that would do honour to his memory in future ages, it would be his not fuflFering the wicked to trample upon the righteous. But previous to this he had adopted other conciliatoYy meafures. He had made a pub- lic proteftation ot his refolution to live and die in the communion of the catholic church, that lie was ready to renounce all difpulation in order to emnloy himfeif in more ufeful works, and to ap- pear before any ccclefiaRical or fecular judges, provided he could have a fafe conduQ; praying the public to excufe his faults, fince he aimed at nothing but the edification of the church, and the difcovery of truth. In a fhort lime after he wrote with the fame fpirit ot moderation to the archbifhop of Mentz, and to the bifhop of Merfbeig. The anfwer he received from the former was mild, and did the writer much honor He had the greater expe6lation from this prelate, in confequence of a letter which Erafmus had written to hirn the year before, as it was a complete jufl-ification of his condufl, and a condemnation of that of his enemies. It (hewed at the fame time the neccflity of a reformation. This letter Erafmus, agreeably to^'his ufual caution, wifhed to be kept fecrct ; but Ulric of Hutten, who was then at the court of the bifhop, made it public, which gave the author much concern. In this Sec. III. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 18/ this letter he made heavy complaint of the mendi- cant triars, as the great fupporters of fuperftition, and whofe pra6lices would exterminate allchriftian piety. In mentioning their artifices, he referred to the hillory of Jetzer at Bern. Erafmus alfo wrote to theele6tor of Saxony to the fame purpofe addincj that fuch was the artifice of the monks, that as they faw all the learned to be againfl them, they endeavoured to perfuade the people that the fludy of languages, of eloquence, and of literature in general, was the lource of the herefy of Luther and his great fupport. Thefe two letters were of great fervice to Lu- ther, as the writer was univerfally efteemed both for his knowledge and moderation; fo that the cenfures of the univerfities of Cologn and Louvain, which were now publifhed, did Luther lefs harm than the teflimony ot Erafmus did him good. In- deed, Luther's own replies to thefe cenfures were fo bold and jufl, as to be of great fervice to his caufe. In them he mentioned a nuir.ber of mofl refpefta- ble perfons whom they had cenfured. efpecially Erafmus and Reuchlin, faying it was the opmi- on of all the learned that they had loft nothing of their jufl reputation, having been calumniated by men whofe pride and pafTion were equal to their ignorance, and that whatever advantage they had gained over fuch men had been by their intrigues, or their authority, j^t 13^ riit HISTORY OF Px:r. XXH. At tliis time, h^bwe^ef, LmfKer did not wifli w1it)'Ky to' abolifh the authority- of the pope, think- ing it nifght be of ufe to preferve the unity of the weftern church ; but he was d^firous of moderating its authority, (ince it was become tyrannical, and tbi avarice and ambition of the court of Rome encouraged thcfe abufes which were the fource of their wealth. Td acconiplifh this end he this year publifhed a treatife in the German language, ad- dreffed to the emperor and the nobility of the em- pire, iri which he Tapped the foundation of the papal tyranny by arguments which went further than his OWti views. The foundations of this tyranny he faid werei three, i. The prerogative which thef clergy affumed Over the laity, whereas the fcrip- turcs ma:de: no fuch diftinQion as then prevailed between them, and laymen might exercife the faridioii^ of the chriflian miniHry in cafe of neccf- fity. 2. The right which the popeis claimed to dieterminef thfe feilfe of fcripture, when they were i$ liable to error as other men. 3. The fole pow- er of calling general councils, which properly be- longed to the princes, and had been ufurped by the popes. He then gave a detail of the abufes of thd coiirt of Rome, and propofcd the means of re£tify- ihg them ; and this he did in fo able a manner as appeared extraordinary in a man who had been educated Sec. III. THE CHRISTIAN CHURC^. 1»« educated at 9 diftancc from the bufinefs of the world. He particularly expofed the pretenfions of the popes to the giving of the empire to the Ger- mans, after "taking it from the Greeks. On the contrary^ he fhewed that they had revolted from the emperors, whofe fubjefts they were. He alfo dwelt upon their artful and unjuft methods of exhaufting Germany. He acknowledged, how- ever that the popes had a fpiritual authority over the emperors, as they preached the word of God, and adminiOered the facraments, which Ambrof? did to ThcodoCus. But,faid he, " Let the emp«ror " fliew at length that lie is emperor and their fove- *• reign, and let him not be furprifed by the trick? " of Rome. Let him not fufFer die pope to feize *• upon hi5 authority, and take from him the (v^ord " which God has put into his hands." Tho' thefe thiiigs weie well known before, the emperors not having been ignorant of their rights, this work of Luther's made a great noife. The friends of the court of Rome were incxprcHibly en- raged, and the friends of Luther trembJed for him j thinking that after fuch an affront the pope would never forgive him. This publication was, howe- ver, offervice to him with the nobility, but hurt him with the eccleiiaftics in general, who weric not plcafed to fee themfelves reduced to a level wi^h the laity. He was much urged by his friends to 190 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXil. io fuppiefs this piece, but he faid it w&s impofii- ble, and four thoufand copies were foon fold. He added, " We are perfuaded, that the papacy is the *' feat of Antichrifl, and we expofe his impoftures." lie did not, however, me..n any thing more at this time than to reduce the power of the pope within due bounds. At this time the eIe€lor of Saxony having fome bufmefs to manage at Rome, in which he did not fucceed to his wifhes, was told that he could not wonder that it went fo ill while he pro- tedled fuch a mAn as Luther. But he anfwered^ that he had never arrogated to himfcif the right of judging Luther, and was far from defending him; and that he had let him alone, on his alLirance that he was ready to defend his opinions before a proper tribunal, as foon as he fhould have a fafe conduftfor that purpofe ; that Luther himfelf had voluntarily propofed to leave his eftates, but that ■the legate Miltitz had oppofed the mtafure, fear- ino that he might write with more freedom in fome other place. In order to prevent their proceeding to the excommunication of Luther, he obferved that Germany was not now what it had been, that it abounded with learned men, that all perfons were palBonatcly bent upon reading the fcriptures j and that if the court of Rome was determined to treat Luther wiih rigour, it might pccafion a revolution as fatal to t he pope as to others. The Sec. HI. THE CHRISTIAN CIltJUCH. 191 The pope, fomewhat intimidated by this re- monftrance, wrote to the cle6lor, praifing him for his moderation, but flill fpeakingof Luther as the moft wicked and detellable ot all heretics, who had no miffion but from the devil. He further informed him that thedoftrineof Luther had been condemned in a congregation held for that pur- pofe, and that if he did not retrafl in the time pre- fcribed he de fired the ele£lor to fecure his per- fon. About this time Luther found other friends and prote6lors in Germany. Sylvefler de Schaumberg, a nobleman of Franconia, and Francis Seckingen, a perfon of great wealth and influence in the em- pire wrote to him, dcfiring him not to take refuge in Bohemia, as that would make hiscaufe general- ly odious; but they affured him that there were an hundred gentlemen who were determined to pro- tect him from any injury till his affairs fhould come to fome regular decihon. Thefe friends, gained by nothing but the jaftice and goodnefs of his caufe, greatly encouraged Lutherto defpife the thunders of the court of Rome, and he (ignified to the eleftor, that it might anfwer a good purpofe to intimate this to his Iriends at Rome ; hoping it might ftop the excommunication which he knew VV2S preparing againft him. He added, " As for ** myfelf, my determination is taken, I equally "defpife iQ^ THE HISTOHY OF Per. XXII. "defpife the favours and the frowns of Rome. I ** will have no peace' or communion with them. " Let them condemn me. and burn my books if " they will. I will condemn and burn their d^r •' cr^jEF, and renounce forever all fubmiffion. I " hav£ gone too far in this way to recede. I *' 4ouht not God will finifli his worjc ekher hy *' ipe, or by Tome other.*' I^uther did not, however, al^vays retain this de- gree of courage. About this very time, or not long ^fter, he wrote to SpaJatin to requeft his mediation inthebuGnefs; faying that he would agree to every tiling except an abfolutc retra (Elation, fubmitting to ihe brand ol hereiy, and the deprivation of his li- berty to preach the word of God. He had, how- £ver, he faid, an afylum in the hearts of the Ger- mans. We cannot wonder at this vacillation in a man whofe temper v/as naturally violent, and therefore fubje6l to extremes, in a coujundure of fuch great difficulty and importance. All this time Luther continued to write, and now he publiftied a book which furprized by its title, andnotlefs by its contents. It was entitled, De Captivitate Babylonica, in which he treated of the facraments, js nothing had contributed more to raife and maintain the authority of the pope than their number and fuppofed efficacy, and his exclufive power of ?.dminiflering them. In this v.^ork Seg. III. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. I93 work he reduced the facraments to three, baptifm, the eucharill, and pcMance, tho' this lalt he laid was not properly a (i\crament. He maintained on clearer ground than he had done bek)re the right of ctrnmunion in both kinds; but tho* he denied the doclrine ol tranfubftantiation, he retained that of the real p efence ] faying that, as the divine nature of C.irift became fltfh without the flefh be- ing changed into the divine nature, fo the bread became the body of Chrift without any change in its fubftance. This do6liine was called confubjlan* tiation, and Luther illuflrated it by the companfon ot fire being in the fubftance of hot iron, where both fubfifted tpgether. In this work he took great pains to prove that the euchanft was no proper facrifice, and therefore that no perfon can ofFer it for another, that therefore the priefl can no more communicate for the people, than he could be baptized for them. Confequently, that all aniverfaiies, maffes for the dead, or for the living who are abfent, and the foundations which fup- ported them, ought to be abolifhed, which would ruin an infinite number of priefts and monks, who had no employment befides the celebration of fuch maffes. With refpe6l to facraments in general, he faid that they did not juftify, but the laith which men have in the promife of God ; as Abraham was Vol. V. N not I9i THE HISTORY OF Per.XXII. notjuflified by circumcifion, becaufe he ;vas julli- fied before he was circumcifcd. In the mean time Miltitz. whofe interefl it was not to offend either the court of Rome or the elec- tor, was indefatigable in his endeavours to bring about a. reconciliation ; and for this purpofe he applied to the archbifliop ot Treves, to v/hofe judg- ment Luther had made no obje6lion. Bui this prelate, perceiving the difficulty of the bufinefs, referred him to the approaching diet. * He ther ap- plied to the chapter of the Auguflins, and they appointed Stupitz, who had refigned the office of their vicar general, and Vinceflas Lincius, who had fucceeded him, to confer with Luther for the purpofe. Accordingly they both went to Wittem- berg, and a6lually prevailed upon Luther to pro- mife that he would write to the pope, afTuring him of his filial fubmiffion; and Miltitz was overjoyed at this fuccefs. But in the mean time Eckius ar- rived from Rome ; and having brought the bull of excommunication, Luther changed his opinion, and informed Spalatin, that as he had not aQually written the letter which he had promifefil to write, he would net now do it This letter to Spalatin is dated Oa. 3. This was a great mortification to Miltitz, but he did not yet defpair. He ppplied again to Lu- ther, and promifed tht elc^oral court that, if Lu- ther Sec. hi. the christian church. 19^ ther would abide by his promife to the Auguflins, he would procure the bull to be revok-. d 01 mode- rated, in one hundred and twenty days. On this Luther again confented, and promifed to write to the pope within twelve days a letter that fhoald be dated the 6th of September, that it might not ap- pear to be written after the arrival of the bull, or extorted for fear of the excommunication. Miltiiz':; defi go was to go himfelf to Rome before the expi- taiion of the one hundred and twenty days, and negociate the bufinefs with the pope. Luther then a6iiially wrote his letter, and fcnt it to the pope together with a book he had jufl publifhed on the liberty of a chr.flian, in which he maintained the "eeming paradox that a chriflian is at the fame time i"ubje6l to no one, and yet fubje£ltoall the world, iaking advantage of (he faying of Paul, tho' lam free, lamfervant of all. This work gave offence to fome, as favouring fcdition, and was incautioufly written. The court of Rome might, honrever, lave borne with it if it had been capable ot mode- 'ation, or had confulted its interefl;. But the conduft of Miltitz was hy no means approved at Rome. It was thought that he had afted with too much meannefs; and Eckius, who was then at Rome, had fo boafted of his fuperiori- ty in the conference at Leipfic, and fo exaggerated the herefy ol Luther, tint he fucceeded in procur- N 2 ing 196 THE MIS TORY OF Per. XXII. ing a bull againft him, which, after much difficulty with rerpe61; to particulars, it was agreed fhould contain a condemnation of Luther's do6i:rine in forty one propofitions, but fhould allow him to retraft m fix days. All the books which he had ever publifhed, or that he fhould publifh, were ordered to be burned, and a!I chriflian princes were exhorted to feize his perfon and his adherents, after that time ftiould be expired, with a promifc of a reward for fo great a fervice, and an interdi^ was laid upon any place to which he ftiould retire. In this bull Luther himfelf is treated as the great- eft of heretics. The pope, however, exprefles his extreme concern for the Hate into which this herefy had brought the German nation. Even the com- pofition of this bu^l, tho' exceedingly elaborate, did no credit to the compofers ot it; the period* being uncommonly long, and perplexed with pa- renthefes, as well as objectionable on many other accounts, Ulric de Hutten, a nobleman of Franconia, but a man of letters, and deeply imprcITed witli the prevailing abufes of the times, caufed this bull to be publiilied, and at the fs^me lime expofed it* defeas, adding at the dole of his remarks the words of the pfalmift, pfalm 2. Ld us break their bonds a/under, and cajl their cords from us. Eckius Sec. III. THE CHRIS 1 IAN CHURCH. 107 Eckius having obtained the charafter of nun- cio, returned to Germany with this bull ; but his reception was very different from his expe£lations; and a^Lpipfic, where he had difputcd with Lu- ther, and where he hoped to have met with the greateft applaufe, he was worfe treated than in any other place. Even the dukeot Saxony forbad the publication of the bull without an exprefs or- der from the bifhop of Merfberg ; and when it ap- peared the people and the ftudents tore it in pieces, and threw it into the dirt. Eckius himfeli was fo much infulted that he took refuge in the monaftery of the Dominicans. Leaving Leipfic in the night, he prefented the bull to the univerfity of Erford ; but there it was not received on the pretence of the want of fome formality. In this place alfo it was torn, and thrown into the water, and the flu- dents kept him befieged in his own houfe. The bifhop of Bamberg made the fame objec- tion to the reception of the bull that had been made at Erford, and the b (hop of Eickfladt, where Eckius was a canon, was the firfl who at length publiflied it. The bilhop of Merfberg de- ferred the publication till April in the year fol- lowing, and the bifhop of Mifnia, the moft violent againft Lutl^er, did not do it ti 1 the j'\i of Janu- ary. At Vienna it was not publifhed till EaRer in A. D. 1521, and then the fcnate ordered all the . N 3 people 19S THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIIi people to withdraw before tlic reading of it. The bifliop of Brandenberg, tho* accompanied b) the ele6lor, and Albert duke of M-:-* klenberg, went to Wittf mberg to publifh it there ; but finding 'he favourable opinion the people there had of Luthr r, and both the eleftor and the duke his brother fpeaking favourably of him, they left the place without doing any thing in the bufinefs. Thus encouraged, we are not furprized to find that Luther treated this bull with contempt. At firft he thought to advife the eleftor of Saxony, who was then at Aix, attending the coronation ot the emperor, to obtain an imperial refcript, forbid- ding the condemnation of him till he fh05 At this time there was a very general vvifli for a reformation* The emperor himulf was not dif- inclined to it, and this was even the cafe of fome of the ecclefiaftical princes. The archbifhop of Mentz, tho* a vo'uptuous man, was not macli a- verfe to it, and the archbifliop of Treves, tho' at- tached to the pope, had prevented the burning of Luther's books in his diocefe. George duke of Saxony, tho* a rival to the ele6ior, and difliking Luther, was fo much perfuaded of the neceffity of fome reformation, that he carried to the diet of Worms a propofal in twelve articles, which con- cluded with his faying, " We muft labour for an " univerfal reformation, and as it cannot be ef- " fecled mere commodioufly than in a general " council, we all demand the immediate calling of "one." Notwithftanding thefe favourable appear- ances, the friends of Luther, who knew the litua- tion of the emperor, and efpecially how delirous be was to gratify the pope, in order to gain his interell to oppofe Francis king ot France, were not a little apprehenfiyc for his fafety. However, the enemies of reformation dreaded the 'appearance of Luther at Worms much more than his friends, and nothing that they could do was fpared to prevent it ; and when the diet was met, Aleanderon the 13th of February, delivered a flaming inventive again 0. Luther, in which he faid 106 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. faid that his books were full of as many her? fies as would juftify the burning ot an hundred thou- fand heretics, and declared that they could not a- void ordering them to be burned without offering au affront to the emperor, and efpecially the e* le€lor ot Mentz and Cologn. Of himfelf, he faid that he was not of Jewifh extraftiGn, but defcend- cd from the marquifes of Iflria. But all the influence of the pope and his par- tiDms could not prevail upon the diet to take any harfh meafures with refpeft to Luther, tho* they thou 'ht the authority of the pope well founded, and only wifhtjd to corre£> the abufes of it. The lentiments ot Eraimus being defired on this occa- fion, he wrote hi{> advice at large, blaming the ene- mies of Luther, who he faid were the enemies of literature, for their violence, as the caufe of his ad- vifiiig moderate meafnrcs; afferting the neceffity of a reformation, and faying that the old theology was nothing but a heap ofufekfs fubtleties. ihat the people were every where longing for the doc- trine of the gofpei, and that if the fources of this knowledge were fhut to them, they wo;ild open them by force. In his opinion, he faid, the only method of terminating the differences was by the emperor, the kings of England and Hungary, who could not be fufpefted by either party, chuf- ing out of their ellates prudent and enlightened perf^KS Sec. Iir. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 20r perfons to take cognizance of the writings of Lu- ther. The pope be allowed had a right tc judge in all matters of faith, but that on this occafion he ought to decline it, and leave the bufinefs to o- thers. In this ftate of things Glapius, confeffor to the emperor, had many conferences with Pontanus, the chancellor of the ele6lor of Saxony, the obje£l of which was to prevent the public difcuflion of Luther's fentiments, to have the buHnefs fettled in feme private manner, or to amufe the people with fome fliiiht reformation. But the iffue of the whole tended to confirm the ele^or in his opini- on that Luther had much rcafon on his fide, and that he ought to proteQ him. The emperor, being thus affailed on all fides, thought of an expedient, which he imaj, ned xvould fatisfy all parties for the . prefent. It was that the books of Luther fhould not be burned, Kor yet fuflFered to be circulated, but that the mn his friends, that they en- deavoured to perfuade him to return. But tho* he was at fhat time in a bad (late of health, he per- fifled in his purpofe, and faid he would go to Worms in fpite of all the powers of hell. When h^- was within three leagues of the city, he receiv- ed a letter from Spalatin, conjuring him once more not to proceed an) farther. But he replied tha! he would go to Worms, tho' there Ihould be as many devils there as there were tiles upon the houfes. Another attempt was made to divert him from his purpolc, by deferring the execution of the imperial ordonance to take his books into cuftody, till the very evening before his arrival. This in- duced Seckingea to fend Bucer to him, to per- Vol. V. O fuade 310 THE HISTORY OF J>er; XXIL fuade him to retire to fome caftle in the neishbour- bood, where Glapion would be ready to confer with him on the fubjedl of religion. But he re- plied, that only two days remained of his fafe condu6l, and that this was not fufficient for any conferrences with the emperor's confeflfor. He therefore proceeded, and arrived at Worms the fame day, April the i6th. His entering refem- bled a triumph rather than that of a man accufed of herefy. A herald walked before him in his habit of ceremony, a number of courtiers, who had gone to meet him; walked along with him, and the ilreets were crowded with people eager to fee him. He was lodged with the miniflers of the eledor of Saxony, where he received the vifits of manyperfons of diflindlion. SECTION Sfife. IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. MX Section iv. From the Appearance of Luther at Wtjrms in April A, D. 1520, to the Pontificate of Clement VII A, D. 1523. A T length the day, the fubje6l of fo much expedation, when Luther was to appear be-' fore the diet, arrived. It was April the 17th, the day after his arrival at Worms, when the marlhal of the empire wailed upon him with an order to attend the diet at four in the afternoon. At that hour he waited upon hirh again, and conduced him to the diet, preceded by a herald. But the crowd was fo great, that they were obliged to break down the pallifades of fome gardens to make roorri for his paffage. All the windows, and even the roofs of the houfes, were crowded with fpedatorrs; When he was introduced into the aflembly, he was required to fay whether hf was (he authof of the books afcribed to him, and whether he would retra61; or defend what was contained in them. To the former he readily i-eplied in the affirmativcj O 2 bvjfi 012; THE HISTORY OF fzR. XXII. but he defiled time to confider of the latter; and after fome debate, he was allowed till the next day, provided he would then give his anfwer viva voce. This delay led the enemies of Luther to think that he was intimidated ; and even his friends, the ele6lor of Saxony among the reft, were not without their fears on this head ; and as he was the next day going to the hall of audience feveral perfons were heard fpeaking to encourage him. One gentleman, who had been in the army, told him, that tho' he was going into a place of more danger than ever he himfelf had been in, he might take courage, for God would never leave him. As he entered the hall, which was at fix o'clock in the afternoon, fome 'were heard to fay, " Fear not them *•' that kill the body," and others, *' When you arc *' taken before kings, and governors, take no thought *' what ye fliall fay, &c. Being at length introduced, and again afked by the public orator, whether he would defend or re- tra6t his writings, and was infulted by faying, that fogieat a do£tor as he was, fhould always be rea- dy to anfwer, and not have required To much time, without taking any notice of that, he addreffed the emperor and the audience in the German language; and after an introdu6lion fuitedtothe cafeofaper- fon who liad beeq, ediucated far from courts, and the Sec. IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH* 213 the intercourfe of fuch perfons as he was then ad- dreffing, he faid that he mufl make a diflin6lion in his writings. Some of them he faid were works of piety, which his enemies allowed to be ufeful, tho' the pope had ordered them to be burned along with the reft ; others related to the pope and his partifans, who by their dodrine and their exam- ple, equally pernicious, were ravaging the chriftian world, ruining families, and deflroying fouls, as he faid cannot be denied or dilTembled. Thefe, he faid, he was not capable of fuch cowardice as to retradi:. In his other writings he faid he had cenfured particular perfons, and he was ready toal- low that he had fometimes done it with too muchaf- perity; but that farther than this he could not make any conceflion. He was ready, however, he faid, to retraft any thing that he Ihould be Ihewn by the word of God to be an error; and he conjured the aflembly to inform him of them, declaring that then he would burn his books himfelf. He was well aware, he added, both, of the dan- ger to which he expofed hirnfelf, and of the evils that would arife from the difference of opinion and condu6l which would be ocafioned by his writ- ings ; but this, he faid, was in the order of provi- dence. Chrift himfelf faid that he was not come to bring peace upon earth, but a fword, and to N 3 put *l4r THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII* put divifion between the neareft relations. He concluded with folemnly warning the audience not to defeat their owr purpofe by piofcnbing the word of God, and thereby bring a deluge of evils upon the empire, which would make the reign of thHr vou ng prince, fr itn which they had formed fuch great and juft expe6lanons, a very unhappy one. He then mtreated their protection, and that they would not iufFer the clamour ot his enemies to prevdil over their regard to equity. Having faid this in the German language, he was required to fpeak in Latin, and this he did with the fame readinefs and firmnefs. When he had concluded, the public orator, with much in- dignation, replied, that he had not anfwered the queftion that had been put to him ; he muft fay diflmftly whether he would retraft, or not ; nor n?ull he call in quePiion what had been decided in general councils. To this Luther replied, that he muft be convinced of error by proofs drawn from fcripture, or from plain reafon ; he would not yield to the authority of popes, or of councils, botn of them having fallen into manifeft errors and contradiftions. Being perfuaded that he had taught the truth, " I cannot," he faid, '' retraft upon any *' article. This is my final refolulion, I (hall take 1* no other. So help me God." ^ Attar Sac. IV- . THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 2i5 After he was withdrawn, and the princes had confidered his fpeech, he was called in again ; when the orator told him that his anfwers to the queftions that had been put to him were deemed to be neither decent, nor to the purpofe ; that tha diftin6tion that he had made in his writings was ufelefs, as he had only to retra£l thofe that con- tained errors ; that it was unreafonable in him to cxpeft to be confuted out of the Icriptures, when he revived errors which had been condemned in the council of Conftance, at which the German church had affifted ; that the emperor commanded him to fay diliindly, whether he would maintain what he had advanced, or retradl it. Luther, however, perfifled in his refolution ; and as he finally withdrew, the Spaniards belonging to the emperor's houfchold followed him with hooting:^. Cut his fi\cnds received him with the wariiKH congratulations, and efpecially the eledor of S.^.x- ony, who Ciid to Spalatin, that he had always feared left Luther would have been intimidated by fuch an alFembly ; but then, full of joy and ad- miration, he faid to him, " How well Luther has " fpoken, both in German, and in Latin, he has *' fhewn all the courage that he ought to have *•' done, and perhaps too much." The day follov/ing the emperor, who was be- fet by the emiffaries of the pope, produced in the P 4 diet 215 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. diet, without confulting the princes of the empire, a writing in Latin, which expreffed rhat the em- perors, his predeceflbs, having always honoured the church of Rome which Luther had attacked, tvithout renouncing his errors, he was refo]v hlted all attempts to injure Lather. Writing to his brother from the diet, he faid, " I have been folicited m *' the ftrongeft manner by perfuns of fuch charac- ** ter that you would befurpnzed if 1 were to tell " you. Wnen I come I fhall tell you alloniQiing " things. This is the work of God, and not of ** man. Be affured that not only Annas and ■' Caiaphas, but that Pilate and Herod, are the *' enemies of Luther." When Luther was arrived at Frideberg, where he might think himfelf fafe, he difmiired his guard with two letters, one addreired to the emperor, and the other to the Rates oi the empire; expref- (ing himfelf as he had done before, and faying that he was ready to appear before equitable judges; but on the only condition that his caufe fhould be examined by the fcriptures, and exprcf- (ing his fincere good will towards the emperor and the German nation. When he was enteiincr the foreft of Thuringia, he was by the direftion ot the ele6lor, who faw no other way of laving him and himfelf, and with Luther's own confent, feized by an armed force, and conveyed to the caftle of Wan burg, and this ;vas done with fo much fecre- cy^ that it was not known either to the friends or the 520 THE HISTORY OF Ver. XXII. the enemies of Luther; and, on its being reported that he was aflTafTinated, it appeared by the confter- nation excited by the news, that he had more friends than his enemies wifhed him to have, and that it was impoffible to deftroy him by profcrip- tion. The friends of the pope, however, did not fail to endeavour it. The emperor, being wholly go- verned by their councils, iffued an edi6l on the 26th of May, alter the friends of Luther were pur- pofely tired out with theii attendance at the diet, and had left it, but dated the 8th, as if it had been dictated while the diet was full, in which Luther was treated in the mofl opprobrious manner ; being faid to be the devil himfelf, who had taken the form of a man, and of a monk, to conceal himfelf and deftroy mankind; that the emperor had per- haps gone too far in hearing a man who had been condemned by the pope, who was obftinate in his errors, and was acknowledged to be a heretic. H« therefore condemned and banifhed him as the au- thor of fchifm, and an obftinate and notorious heretic, and direfted that every perfon fhould en- deavour to apprehend him, and to put him under lawful cuftody. He alfo ordered Al his books to be deftroyed. Shidan, p. 49. ^y this meafure the emperor gained the friend- fhip of the pope, and drew him off from the inter- efts Sec. IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 221 efts of the king of France. This, and not his zeal in the caufe of religion, was, no doubt, the t;ue reafon of this proceeding. The edi6l, however, had no effe6i;. No inquiry was made after Luther, and thfe emperor did not appear to be folicitous about it; which made fome perfons think that he himfelf was in the fecretof his feizure. Luther, in the mean time, was at his eafe, more refpeftcd than ever, and employed in writ* ing more books. He would have wifhed however, to have had more liberty, tho' attended with more danger. Being tired of his folitude, and his health fufFering from it, he wrote to one of his friends, that he had rather be put upon burning coals for the glory of God, the ftrengthening of his own, faith, and the faith of others, than remain there alone, in a (late of confinement, liardly alive, and rotting in a difmal folitude, before he was buried. In this fituation it gave him much concern to hear that when the canons of Erford would have driven from their body one of their brethren on the pretence of his being a Lutheran, the ftudents rofe and plundered fome of their houfes, and fet fire to them, and that the infurgents were not pu- nifhed. He was far from being pleafed with this mark of popular favour ; being of opinion, thafc the true method of eftablifliing the gofpel was by patient fufFering. Towards ^2 THE HISTORY OF ?er. XXit Towards the end of this year appeared Luther's ahfwer to Ambrofe Catharin, a Dominican, who had written in defence of the authority of the pope 2nd his brother Prierias ; a work which he had compofed before his jour ?ey to Worms. In this work he not only expofed the fallacy of the argu- ment trom the words of Chrift, thou art Ptte^, but he applied fome paffages of Danisl, and fome pro- phrcies of the New Teflament, to the rife, progrefs and charader of the pope, in fuch a manner that the hiftorian fays, it was aftonifhmg that he fhould have lived twenty five years after this. He alfo file wed the impropriety of applying the w.rd church, and the character of without fpoi and blamC' lefs to the clergv, exclufive oi the chriftian laity. But the firft work that L. ther compofed in his re- treat was on the fubj^ft of auricular confcffion, the evils arifing from which he expofed, as Eraf- jnus had done before him. And in this work he vindicated ihe freedom of his writings from the Cenfures that had been thrown upon them on that account. At this time the faculty of divinity at Paris pub- lifhed a cenfure of one hundred and lour propohti- ons extrafted from the writings of Luther, which was anfwered by Melandlhon, who effe6lualiy ex- pofed the abfurdity of the cenfure ; efpecially their faying that Luther had adopted all the antient he- refies. Sec. VI. THE CHRISTIAN CiiOllCir. 2£S refies, and their defence of the fcholallic theology, which Luther had attacked. Speaking of the commentary of John Major on the fentences of Peter Lombard, then much celebrated by the di- vines of Palis, he faid, " I will not judge of the *' morals of this perfon, but, Good God, what a *' heap of nonfenfe do I find in his works. How **many pages does he employ about the queftion *' whether a horfe be neceffary to riding (aller a " ckcval) Can we be furprized it fuch fophifls as " thele be unfavourable to Luiher." He adds, how- ever, that there were dodors of the Sorbonnae who were not difpleafed with the do£lrine of Luther. At this time alfo Luther and MeJancthon, or ra- ther the latter only, called in queftion the propriety of the law for the celebacy of the priefts. Melanc- thon was not in orders, and married ; and had no doubts on the fubjed, but Luther had, efpecially with refpe^l to monks, whofe vows were volunta- ry. The controverfy was heightened by the cure of Kemberg, a Saxon, a man of learning and good charader, publicly taking a wife, which gave jfreat offence to many ; but Melandhon defended his conduft with great zeal, and fhowed that the eflablifhed cuftom was novel, unjuft, and tyranni- cal, as well as the fourceofmany diforders. At this fame time Luther wrote againfl the obligation ©f monaftic vows, a treatife which gave gteaC 22^ THE HISTORY OF Peb.XXH. great offence, tho' written with much moderation ; advifing perfons not to renounce their vows raihly, a* a great abufe of their chriflian liberty. The court of Saxony fupprefled this b<.ok fo that it did not appear till fome time alter. The court alfo fupprefled another trafl; of Luther's againft the archbifliop of Mentz, for fufiPering the preach- ing oi indulgences, and for imprifoning a prieft. fer marrying. This piece was written with much unjuftifiable intemperance. He even threatened the aichbiflriop, tho' a cardinal, and prince of the empire, that if he did not put a flop to the preach- ing of indulgences, he would fill him with coafu.-r fion by a treatiCe which he had then ready for the prefs, and he would allow him no more than a fortnight to confider of it. The archbifhop, however, anfwered with great mildnefs; affuring liim that he had gi^en orders to do what he wifiied to have done. In anfwer to Capito, who was with the archbifhop, and a friend to reformation, but who was difpleafed with the freedom that Lu- ther had taken, he endeavoured to vindicate his condu6l, but it was in a manner that gave Jittle fatisfadion. While Luther was employed in writing in his place of retreat, a reformation of the public wor- Ihip took place at Wittemberg. This had not been attempted by Luther, who was of opinion that Sec. iV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 225 that previous to this, the minds of the common people fhould be fully enlightened on the fubjeft, and that then it would be accomplifhed without difficulty, but that otherwife there would be great danger of tumults. This important bufmefs, however, was begun in the monaftery of Auguf- lins, which was full of monks who came to ftudy in the univerfity, drawn by the reputation of Lu- ther. Many of thefe, at the head of whom was Gabriel Didymus, were of opinion that private mafles and maffes for the dead Ihould be immedi- ately laid afide, arad the communion in both kinds feftored. He was oppofed by the prior, and an' appeal being made to the court of Saxony, they were defired to w^it the orders of their provin- cial. Thirteen monks, however, had a:1 ready left the fiionaftery, becaufe the prior would have compell- ed them to fay mafs as ufual ; and they being joined by fome of the fludents, and citizens, the elector fent Pontanus to inquire into the matter, and deputies from the univerfity and the chapter were appointed to hear the reafons of thofe fece- ders. Thefe they gave in writing, and being con- fidered by the eleftor, he appointed Chriftian Beyer, a burgo-mafter of Wittemberg, who was alfo a profeflbr in the univerfity and a chancellor, tb reprefent to them the neceffity of proceeding Vol. V. P with S26 THE HIS lORY OF Per: XXH; with caution in a bulinefs of fo much importance, efpecially as much inconvenience would arife from the heirs of the founders of pubUc inflitutions claiming the eftates that had been granted for fer- vices which would now be difcontinued. To this- they made a reply which was reported to the elec- toral court, which was not a little embarraffed with the bulinefs. At length, however, Carolftadt, a few days be-' fore chriflmas, celebrated mafs in the parilh church in the German language, and fome difturbance was occafioned by it, which made the people ap- prehenlive of the refentment of the emperor, the regents being particularly attentive to every thing that pafTed at Wittemberg, But it was found ab- folutely necelTary to yield in fome meafure to the wifhes of the people. Some of the changes that were moft eagerly called for were mad^. The monks were forbid<3en to beg, and the images were removed from the church. The chapter of the order being now held, a medium v/as ordered to be obferved ; the monks being left at liberty to leave the monaflery or not, and malTes for the dead were difcontinued. Thofe of the monks who were able were direfted to preach, and the reft to fubfift by their labour. Luther being informed of thefe re- gulations made by the chapter, was greatly rejoic- ed i and in a work which he now compofed, but which Sic. IV, THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. sW which was fuppreffed by order of the court, on the abolition of private ^maffes, lie congratulated his brethren of the order upon them. It was in a. d. 1522 that the Anabaptifts, who were the occafion of fo much difturbance in Ger- many, firfl made their appearance. A draper of Zuichaw in Mifnia, called Nicolas Storch, was at their head. Being chofen by his brahren of the fame perfuafion, he chofe twelve apoflles, and fe- venty two other difciples. Next in authority to him were Marc Stubner, Martin Cellarius, and Thomas Muncer, * who was afterwards at the head of the revolted peafants in Thuringia. This Muncer preaching in a feditious manner in the church of St. Catharine, notwithftanding the oppo- fition of the paftor, the duke of Saxony had him putinprifon; but Storch, Stubner, and Cellarius, fled to Wittemberg. Thefe men pretending to immediate revelations, as a fulfillment of the pro- phecy concerning'" the eflFufion of the fpirit upon *' all flefh," both Carolftadt and Melan£ihon were much taken with them. The eleftor did not ap- prove of them, but he faid on this occafion, that P 2 he ; * Muncer ^va5 not concerned in the firft infurre6lion of the peafants ; but believing their caufe to be juft, he drew up a manifefto for them. It is applauded by every writer who mentions it. Voltaire faid a Lycurgus would have figaed it. Robinson, p. 548, 22S THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII, he would abandon every thing, and fat out with his ftaff in his hand, rather than oppofe the gof- pel. Luther was more upon his guard than Me- landhon, and faid that they ought to prove the fpirits before they gave credit to their pretended revelations. Melan6lhon, however, who Was more credulous, and perhaps, we may add, lefs jealous, received Stubner, who had fome knowledge of let- ters, into his houfe j and thefe fanatics preaching Dublicly, foon gained many followers among the common people, which alarmed Luther, and in- duced him to write to the eleftor that he was de- termined to leave his retreat and return to Wittem-. berg. The eleClor endeavoured to prevent this, but in vain, Luther, with uncommon firmnefs, exolained to him the reafons of his conduQ ; fay- incT that his retreat had retarded, inflead of advanc- ing, the progrefs ot the gofpel. He defired the eleftor to leave him to himfelf ; faying that his caufe ought not to be defended by force, that if the emperor came to feize him, he ought not to be re- filled. With this the eleftor acquiefced, and with his concurrence Luther publifhed a letter in juftifica- tion of his conduft, in coming abroad; which he faid was to promote the reformation which he had begun, and to prevent the difturbanccs which were taking Ske. IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 229 taking place in his flock. Accordingly he V:ft the caftle of Wartburg, and arriving at Wittemberg, the 6th of March a. d. 1522, he was received with every expreflion of joy. He immediately de- clared nimfell much ofFended at the alterations made by Carolftadt in the public worfhip, and pleaded for every perfon being left at full liberty to conform to them or not, and on the whole, feemcd to difcover fomethingof jealoufy of Carolftadt, as having interfered in his province of fole refortn- cr. The flates of the empire being aHembled at Nuremberg the 17th of March a. d. 1523, the bifhops made great complaints of the prote6lioii afforded to Luther by the ele£lor oi Saxony, par- ticularly the bifhop of Strafburg, who faid that the greateft part of his priefts were Lutherans. The duke of Saxony was at firft exceedingly violent, but at length the bufinefs was condudled with more moderation, and the diet being prol^ogued till Odober, the farther confideration ot it was referred to that time. About this time Lather had an interview with Stubner and his two companions at the liOufe of Melanfthon, when he treated them as impollors, and they him as fine who oppofed the work of the fpirit, and they left the city the fame day. Luther had alfo fcen Muncer, and invited hini to come P 3 and 2^0 THE HISTORY OF Pee. XXII. and, confer with him at Wittemberg, but he did not chufe to do it. Luther faid of him, that he ufed fuch language in explaining his fentiments as might lead perfons to take him for one who was either drunk, or mad. The bifhops being the principal enemies of the reformation, Luther wrote a trcatife in the Ger- man language againfl: them, repioaching them with all their vices and intrigues, and concluded with a kind of bull, in imitation of thofe of the pope, which gave great oflFence not only to the clergy, but alfo to the nobility, whofe youngeft fons got eftablifhments in the rich biftiopricks. When this was obje6led to his fcheme, Luther re- plied, " Let the younger fons of great lords be al- *' lowed a proper maintenance, and become pri- *' vate citizens." The fuperiority of the bifhops to pricfts, he faid, had no foundation in fcripture, and the order ought to be abolifhed. It is evident, however, from this condu6l of Luther, that there was nothing of worldly policy in h^s fcheme. Luther had in his retreat tranflated the New Teflament, and it was publifhed in September A. D. 1522. Melandhon and others having af- fifted in the revival of it; and being recommended hy the purity of the ftyle, and the neatnefs of the printing, it was received with the greateft avidity, and Scc.IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 23t and circulated over all Germany. He then ap- plied himfelf to the tranflation of the Old Tefta- ment, and publifhingit in parts as they were finifh- cd, the whole was not completed before the year A. D. 1530. This work contributed greatly to the advancement of the reformation. Confequently, it gave alarm to the papal party, who did every thing they could to cry it down, but without elFefl. Many of the princes of the empire forbad the ufe of it, and ordered the copies to be burned. This oppofition on the part of the princes, led Luther to compofe a treatife on the fubje6l of Jecidar power, in which he Ihewed that princes ar- rogated to themfelves the rights of God when they prefcribed to man what they ought to believe. He then exhorted the people not to give up their bi- bles voluntarily, but not to oppofe force to force, *' We are not," he faid, " to be furprized if princes " make war on God and the gofpel, fince they have *' alfo done it from its firft appearance, fo that a *' pious prince is altnoft a miracle ;" and he expreiT- ed himfelf with much energy and juftice on the impoffibility of fuppreffing herefy by power. This treatife was comp^fed by order of the eledlor and his brother. In the year a. d. 1522, Henry VIII of En- gland publifhed a bcokagainfl; Luther on the fub- P4 jea: g^2 THE KISTORY OF Per, XXII. je^ of the /even facrainents, which he dedicated to Leo X, who, in return, gave him the title of De^ Jender of the faith ^ retained by his fucceflors to this day. This work was much praifed at Rome ; but Luther in his anfwer treated it as the weakefl pro- duftion of all his opponents, tho' written in better Latin. He treated the king himfelf with fo much freedom as offended his own friends, Duke George complained of it to the regents of the em- pire, and the king himfelf wrote to the ele6lor and the dukes John and George, exhorting them to employ fire and fword to extinguifh the rifing he- refy. But the ele6lor and his brother wrote » refpe£lful anfwer, faying that they neither ap- proved nor condemned the do6trine of Luther, and defired him to ufe his influence to procure the calling of a general council, according to the refo- lution which had been taken at Nuremberg. Luther was by this time aflSfled in the work of the reformation by many learned and able men. Among them was Bucer, a Dominican, almoner of Lewis the ele£lor Palatin, who preached at Stral- burg, Oliander at Nurenberg; and Seckingen, not only caufed it to be preached in his own eflates, but deiended it by his writings, and before the imperial regency in a. d. 1523. So great was his zeal that, in a letter to the princes who compofed the regency, he faid, that he would joyfully fufFer the moft grievous Sec. IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 233 grievous puniihment, if his death would procure to his country the knowledge of the gofpel, By the zeal of numbers in this great caufe, the reformation fpread itfelf into all places, there be- inCT no town, or almofi; a village, in v/hich there was not a Lutheran preacher. Cbriftian II, king of Denmark forbad the burning of the books of Luther. There were preachers in Bohemia, protefted by the margrave of Brandenburg, and in Silefia by the duke of Munfterberg, the bifhop himfelf not being averfe to the new doftrinc. This gave great joy to the eleftor of Saxony, who, however, would not do any thing more than leave the people at full liberty to aft as they fhould ihink proper. Lea X. died in the beginning of December, A. D. 1521, and was lucceeded by Adrian V^I, who had been tutor to Charles V, He had a great attachment to fcholaflic theology, and was a man of good morals. Being in Spain at the time of his eledion, he did not arrive in Rome till September, a. d. 1522. He was fenfible of the corruptions of the court of Rome, and was |>crfuaded that it they were reformed, every thing would return into its right channel. He alfo wifhed to reform the abules of indulgences ; but when thefubje£t was viewed in every light, it was found to be impoQible without fuch a dimunition P5 of ?34 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII* of the papal revenues as they could not bear; and finding no encouragement or aflillance in his fchemes of reform, he is faid to have lamented the condition of a pope, who had no power to do what was right, tho' he endeavoured to find the means. He, however, retained his refolution to attempt a reformation, and thought that by his own prefence in Germany, whither he intended to go, he Ihould reftore every thing to order. To prepare the way for this he wrote a c^vil letter to the ele£l:or of Saxony, exhorting him to defend the catholic faith, as his anceftors had don,e, without making any mention of Luther. But in his letter to the diet of the empire, then af- fembled at Nuremberg, he did not fpare him, but exhorted the princes, if he could not be reclaimed, to ufe the fame feverity againft Luther and his difciples that had been done to John Hus and Jerome of Prague. This was vehemently urged by the ecclefiaftics in the diet, efpecially as Seck- ingen was then at war with the archbifhop of Treves, at which they were all alarmed. But the fecular princes were no lefs intent upon reforming the court of Rome than giving it fatisfa6lion in other refpeSs. They therefore ordered the pope's letter to be read, and in this he did not hefitate to acknoweldge that the fource ot all the evils then ccmplained ol was in the court of Rome, and the conduft Sec. IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 23S .condu£l ot the clergy, which he faid he was jdetermined to do every thing in his power to re- form, but that thebufinefs was of fo extenfive and compHcated a nature, that it could not be done all at once. This was a great moriificafion to the prelates, as it confirmed all that the reformers had written about their ignorance and debauchery. The members of the empire, tho' urged by the ecclefiafiics to enfoice the edift of Worms, did not chufe to do it; thinking that if Luther was fuppref- fed, they would be at the mercy of the pope, and fliould hear no more of the reform of any abufes. They, therefore, agreed to fufpend the execution of that ediQ; ; faying that the only method of ter- minating the bufii.efs of Luther, was the callinsr of a free council in lome city of Germany, in which he might be heard and judged ; and to the great mortification of the bifhops, they prefixed the pope's letter to their ordonance. In their letter to the pope they thanked him for his good intentions, but informed him of the great evils that would arife from complying with his propofal; and they defired of him the fuppreffion of annates, as the term for w^hich they were granted was expired, and they were wanted for the occafions of the em- pire. The nuncio was much offended at the condu6l of this diet, and made many objcftions to every article fi36 THE HISTORY OF Pfift. XXlI. article of their edi6l ; but the princes paid no re- gard to them, and took this opportunity of draw- ing up an account of their grievances, which was done under ah hundred heads. A fimilar memo- rial had been prefented to the emperor Maximilian on this fubjedl in the year a. d. 1518, in which many of the extortions of the court of Rome were enumerated, and complained of; when the fecular princes affured him of their afTiftance in any contell with the pope upon the fubje6l. The fame was urged with fome additions at the diet at Worms imder Charles V, but he did not concur in the meafure, being unwilling to ofFend the pope* This emperor, writing to the pope from Spain, informed him of the refolution of the Hates of the empire with refpe6l to Che annates, but infinuated to him that the money which they wifhed to em- ploy in the war againft the Turks might be ufed to chaftife the followers of Luther. While thefe things were paUmgat Nuremberg, the ele£lor of Saxony received a letter from the emperor, requiring him to oppofe the progrefs of the do€lrine of Luther. But he faid in anfwer, that he did not wifti to take any part in the affairs of Luther, efpecially as hivS age and growing infir- mities did not allow him to think of any thing but hii repofe and his death. At the fame time he re- ceived a brief from the pope, reproaching him for the SfiC. IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH* 237 the countenance which he gave to Luther and hU followers, concerning whom he fpared no terms of abufe; reminding him that pope Gregory V. had given the ele6loral dignity to his family, and he concluded with faying, " If you refufe to barken '' tp our paternal admonitions, we denounce to *' VQU, in the name of Almighty God, and the " Lord Jefus Chrift, that your fin will not remain " unpunifhed in this world, and that you will *• burn in eternal fire in the world to come. Know " that the fovereign pontiff Adrian and the empe- " ror Charles both live, and will never fuffer thaJ " the people whom pope Adrian and the emperor " Charlemagne formerly begot to Jefus Chrift, " fhould now peri(h by the venom of herefy and *' fchifm under an heritical tyrant, while another " Adrian is upon the papal throne, and another ♦' Charles is emperor. And if you and your fub- *' je6ls do not change your conduft, you muft ex- " pea to feel both the ftroke of the apoftolic fword *' and that of the emperor/' A bull To violent and abfurd, calculated for an age of barbarifm, was not likely to produce any good efFea in an age fo enlightened as this; and being addrelTed to a prince who was confidcred as a model of wifdom and piety, and every quality '■ that can make a man refpeaable, jullified, if any thing 2W THE HIS TORY OF t'EE.XXl't thing could do it, the rude treatment of Henry V I II. by Luther. The pope's comparing himfelf and Charles V. to pope Adaian I. and Charle- magne difcovered a ridiculous vanity, and no doubt was the true reafon of his refufing to change his name when he was made pope. The ele6J;or infulted in this grofs manner, or dered the nuncio to be told that he could not receive fuch a bull, and that it muft have been forged at Nuremberg by fome of his enemies. He alfo complained to the regents of the empire of the treatment he had^ received. In the mean time the lid of the hundred grieV' c?2Ce5 was drawn up at Nuremberg by the fecular princes, the ecclefiaftics declining to have any thing to do in the bufinefs, which might draw up- on them the anathema of Rome. After this enu- meration of abufes, they fay that, if they were not efFeftually remedied by the pope, they would relieve themfelves by throwing off fo tyrannical a yoke, and give to Germany its antient rights and original liberty. The nuncio, knowing what was prepar- ing, would not receive this writing, but left the di- et before it was concluded. The writing, howe- ever, was difperfed over all Germany, and copies of it fent to Rome. The eledor of Saxony fome weeks before the conclufion of the diet made a |5rote!l by his envoy, in which he declared that Sic. IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. ^i9' he would confent to no regulation contrary to the' progrefs of the gofpel, and that he was determined' always to a61: the part of an honeft and pious man. At thi> time John Faber, a canon of Con- ftance, having orders to preach againft Luther in a progrefs through Germany, thought it neceffary to apply to the regency for a lafe conduft. But tlio' they gave him one, it was dr^wn in fuch a riianner that he did not think it fafe to make ufe of it, ?>ad laid afide his defign. The regents did not wifli to encourage a fcheme which might add to the trou- bles of the country. The caufe of the reformati- on gained much by this means, the followers of Lu- ther h^d liberty to preach without mole£latiori,and the pri^Ils continued to exercife their fun6lions tho* they were married, being only fubje£l to fuch cen- fures as they defpifed. The fufpenfion of the e- diftof Worms made it confidered ?s acknou-lcdp-- o ed to have been unjuft, procured by the intrigues of the court of Rome, and for the intereft of the emperor, who was difpofed to gratify it. Befides, the reference of the contioverfy to a future coun- cil fhev/ed the perfualioii of the diet that Luther was not altogether in the wrong. And above all the acknowledgment of Adrian, of the corruption of the clergy and the court of Rome, confirmed a great part of what Luther had advanced again ft it, while 340 THE HISTORY OF Per, XXII. while th€ promifes of the pope to promote a refor- mation were not at all regarded. Luther, pleafed with this ftate of things, wrote to the regency, to afifure them of his obedience to the ediQ; of Nuremberg, praifing the wifdom and the equity of the princes who had made it ; obferv- ing that by ordering the preachers to adhere to the interpretation of approved dociors, they muft have meant the fathers, and not the fcholaftics ; and that by the prohibition of books, they could nofc have meant the New Teftament,which had no need of an approbation. He added that if he were to reveal what he had heard from all parts, of the abo- minable impurities that were praflifed in convents, his greateft enemies would be the firftto deftroy them ; and he concluded with faying, that he con- lidered himfelt as abfolved from the anathema of the pope by the edi£l of Nuremberg,at leaft till the con- vocation of a council, to the decifion of which he profeffed his readinefs to fubmit, tho* his life was fo painful to him, that it fignified little whether he was profcribed or not. However, as the edi6l oi Worms was not executed by the prin- ces who favoured Luther, no regard was paid to that of Nuremberg by the princes in the oppofite intereft, fo that the reformers were periecuted, or not, according to the difpofition^ of the civil: ma ^ gift rates. Afe Sec. IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 24i At this time there was a general call for a re- formation of the public forms of worfhip, and there bemg very different opinions on the fubjed, and different practices fet up, Luther was looked up to, to interpofe his authority ; and finding it to be un- avoidable, he did it with much prudence and mo- deration, retaining all that was tolerable in the old forms, and leaving much to the difcretion of the perfon who officiated. Thefe changes in the pub- lic forms and ceremonial of worfhip were violently exclaimed againft by Emfer and Cochloeus ; but as they difcovered great ignorance, they were re- proved by Caffander, who neverthelefs adhered to the cuftomary worfhip. A new difpofition of the revenues of churches and monafleries was alfo called for by the new flate of things J and this, probably with the advice of Luther, was firft made at Leifnitz, a fmall town in Mifnia, where the magiftrates, in concert with the abbot of the monaftery of Buach in that neigh- bourhood, agreed to chufe every year ten perfons who fhould receive all the revenues, and employ them for the maintenance ofminiflers, fchoohnailers, and thepoor,as alfo for the repair of facred buildings; and that all begging Ihould be prohibited, &c. &c. Of thefe regulations Luther pubhflied an account, recommending them in other places. With ref- pe6l to the bifhoprics, he rather wifhed that the Vol. V, Q occupants 242 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. occupants ftiould become fecular, than that they fhould be deprived of their fiefs, except in particu- lar cafes. At the intreaty of the pope's nuncio, and of fome princes, Erafmus was at this time defired ta endeavour to reftore peace to the church, and he recommended moderation on both fides. But neither his endeavours, nor thofe of fome of the friends of Luther to the fame purpofe had any eflFeft. Hitherto the reformation had made a great pro- grefs in Germany, without the popifh party com- ing to any great extremity. But the duke of Sax- ony, irritated by fome letters of Luther, having dif- countenaneed the reformation in his flates, and having tried without efiFe6l the punifhments of fine, imprifonment, and banifhment, noiv proceeded to punifh with death; and the fame violence of per- fecution was exercifed in many of the cities of Ger- manv. In thefe circumftances Luther addreffed letters of confolation to the citizens of Worms, Augfburg, and other places, where his friends were perfecutedjas they alfo were in the Low countries ; the promoters of the perfecution there being Ale- ander the nuncio, feconded by Nicolas D'Eg- mond the Carmelite, and James Hochfirat the Dominican ; Margaret filler of the emperor, and governefs of thofe provinces, lending them her au- thority. Three Sec!. IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 2{Sf Three perfons, monks of Vilv oorde, not yield- ing to any promifes or threats, were conduced to Bruffels, and that their punifhment might have the greater efFeft, two ot them, whofe names were Henry Voes, and John de EflTe, were fentenced to be publicly burned alive ; after being formally de- graded. The younger of them was firfl brought to the public fquare of the city, a handfome young man, of a mild and modeft appearance. They pur- pofely employed more than an hour in degrading him, tho' he did every thing that he was ordered to[do with furprizing quicknefs ; faying, " 1 wiii *' be obedient even unto death," and all the time fhewed the greateft tranquility and meeknefs,which aflonifhed the fpedators, and filled them with compaflion. When this tedious ceremony was over, and they were both brought to the pile, they faid, *' This is the happy day which we have long wait- *• ed for," and profelfing that they died in the faith of Jefus Chrift, and the catholic church, they em- braced the flake to which they were faflened, and when the fire was lighted, they began to fing the creed, and continued to (ing till the flames ilifled their voices, but did not efface from their counte- nances an air of firmnefs, and even of joy. Luther compofed an hymn in memory of this martyrdom, ^vhich was long fung in the churches. He alfo Q. 2 wrot'i fiW THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL wrote to his friends in the Low countries exhorting them to patience, and conftancy, blefling God for the conlecration of the new harveft, by thefe holy fiifl fruits. At this time, a. d. 1523, Albert of Branden- burg, grand rnafter of Pruffia, declared in favour of the reformation. It alfo made great progrefs in Silelia, having been begun there by John Thurfon bifhop of Breflaw, who died in a. d. 1520, when he was fucceeded by James de Seltz, who followed his fteps. The duke of Savoy was alfo much in- clined to the reformation, and Luther wrote to him on. the fubje6t ; but he was fo circumftanced, that it would have been peculiarly hazardous ior him to have done any thing openly in favour of it. Zuinglius had all this time been preaching with great fuccefs in Zurich, notwithftanding all the oppofition that the friends of the pope could givetd him, efpecially by endeavouring to excite the other cantons againft that. The magiftiates, dreading the efFefts of thefe machinations, with the advice of Zuinglius, called a general afTembly for the 29th of January, a. d. 1523, when they invited the bilhop of Conflance to attend either in perfon or by a deputy, in order to hear Zuinglius explain his fentiments, with liberty to any perfon to Sec. IV- THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 24.S to impugn them, provided they argued from the fcriptures. They alfo invited the other ftates of the union to fend their learned ecclefiaflics. " The bifhop fent John Faber his grand vicar, with two other theologians, and his chancellor ; and there was a great concourfe of people on the occafion. Before this afifembly Zuinglius propoled his doftrine in fixty feven propofitions, which he had printed and difperfed previous to the meeting. But he could not provoke any difcuffion on the fubjefts ; Faber referring them to a council which he faid would be held foon, but which Zuinglius faid would never be held at all. At length Faber being incautioufly drawn to difpute about the wor- Ihip of faints, and alleging no proofs but from coun- cils, without producing any arguments from the fcriptures, and being reminded of it, faid we can do without them. The magiftrates feeing no good end anfwered by this afifembly, diffoived it, and ordered all the clergy of the city to preach nothing but what was contained in the fcriptures, and to difregard all human tradilions, but to, refrain horn ail invetlives, and endeavour to promote peace. The conful of Zurich called a fecond aOembly the fame year, for the fakeot difcuffing the fubjc6i of the worfhip of images, and the facrifice of the mafs; and this was more numeroufly attended than the former. It continued three days, op the O 3 laa 54(i THE HISTORY OF Per. XXH lad of which Zuinglius fpoke in fo afFeciing a jnanner, that being in tears himfelf, he drew tears from many of the audience. In conciufion it was left to the fenate to correfl; the abufes complained of. In this year a. d. 1523, Frederic the eleQor Palatin, and Lewis count Palatin of Deux- ponts, embraced the reformation, and they both reformed the abufes in public worfhip, the latter on the plan of Zuinglius. In this year alfo the Jiohemian brethren fent one of their minifters to Luther, to confer with him on the fubjeft of their common faith ; and in confequence of it, he was led to entertain a much more favourable opini- on of them than he had done before. He after- ^^ wards dedicated to them a treatife on the ado- ration of the body of Jefus Chrift ; and after commending them for rej(:6ling human tradi- tions, a purgatory, and the worfhip of faints, he blamed them for not admitting the corporal pre- fence, and faith in young children, and for making holinefs an effential condition of juftification. Fiom this it is evident that the Bohemian brethren held a much more rational do6i;rine than Luther. lie held that in baptifm faith was communicated to young children by the operation of the Holy i^ Spixit, in confequence of the prayeis of the church. For Sec. IV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 217 For, thinking faith to be neceflary to baptifm, he thought that on any other fuppofition, it were bet- ter not to baptize them at all. In the year a, d. 1523 Bennon bilhop of Mulfen who lived in the time of the emperor Hen- ry IV, was cononized, and among his merits, re- cited in this bull, mention is made of his ftrenu- ous oppolition to that emperor, and his unfhakcn attachment to Gregory VII, when moft of the o- ther biftiops deferLed him. A number of miracles of the mofl improbable kind were alfo recited, and ^mong them his appearing to the margrave Wil- liam after his death, and tearing out one ot his eyes. This gave a fine handle to Luther to write on the fubjeO; of canonization in general, and the effron- tery of the pope in canonizing a rebel to his prince, and to expufe the pretended miracles. He was an- f wered by Emfer, who had written the life of the newfaint,and boafled of hisgrandinftallationinthe church of MeiflTen, fortelling that hii fcftival would be perpetual. But fifteen years after this it wus abolifhed. In the fame year fome nuns left the monaflery at Nimpfchen, and among them was Catherine Bore, the f:ime who two years after was married to Luther. They were condu£led to Wittemberg, and the eledtor provided for their maintenance, as p 4 their 248 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIl. their relations, notwithftanding the addrefs of Lu- ther to them in their favour, refufed to receive them. Their example was afterwards followed by- other nuns. SECTION V. The Progrefs of the Reformation from the Pontiji- cate of Clement VII a. d. 1523, to the Meeting of the Diet at Augfburg a. d. 1526. XjlDRIAN VI dying in September ^, p. 1523, was fucceeded by Julius de Medicis,*the jiatural fon ol Julian who was murdered in a. d. 1478. He took the name of Clement VII, and was much more of a politician than his predecef- for, tho' his refined policy was in feveral rerpe6l3 injurious to the interefts of his fee. .But in thefe difficult times it is probable that no policy what- ever would have fucceeded any better. The car- dinals, however, and all the friends of the court of Rome, rejoiced exceedingly on the death ot Adri- an, who was both hated and defpifed by them all, Sec. V. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH* 249 chiefly becaufe he was a friend to reformation, which they dreaded. The lafl aft of his pontifi- cate was the canonization of Bennon above men- tioned. In A. D. 1524 all the cantons of Switzerland, except that ot Zurich, affembled at Lucern Janu- ary 26, when they expreffed their refolution to maintain the catholic faith. At the fame time they fent a deputation to the magiflrates of Zurich, defiring them to reftore the antient worfhip ; but faying that, if the pope, or any of the clergy, had incroached upon the rights of the temporalty, they were willing to deliberate with them on the means of throwing ofF that yoke. The fenate of Zurich in reply explained their principles and condu£i: at large, and exprelled their wifh, that if they had any thing to obje6l to them they might be informed of it in the fpace of two months. Having no anfwer, they proceeded in the work of reformation, removing the images from the church- es ; but for the pre fent they left the mafs as it was, waiting till the people at large fhould be bet- ter informed. The bifhop of Conftance anfwer- ing the fenate, they gladly laid hold on the oppor- tunity of making their fcntiments more public, that the world might judge of them. The policy of Clement ^Vith refpeft to Germa- ny was the reverfe of that of Adrian. His great O n » aim 250 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. aim was to elude the cnl'ing of acouncil,and to keep up the abufes of the court of Rome as long as pof- fibie. The diet of the empire being held this year at Nuremberg in the month of November, Cam- pegio was fent to it with thefe views of the pope as legate. 13 at it appeared by the cir- cumllances attending his journey, and his reception, that a very great change had taken place in the ftate of things. As he pafied thro' Augfburg, which he entered in theufual manner, with much ceremony, the crofs being carried before him, while he gave the benediftion to the people, they ridiculed him in fuch a manner that his own follow- ers could not refrain from laughing. To avoid the fame infults he entered Nuremberg in the habit; of a traveller; fo that when a few perfons of dif- iin£lion went to meet him they were difappointed. When he v/cnt to the diet he was preceded only by the bidiops of Treves and of Bamberg, but by no fecular prince whatever; and tho' while he was in the city one of the preachers m a public difcourfe called the pope anti-chrilt, he did pot think proper to call iir his punifhment. When Ferdinand reproached the fenate of Nurember »• with their attachment to Lutheranifm, it was with- out an}' effecr, and the monks of St. Auftin ad- miniftered the Lord's Supper at this time in both kinds to more than four thoufand perfons. The queea S£C. V. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 251 queen of Denmark, who was then at Nuremberg, received it in this manner. The legate had brought a very flattering letter to the eleftor of Saxony; but being very ill, he had left the diet before his arrival. The principal obje£l of the legate was to get the edi£l of the diet of Worms enforced; but tho' he was Teconded by the ambaffador of the emperor, fo much oppoGtion was made to the meafure, that it was only carried with this addition, " as far as " it fliall be pofTible." It was alfo decreed at this diet that the pope fhould call a free council in Germany, and that, in the mean time, a diet (hould be held at Spire on the loth of November, to fettle thefe differences, that each of the princ- es fhould ehoofe in his own eflates perfons of knowledge and probity to examine the books of modern writers, and report concerning them ; that in the mean time the gofpel fhould be preached with purity and modefty, and that every thing ot a fatirical nature fhould be avoided. It was alfo ordered that the perfons chofea by the princes fhould examine the grievances, a lift of which the fccular princes had prefented as well again ft the court of Rome, as againft the prelates, and endea- vour to find means to fatisfy both parties ; and that on their report the next diet fhould come to fome final refolution. This 2^2 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. This decree gave great offence to the legate, but all his remonftrances could not prevail to have it altered. On the other hand great objedion was made to it by the imperial cities, which were al- moft all inclined to Lutheranifm, and by the counts, who differed with their princes, and entered a pro- tell againft the decree. Alfo the prelates, who by their fuperior number had carried the decree in the diet, could not agree with Ferdinand the emperor's brother. For tho' they concurred with him in his wifh to exterminate Lutheranifm, they would not concede to his demand, tho' the pope had confent- ed to it, of one third of their revenues for the war againft the Turks. While the legate was at Nuremberg, there was brought before him a dilpute between the fenate of Strafburg and the bilhop of that city, who com- plained that his clergy were publicly married, while they complained that for a moderate fum he allowed others of the clergy to have concubines, which they took and difmilfed at pleafure. The legate could not avoid condemning the praclice of concubinage, tho' in extenuation of it, he faid that it was not in the power of all men to live like John the Baptift. But he faid that the marriage of priefts was much more criminal. The magif- trates, however, notwithftanding this decifion, prote6lcd Sec. V. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 253 proteded the married priefts, and endeavoured by every means to promote the reformation. In one thing, however, the legate had more fuccefs. He procured that the former regency of the empire, who were chiefly Lutherans, and held their fittings at Nuremberg, fhould be difmiffed, on the pretence that the funds for their mainten- ance were exhaufted, and other regents, all papiUs were appointed, and they held their fittings at Eflingue, a city in the power of Ferdinand. The ekdlor of Saxony hearing of this, protefled agamft all that fliould be done by thofe regents, either againft the reformed religion, or the liberties of the Rates of the empire. The legate alfo procured by the help of Ferdinand, a league of the popilh princes and Rates for the defence of the antient re- ligion, and for the fuppreffion of Lutkeranifm. This was called the league of Suabia, and tho' it did not conliR of more than one fixth part of the German empire, it had difagreeable confequences, as it obliged the sealous proteRant princes to enter into a fimilar league for their own defence. The emperor, who was then in Spain, was exceedingly dilFatisfied with the decrees of this diet, and fignified his dilapprobation of them in a letter to the princes, in fuch a manner as . Upon this intelligence, of the truth of which they entertained no doubt, the cle6lor and his friends entered into a new league the gth of March A. D. 1528, by which they engaged to raife an army of twenty thoufand foot and fix thoufand horfe, and to cxpofe their lives, their honours, arid S 3 their -78 THE HIS TORY OF Per.XXIL their eftates, in the defence of their religion. They alfo endeavoured to form alliances for their fup* port, and among them with the king of Denmark, but efpecialiy with the imperial cities. In confe- quence, however, of the remonftrances of Luther, the eledor was unwilling to defend himfelt by force of arms.' But the landgrave expoftulating with duke George on the fubjeft, both he and the reft of the catholic princes declared that they had never entered into any fuch league as that of Bref- law, and that the whole was a forgery of Pach's However, being interrogated in their prefence, he perfifted in his evidence, and being baniChed by the landgrave he retired into Flanders, where he was in a. d. 1536 apprehended by the agents of duke George and beheaded. The emperor, being informed of thefe proceed- ings, wrote a very haughty letter to the eleflor of Saxony, feverely cenfuring him for railing an ar- my in confequence of being impofed upon by a treaty which had no exiftfnce. If, faid he, any fuch confederacy had been entered into, it was his bufinefs as emperor to difperfe it. This was fuch language as the princes of the empire had not been ufed to, as it was their indifputable right to make peace or war at their own difcretion, within or without the empire, without confulting the emper- or. This difcovery, however, if it was one, pro- bably prevented the breaking out of a war, and both Sec. V. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Z79 both Luther and Melanfthon exerted themfelves in promoting peace. They were even determined to leave Wittemberg, if the ele6lor engaged in any war on the account of rehgion. Zuinglius differ- ed from Luther on this fubjeft, thinking that force ought to be repelled by force ; and feeing the de- fign of the catholic powers to exterminate the re- formation in Switzerland, he faid they ought to be before hand with them, and by the deftru6lion of images, the difcontinuance of the mafs, ind a- bolifhing the monafleries, make it impoffible for them to reftore the antient worfhip. In this year Melandhon drew a formulary of doflrine and difcipline for the Lutheran churches, revifed by Luther himfelf. In it they preferred the feftivals inflituted in remembrance of Chrift, and lome in honor ot the virgin Mary, the apof- tles, and a few of the other faints ; but they added that, if any perfon was obliged to work on thofc days, either for their own fubfiftence, or in the fervice of their prince, they might do it without fcru- ple. They permitted the celebration of the mafs in latin, tho' they recommended the German lan- guage. This work difpleafed many, and efpeci- ally Agricola, a minifter of Iflcbe, who wrote on the occafion ; maintaiaing that chrillians were un- der no obligation to the moral law. For particu- lar care had been taken in this work to guard a- gainft the abufe of Luther's doCliine of jullificati- S 4 •on 280 THE mSTORY OF Pkii. XXll on by faifh alone, as if good iwjrlcs were unnecet. fary. The fecular^ were diiTatisficd with tho work, becaufe it left the clergy, as they thought; too much power; Luther andMelanfthon having/ aimed at nothing more than to keep that powea;: witni; what they thought proper bounds-. At the meeting ot the diet held at Spire in a. d. 1529, tho' the prejudices of the catholics againft the reformed appeared to be very flrong, they, as welL the reft, were offended at the haughtinefs of th© imperial mandates fent from Spain. Gharlest wrote, that being the chief in chriflendom, he would not fuffer his orders to bedefpifed, that he had forbidden all innovation, and profaibed the innovators in matters of religion ; but • that neverthelefs their numbers increafed every day on account of the decrees of the diet of Spire in a. d* 1526; but that he now informed the diet that, by virtue of the full power which belonged to him, he annulled thofe decrees, as contrary to his intentions and orders* But no perfon fpake more openly than the elector of Saxony, who faid to his foHj, that no former emperor had ufed fuch languagCj and that he ought to be informed that their rights were more antient than the elevation of his family. Notwithflanding all that the prelates, in con- formity to the wilh of the emperor, could urge to enforce the edi6l of Worms, or'atleaft to relcmd that SfiCl V. THE CHRISTIAJSf CHURCH. 2&t; thatof Spire, not only the refortning princes, but the^bifliop of Paderbom joined in oppofing them;, fince the decrees complained of had'beon made iaj dil the ufual formy, and with the coiifcnt ofithe im^ perial ambafladorsv The Gatholics> finding- the- Eutherans toa powerful, very aithaliy endeavoured to turn the indignation of the diet againft the difciples o( Zu- ingliu€, generally caWed Sacramentarians ; againft whom Lulhcr had inveighed with more bitternefs than even againft the Catholics. Of this Faber bifhop of Vienna and Ecloius took advantage, fpeaking favourably of the fentiments of Luther,, as proper to be tolerated till a general council; but repr^enting the do6lrine of the facramentari- ans aSi inr the univerfal opinion, undeferving of any favour. And as the citizens of Strafburg were generally of that opinion, and had, notwithftand- ing the endeavours of the bifhop to the contrary, aboliflbed the mafs, and reformed their church, an application was made by the bifhop to this diet. But the deputies of the other cities, who in gene- ral inclined to the do£lrine of Zuinglius. joining thofeot'Strafburg, remonftrated with the Lutheran princes with refpe^ to the artifice of the Catholics; and the infignificance of the diflPerence between themj in fueh a manner that they agreed to make a. common caufe efpecially as the landgrave faw S5 ia 2«2 THE HIS TORY OF Per. XXII. in a very flrong light the importance of it, and was perhaps at this time himfelf inclined to their opi- nion, as indeed were many others. This appears from a letter of Melan6lhon to CEcolampadiusat thi« time, in which he faid, " I am not ignorant how " many learned and great men are of your opinion. " Your caufe is defended by men of ability. You ** have the favour of the fpeftators, of whom fome " approve openly, and others privately, and I «• do not know which of the two are of the moft fer- *' vice to you." Notwithftanding this union, the majority of voices was now for refcinding the decree of Spire, and the Lutheran princes and cities were flrongly urged by Ferdinand to acquiefce in it. But they replied that this was not a bufinefs of policy or temporal intereft, with refpeQ; to which they were ready to fubmit to the will of the majority ; but it affefted the interefls of confcience, with refpeft to which every man ought to judge for himfelf. They, therefore, could not affent to a decree which afFe6led its rights. They alfo alleged that it was contrary to the eftablifhed ufage, that a decree a- dopted unanimoufly fhould be annulled without the confcnt of all, and on the 19th ot April they delivered a formal proteft on the fubjeft, tho' the other members ot the diet would not receive it. Luther Sec. V. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 283 Luther being confulted by the clcftor of Sax- ony, who was wholly governed by him, could not conceal the ill will he bore to the Sacramentarians. He even gave it as his decided opinion that it thsy were put under the ban of the empire, his mafter ought to obey the decree, and execute whatever fliould be ordered againft them. Happily, how- ever, the opinion of divines of more moderation prevailed over that of Luther, and the princes were governed by them. Ferdinand, finding that he could not prevail upon the Lutherans to abandon the Sacramentarians, withdrew the promife he had made them ; and they, in their turn, prefented on the 20th of April a new proteft, larger than the former; and this was the writing from which they obtained the name of Protejlants. The cities join- ed the princes, and made a feparate proteft againft the proceedings of the diet. Notwithftanding the unrelenting rigour of the diet, the princes were more favourable to them in the recefs, owing to Ferdinand wanting the aflif- tance of the Proteftant princes, both in the war with which he was threatened by the Turks, and in his endeavours to obtain the dignity of king of of the Romans. The emperor was alfo engaged in a war with Francis, who endeavoured to make a league with the Proteftant princes. Accordmg- ly, in the decree that was drawn up, tho' the ftate: n^er party ; but let " them do as they pipafe. Whether war comes *'or not, we have offered peace, and that is e- *' nough.*' The emperor feeing that nothing was likely to be effe£led, ordered the decree of the diet to be drawn up; but before this was done the Protefl- ants prefented fourteen articles as their uUi7natiim ; and the imperial cities of Strafburg, Conftance, Memingen, and Lindaw, prefented their confeflion, differing from that of the Lutherans only in the article relating to the corporeal prefence j and tho' all reafonable endeavours were ufed to engage the Lutherans not to break their union on account of this Sec. VI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 305 this article, even Melan6lhon, tho' h« had been fo compliant to the cathoHcs, would not yield to them. At length the decree of this famous diet was produced, to the following purpofe, that " the " confeflion of faith of the Proteftants, having been *' read, had been refuted by proofs drawn from the *' fcriptures ; but that not being admitted by them, " they were allowed till the 15th of April in the "year following to confider whether they would *' make profeffion of the do6trine of the pope and *' the Catholic ftates, at lead till the meeting of a " council ; that within that time they mull figni- *' fy their refolution to the emperor. In the mean " time, they were forbidden to print any thing re- " lating to their religion, make any farther inno- " vations ; draw any perfon to their faith, or dif- ** turb the monks in their poffefsions. They were *' alfo ordered to reprefsthe Anabaptifls, and the " Sacramentarians. On the other hand, the em- *' peror promifed to engage the pope to call a *' council within fix months, to be opened within ** a year after the convocation." / To this decree the Proteftants made many ob- jeSlions ; and after feveral attempts to gain them, they gave it as their final anfwer, that on any o- ther fubjeO: than that of religion, they were ready to convince the emperor that no princes had more Vol. V. U relpeO; i06 THE HIS TORY OF Per. XXII. refpe6l to his orders and authority ; that events »vere in the hands of God, in whom they placed their hopes of fafety ; and that they awaited his orders with that tranquihty which is infepara- ble from a good confcience. When the eleftor of Saxony, after this, took his leave of the emper- or, he faid aloud, that he was convinced that the doftrine contained in their confeflion was fupported by fuch ftrong proofs from the fcriptures, that all the efforts of the devil could not overturn it. The emperor giving him his hand only replied, " My *' coufin, I fliould not have expefted this of " you." After the departure of the ele6lor, fome farther propofals for an accommodation were made ; but no attention was paid to them. The Proteflants alfo refufed to contribute any thing to the war with the Turks whilfl their own eflates were threat- ened, and confequently whilft their troops and finances were wanted for their own defence, unlefs they were allured of the peaceable pofTellionof the reformation till the holding of a council and many of the Catholics thought this refolution to be very reafonable. In conleqiienceof this, fbme claufes were inferted in the decree in their favour, but not fufBcicntly definite to give fatisfadlion ; and the miniHers of the elector of Saxony had or- ders to require pofitivcly of the emperor, whether they were to have peace or war. As Sec. VI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. SOJT As to the Sacramental ians, they were treated with much more haughtinefs, after a pretended refutation of their arguments by Faber and Ec- kius, of which they w^ere not allowed to iiave a copy. Since, faid the emperor, they approved of the frightful doftrine which denies the corporal prefence of Chrifl in the facrament, fmce they had removed the images from their churches, abolifhed the mafs, and driven the monks from their monaf- teries, they fhould be'treated as they deferved. At length the recefs of the diet was publifhed the 19th of November a. d. 1530. Itabfolulely profcribed the Sacramentarians, ordered the re{lo-« ration of the antient ceremonies, the degradation of the married priefts, the invocation of the faints, the reftoration of the monafteries, and direded that the, decree fhould be executed by force of arms. In conclufion. the emperor promifed the convo- cation of a council in fix months. But the impe- rial cities refufed to fubfcribe the decree, and the magiflrates of Augfburg, where the diet was af- fembled, would not alfiA their feal to it, as had al- ways been the cuftom in the cities in which the diet met. After the publication of this decree, the emperor left the place the 24th of November. Theconduft of the Protellants appeared to Co much advantage during the fitting of this diet, refilling alike the threats and the carefTes of their U 2 * enemies. SOS THE HISTORY OF Per: XXII. enemies, ' that their caufe gained much in confe- quence of it, efpecially after the publication of their confeflion of faith. Prefently after this there declared tor them Herman archbifhop of Cologn, Frederic count Palatine, the firfl minifler of the empire, an^ afterwards ele6lor,Eric duke of Brunf- wick, the dukes of Mecklenburg and Pomerania, Joachim prince eleftor of Brandenburg, who foon Succeeded his father George, Erneft fon of prince William of Henneberg, and a great number of counts, barons, gentlemen, and free cities. * Iri * About the time of this diet at Augfburg the follo\V-- ing fymbolicalreprefentation, Le Clerc fays, was exhi- bited before the emperor and his brother Ferdinand. As the princes were at table a number of perfons of- fered to a6l a fmall comedy for the entertainment of the company. They were ordered to begin ; and firfl entered a man in the drefs of a do6lor, who brought a large quantity of fmall wood, of ftraight and crooked billets ; and having laid them on the middle ot the hearth, retired. On his back was written Reuchlin, When this a6lor was gone off another entered, ha- bited alfo like a do6tor, who attempted to make faggots of the wood, and to fit the crooked to the ftraight ; but having laboured long to no purpofe, he went away out of humour, fliaking his head. On his back appeared the name of Erasmus, A third, dreffedlike an Auguftinian monk, came in with a chafing difh full of fire, gathered up the crooked Sec. VI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 309 In this critical flate of things with the Pro- teftants, the obftinacy of Luther, which prevented him and his hiends from uniting with Zuinglius and his friends, appeared to be particularly unfor- U 3 tun ate. wood, put it upon the fire, and blew till he made it bum, ^then went away, having upon his frock the name of Luther. A fourth entered drefled like an emperor, who feeing the crooked wood all on fire, feemed much con- cerned; and to put it out drew his fword, and poked the fire with it, which only made it burn the brifker. Oahl.y back was written Charles V. Laflly, a fifth entered in his pontifical habit and with a triple crown, who feemed extremely furprized to fee the crooked billets on fire, and by his countenance and attitude (hewed excefiive grief. Then looking about on every fide to fee if he could find any water to extin- gLiilh the flame, caft his eyes on two bo.ttles in a corner of the room, one of which was full of oil and the other of water, and in his hurry he unfortunately feizsd on the oil and poured it upon the fire, which made it blaze fo violently, that he Avas forced to walk off.* On hisback was written Leo X. This little farce Jortin (from whofe Life of Erasmus p. 584.- I copy it) adds wants no commentary ; but if the merry a6lors had taken it into their heads to repre- fent the whole condudl of Erafmus, they (liould have introtluced him a fecond time, and have reprefented him as conftrained by the menaces of Leo X to take up the flraight wood, and biu-a it along with the crooked. 3l^ THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. tanate. On this account Bucer made another at- tempt at a reconciliation, and at length he in lome meafure fucceeded. With the confent of the e- le£tor of Saxony, and the citizens of Strafburgh, he vvent from Au;ifbarg to vififc him. and found him much more favourably difpofed than beiore. How far he fucceeded does not appear ; but Bucer was encouraged by it to go from him to Zaingli- us, and the reformed Switzers ; and the cunfe- quence was the forming of a league for fix years with the landgrave and the cities of Zurich, Eafil, and Strafburgh, that if any violence fhould be of- fered to any of them on account of their religion, they fhould affifl one another. This was made in November, The ele6lor of Saxony being fummoned to meet the emperor at Cologn about the^reation of a king of the Romans, he requefted a meeting of the landgrave, and the other Proteflant princes at Smalcald the 28th of Pcicmber, when they all entered into a league, but purely for their own de- fence; and the other Frotellant princes, cities, and fl.tes, were invited to accede to it. Sleidan, p. 14?.. From this meetir.g letters were addielT- ed to (hekmgs of France and of England, in which thev endeavoured to anfwer feveral caluninies which had been propagated concerning them ; they gave an accouac of the proceedings at Augf- burgh Sec. VI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 3U burgh, and requefled their interference to procure a general and impartial council. To thefe letters favourable anfwers v/ere in due time returned. On the 29th of March a. d. 1531, the Pro- teftant princes had another meeting at Smalcald, and then, with the confent of Luther himfelf, who on farther refleftiDn had been led to approve of defenfive wajc, in a caufe in which both civil and religious rights were alike involved, they fettled every thing relating to their league, as the fums that each (hould contribute, the command of the armies, and the terms on which others fhould be admitted to join the confederacy, &c. The ele6lor of Saxony \vouId not, however, confent to the ad- miflion of the Sacramentarians into the league. He was fenfible, he faid, of the great acceflfion which it would bring to their flrength ; but we ought not for that reafon have recourfe to unlaw- ful afsiftance, but leave the event to God. When they were at Smalcald, they received the emperor's requifition to contribute to the war againft the Turks ; but they replied that, till they could be sffured that they Ihould not be harrafled by the rmperial chamber with aftions on account of religion, which would necelTarily lead them to fland on their own defence, they could not fo far difarm themfelves ; and there being an immediate neceffity to oppofe the Turks, the emperor, then U 4 holding S12 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. holding another diet at Ratifbon, found himfelf obliged to promife that till the meeting of a gene- ral council no perfon fhould be mole fled on ac- count ot his religion ; on which the Proteftants, then feven princes, and twenty four cities, promif- ed their afliftance againfl the Turks. This agree- ment was ratified Auguft 2d a. d. 1532, In the mean time a better agreement had been made be- tween the Lutherans and Zuinglians, the latter having fo explained their dodlrine that the former accepted of it. On the 6th of Aiigufl the eleftor of Saxony died, and was fucceeded by his fon John Frederic, juilly furnamed ths Magnani- moiis. Prefently after this, the pope and the emperor fent ambafladors to the eleftor, to fignify their a- greement to hold a general council in the ufual manner, and deliring his concurrence with it ; the pope giving the choice of Placentia, Bologna, or Mantua, for the holding of it, and requiring his promiic to abide by its decrees. He declined giving any anfwer without the concurrence of his friends ; and the Proteftant princes meeting at Smalcald January 30 a. d. 1 533, gave their joint anfwer; faying, that the councir of which they had now received notice was by no means fuch as had been promifed in the imperial decree, and was not hkciy to anfwer any good end. For Sec. VI. THE CIIRISTIAN CHURCH. S13 For if it vras held according to the ufual cuftom, the pope would prcfide, and all thed rrees would be in his own favour. But they faid that if the council was held, they would either attend, or fend their ambaffadors, provided they fawany profpcft of its anfwering a good end : but that if the pro- ceedings in that council fhould reiemble thofe of the later ones, they would leave the affair to Almighty God, who would undoubtedly vhidi- cate his own caufe, and that of true religion. Thus, in a favourable concurrence of circum- flances, a toleration was procured for the Proteft- ants tor an indefinite time, there being no proba- bility that any council would be held during the pontificate of Clement, whofe averfion to the meafure was well known; and no great inferefl of the whole empire, fuch as a war with the Turks, could be carried on without the hearty concur- rence of the Proteftant as well as the Catholic princes. Befides an open war with the ProteRants, on account of their religion only, was a meafure that the emperor did not chufe to hazard. When the emperor left Germany he went to Italy ; and again conferring with the pope on the fubje6l; of the council which he had much at heart, the\ agreed to fend ambafiadors jointly to the Proteftant princes, giving them the choice of three cities in Italy for the holding of it, on coridi'ion U 5 that 31* THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. that it fhould be held in the antient manner* and that all parties fhould be bound by its decrees. To this they anfwered, that fuch a council could not poflibly anfwer the end propoled, fince the pope would have it in his power to conduft every thing juft as he pleafed, and that it was con- trary to the laws of the empire that the council Ihould be held any where but in Germany. They faid, however, that if they faw any profpefl of a good end being anfwered by their attendance, and queftions were decided according to the fcriptures, they would attend ; and they concluded with in- treating the emperor, whofe province it was, to fee that juftice was done to them and to all par- ties, to confider the importance of the cafe, and fee that the bufinefs was condu6led in a proper manner. They then appointed a corirmittee of divines and lawyers to draw up a fcheme of arti- cles on which they were to infift, with refped; to the form of the council. It was evident, however, that the pope was far from wifhing that any coun- cil fhould be held, and in his private inftrudions to his ambaflfador, he bade him take care that, tho* prefTed by Ferdinand himfelf, he fhould not lay him under the neceiTiy of holding any council at all. In the mean "time the Proteflants, feeing that it was the intention of their enemies to cruih them Sec. VI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 2is by any means, made a league f'^rtheii ^rnrity with the kin of France ; and the landgrave, ^vlio was always ready to have recourfe to arms, raifed an army, and meeting with ten thoufand of the troops of Ferdinand on the 13th of May a. d. *534» defeated them, and took feveral towii. of importance. But the archbifhop of Mentz and the ele6lorof Saxony interpofing their good offices, peace was made on the terms that no violence (hould be done to any per Ton, and no law luits commenced on the account of religion, [sleidan. p. 173) but without comprehending the Anabap- tifts or Sacramentarians ; and that the cletlo, of Saxony fiiould acknowledge Ferdinand king of the Romans. The pope was greatly ofFended at this pacifi- cation, but Ferdinand apologized for it as the only means of preventing greater troubles. Prefently after this the pope died, and was facceeded by Paul HI ofthehoufe of Fainefe. SECTION S16] THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. SECTION VII. From tilt death of Clement VII, in a. d. 1554, t9 the EjlabUpiment oj the Itoleration in Germany, A. D. 1559. P AUL III, not having the apprehen- fions of Clement, propofed to the Proteftants the holding of the council for which they had fo often called ; but as he propofed that it fhould be held in Mantua, and was not explicit about the mode of proceeding in it, they declined giving their af^ fent. They, alfo in Tided that the pope, who was a party, fhould not be the judge, and that the de- cifions fhould be according to the fcriptures. And being flill harralTed by the proceedings of the chamber of Spire, notwitiflanding the promife of reliet from the emperor and Ferdinand, they on the 12th of December a. d. 1535, renewed their league of Smalcald, which was near expiring, for ten years more. They had received ambafTadors from the king of France, who was at variance with the emperor, and alfo from the king of Eng- land Sec. VIIv TPIE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 51^ land, who had quarrelled with the pope, but no a6live meafures were entered into by them. The emperor, being at Rome in April a. d. T536, infixed fo much on the necellity of a coun- cil, that the pope appointed nine perfons to draw- up a bull for the convocation of one to meet at Mantua the 23d of the following May; and it was fubfcribed by twenty- fix cardinals. At the fame time a committee was formed for the refor- mation of abufes in his own court. Afterwards, on the duke of Mantua's infilling on a garrifon for the fecurity of the town, the council was proro- gued to the firfl of November. It was in vain that the emperor endeavoured to reconcile the Proteftants to a council convened by the pope, as they clearly forefaw that no juftice would be done to them in it. The king of Eng- land alfo protefled againft it, alleging the avowed hoftility of the pope to him ; and indeed lhepop6 had promoted a peace between the emperor and the king of France with a view to crufh both the king of England and the Proteftants. The latter alfo complained again, but to no purpofe, of the conduQ; of the chamber of Spire, which, tho* or- dered not to meddle with any caufes relating to religion, yet decided many againft them on the pretence of their being civil caufes, or of a mixed nature. 3i» THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL nature. The Proteflants alfo wiftied to have the emperor'^s approbation for admitting into their league feverai princes and cities who had joined them after it was firft formed, but in vain. The pope at this time, unable to refift the in- ceffant calls for reformation, appointed twelve per- fons, among whom were four cardinals, to exa- mine into the abufes complained of, and to make a report concerning them; and they feem to have done It with fidelity, as may be concluded from a view of the articles themfelves. They complained that bifhopricks were often given to perlons difli- tute of learning or probity, and fometimes to boys. Thiy, therefore, advifed that pcrfons fhould be appointed to examine the candidates for bifhopricks, and alfo that natives of one country fhould not have preferments in another. They faid that bi- fliops made refignations of their benefices with the r<'fervaMon ol a great proportion of the revenues to themfelves, that they contrived to difpofe of them by will, that the children of priefis enjoyed the benefices of their fathers, that perfons were ap- pointed to bifhopricks before the death of .the in- cumbents, that feverai were enjoyed by the fame perfons, thit bifhopricks were given to cardinals who conld not rrfide ; whereas, according to the antient canons, no bilhop fhould be abfent from his Sec. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH* 3l9 his church more than three weeks, that too many of the cardinals refided at a diftance from Rome; where they ought to be prefent to advife and afhft the pope. They farther complained that church difcipHne was much relaxed, and that penalties and cenfures were bought off. They faid there were many bad examples among the monks, and that there was much open and notorious lewdnefs in nunneries, and therefore advifed that no monks fhould be confeffors to nuns. Much mifchief, they faid, had arifen from pub- lic difputations and controvcrfial fermons, and from the unreftrained publication of books, efpeci- ally from the Colloquies of Erafmus being taught in fchools. Priefts, they faid, were often permitted to marry, and that difpenfations to marry within the prohibited degrees were too often given, that (imony was fo common that no perfon was afhamed of it, that every perfon was allowed to have divine fer- vice in his own houfe, and to chufe priefts to per- form it. • They alfo complained of the abufe of indulgen- ces which they faid fhould not be diftributed more than once a year, and only in the greater towns. They faid that divine fervice was often performed in an indecent manner at Rome, and even in the church ot St Peter, the priefts being both &20 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. both ignorant and flovenly. Common proftitutes, they faid, appeared in public, riding on mules, and living in magnificent houfes, where they were vifit- ed even by cardinals, that there were no where to be feen fuch marks of diffolutenefs and debauchery as in that city, which ought to be the pattern of virtue and decency to every other. They conclude with earneftly exhorting the pope to apply a lemedy to all thefe public difor- ders, and thereby avert the wrath of God, which they faid hung over them for their fins. This fcheme of a reformation was not publifli- ed, nor was it ever reduced to praftice, Nicolas the cardinal and archbifhop of Capua, who was fuppofed to fpeak the real fentiments of the pope, was violently again ft all reformation ; alleging that the Lutherans would boaft that they had compell- ed them to it. It was fuppofed however, that it was by means of this cardinal that the fcheme was divulged, and Luther, coming to the knowledge of it, wrote to expofe it. The pope prorogued the council to the firft o! May, and not being able to prevail upon the emperor and the king of France to attend at that time, he again prorogued it to the Eafter following to meet at Vicenza. In A. D. 1538, the king of Denmark, and in A. D. 1542, Otho the prince Palatine, joined the Protellants. The eleftor of Brandenburg, tho' Qf Sec. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 321 of the Lutheran religion, refufed to join this league, and was in all other refpefts devoted to the emperor. In order to countera61: the league of the Pro- teftantSj the Catholic princes, among whom was George duke of Saxony, Lewis duke of Bavaria, and Henry duke of Brunfwick, who was particu- larly eager to make war on the Proteftants, were induced by the emperor to enter into a league which they called the holy league, and which was to continue eleven years. However, at the diet of Frankfort, in a. d. 1539, the emperor granted the confederates a truce for fifteen months, that there might be a conference of learned men on the fub- jeft of religion, but the Anabaptifts were not com- prehended in it. In this year George duke of Saxony died, and was fucceeded by his brother Henry, a zealous Proteftant, who immediately invited Luther to preach at Leipfic, in ordei to promote the reforma- tion, which was a great acquifition to the Proteft- ant caufe. In MarchA. d. 1540 the Proteftants met at Smalcald, and by a letter to the emperor made every reprefentation to procure peace ; but at the fame time they concerted proper meafures for their defence, if he ihould not be influenced by them, VoL.V, X After S22 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL After much preparation in preceding meetings, the conference which had been propofed between the oppolite parties was opened at Ratifbon, but it had no more efFe6t than the former ones ; and an invafion . f i-he Turks being at that time appre- hended, the emperor thought proper to make fuch conceflTions^as mduced the Proteflant princes to join their forces to repel them. The p.incipal of thefe conceflions was a reformation in the imperial chamber, by which a number o\ Proteftants wero to be admitted as judges in it. But this being af- terwards evaded, the Proteftants refufed to abide by the awards of this court, and at the diet of Nu- remberg in A. D. 1542, they declined contributing to the Turkifh war on that account. In the mean time the pope was doing everjr thing in his power to promote a war againfl the Proteftants, and in a. d. 1545* he prepared an army of twelve thoufand men to afTift in it ; but things were not then ripe for the meafure. A Francifcan friar preaching before the emperor, ex- horted him to an immediate war ; faying that ma- ny thoufand fouls were dayly in danger of eternal damnation, and that if he did not apply a remedy God would require them at his hands. The king of England at this time informed the Proteftants that they were threatened with a dreadful war. On the other hand they were accufed to the em- peror Sbc. VII. the christian church. iU peror of confpiring againft his authority. Another conference, however, was held on the fubjeft of re- ligion at Ratifbon ; but after fome progrefs it was broke up in confequence of fome directions of the emperor concerning it, to which the Proteftants relufed to accede. It was in this ftate of things, wh^n every thing was tending to an open rupture, that Luther, who had always been an advocate for peace and fobear- ance, died. On the 17th of February a. d. 1556 having been requefted to a6l the part of an umpire between two counts of Mansfield, in which was Ifleben the place of his nativity, he went thither; and having difpatched that bufinefs, he was feized with fome diforder in his ftomach, and after fome difcourfe about knowing one another in a future ftate, of which he faid he had no doubt, hedefired his friends to pray to God for the prefervation of the pure doftrine of the gofpel ; for that the pope and the council, which was juft then afTembled at tTrent, were hatching mifchief. Then, he earneftly prayed that God, who he faid, had revealed to him his fon Jefus, whom he had loved and preached, while the pope and others had perfecuted and dil- honoured him, would receive his foul; adding, *' O heavenly father, tho' I be fnatched out of this ** life, tho* I mufl now lay down this body, ycfe *' know I afTuredly that I fhall abide with thee X 2 ♦'forever. SU THE HISTORY OF Per. XXH «' forever, and that rio man fhall pluck me out of *' thy hands." Prefcntly after this, without any appearance of pain or agony, he expired on the i8th of February at the age ot fixty three, and five days after he was honourably buried at Wittemberg. In this pious and exemplary manner died this ex- traordinary man, who had been raifed up by God to be a principal inftrument in promoting the great and neceflary work of reformation ; and contrary to the expeftation of many, he died in peace, and not a violent death, as thoufands who preceded and followed hfm in the fame caufe did. While the emperor was taking his meafures for the fuppreflion of the Proteftants by force, he took great pains to deceive them. The landgrave wait- ing upon him at Spire freely mentioned to him the circumftances which led them to fufpeft that he had made peace with the king ot France, and a truce with the Turks, with a defign to fall upon them. But he affured them that he had no fuch intention, and that the fufpicions he had been led to entertain of them were alfo removed ; that it was not his intention that any violence fhould be of- fered to them on account of any decrees of the council of Trent, and after a long confeience they parted feemingly well difpofed to each other. With all thefe profreflions of peace the emper- or was fully determined on war, and from Ratif- bon^ Sec. VIL THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 325 bon, where the diet was held, he fent the cardinal of Trent fo Rome, to require of the pope the fac- cours he had promifed, and made other preparati- ons. Alarmed at this, the Pioteftanis defired to be informed concerning the objc6l of them, but he returned only an evafive anfwer ; faying that his defign was to eHabbfii peace and juftice, that thofe who (hould allift him in this would find favour, but that the forces he was railing would reduce thofe who fhould oppofe him in it. His letters to the free cities of the empire made his real defions flill more apparent. The deputies of the Proteftant ftates finding this left Ratifbon, and the cities of Upper Ger- many, immediately raifed forces, and writing to the landgrave and the eleftor of Saxony, promifed them all the affiftance in their power. Thefe two princes raifed their forces, but before they com- menced hoftilities they wrote to the emperor, re- xnonft rating againft his conduft. as contrary to all his profefSons, when it was now evident that he was undertaking a war for the fupprefiion of the gofpel, and the liberties of Germam^, and for no other caufe whatever. They then wrote to the kings ot England and France, and other dates, to folicit fuccours ; alleging that it was a vy,ar of reli- gion, and that it was the emperor's intention, un- X 3 der W6 THE HISTORY OF PzR. XXII, der colour of punifhing a few, to divide them, and deftroy them all one after another. Whiift the emperor was proceeding with as much fecrecy as he could, and really aimed at en- larging his power in Germany, the pope a6led without any difguife, proclaiming to all the world that the obje6i; of the war was the fupprefiion of herefy ; and on the 13th of July a. d. 1546 he pubhfhed a bail, in which, after complaining of the obitinacy of the heretics, who, he faid, flighted and rejefted the council which was then fiiting at Trent, he exhorted all perfons to faft and pray . that Cod would give fuccefs to the war, which me emperor and himfelf were obliged to under- take for the rooting out of herefy, and reftoring peace to the church. This open conduft of the pope was more than fufficient to open the eyes of the Proteflant con- federates to fee their real fituatiorj, and according- ly the landgrave took the field the 16th of the fame month, and Schertellini, one of the Protefl- ant gttierals, foon made himfelf mafter of Eren- berg, an important pafs in the Alps leading to Italy, in order to prevent the arrival of the' forces of the pope. The emperor finding his diffimulation of no farther ufe, proclaimed the eleftor of Saxony and the landgrave outlawed, and declared war againft them Sec. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. S27 them in the ufual forms. However, the meafures of the Proteftants were fo well laid, and their force fo great, that they would certainly ha\'e been an overmatch for the emperor, if Maurice, the fon and heir of Henry duke of Saxony, had not adhered to him. This prince, tho' a Proteftant, was defir- ous of fupplanting his relation in the deflorate, and to him and his brother Auguflus the emperor committed the execution of the ban of the empire, requiring him to take pofTeffun of the eledor's eftates, and alfo thofc of the landgrave. The be tter to fucc**ed in this, Maurice continued with the Proteftants. • After a formal declaration of war, in anfwer to that of the emperor, the Proieflants marched to Ratifbon, and had they been governed by the land- grave, who was for immediately attiickiug the em- peror, thtre can be no doubt but they would htive had him in their power ; but his advice was over- ruled. And prefently after Maurice having call- ed a council ofhisftate.s, in which he afTured them that their reli,^ion was in no danger, declared that they were under obligation to obey th6 emperor in all temporal matiers, and that as ihe ftates of his relation tlu eleflor v/ere in danger of fuffering from rhe invafion of tore'gneis, he perfuaded iheui to take part with the emperor in this war, and fejzeupon the deflorate ; aad this, ai^ter fome ne- X 4 gociation. 528 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. gociation, in which he pretended much friendfhip for his relation, he in a great meafure did. And tho' the eleftor not only recovered what Maurice had taken from him, and gamed other advantages, yet in a pitched battle tought the 2 2d of April A. D. 1547 at Mulberg on the Elbe, he was de- feated, taken prifoner, and fentenced to die for re- bellion. But on the interceflion of the duke of Brandenburg, the emperor remitted the fentence, on condition of his renouncing the deflorate. He refufed, however, to confent to what the emperor alfo propofed, viz. that he would approve of whatever the council of Trent or the emperor ftiould decree concerning religion, tho' his life de- pended upon it ; and in all refpefls he behaved with the greateft piety and magnanimity. Such conditions were propofed to the landgrave as he thought proper to accept; but waiting on the emperor at Hall, other conditions than thofe to which he had agreed were prefented to him ; and notwithftandirig the remonftrances of Maurice, and the ele£lor of Brandenburg, who had made themfelves refponfible for his fafety, and the em- peror's own word to the contrary, he was detained a prifoner. The city of Magdeburg Hill held out againft the emperor, and was therefore put under the ban of the empire, and hoth the emperor and Maurice having Sec. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 329 having gained their principal objeCls, of which that of the former was an acceflion of powe*- by fupprefling his opponents, and that of the latter the fupplanting of the eleQor, and getting himfelf appointed in his place, nothing was faid on cither fide with refpeft to religion. Indeed, the pope, was fo fully apprized of the real obje£t of the emper- or, and had fuch a dread of his fuccefs, that he had on various pretences, and efpecially his not having openly declared himfelf againft the Proteflants as heretics, withdrawn his troops.' Maurice, who had always profefled great zeal for the Proteflant caufe, fent for Melandhon, and other divines of Wittemberg, treated them with great civility, made large profefEons of his zeal for rehgion, and committed to them the care of the church and of the univerfity. On the other hand, the pope, who now dreaded the increafed power of the emperor, having, on the pretence of an in- fe£lious diftemper, removed the council from Trent to Bologna, with a view to having it more in his own power, the emperor was much offended, and ordered his bilhops and divines to remain at Trent ; and a diet being held at Augfburg July the 3d, he moved the princes to remonftrate with the pope on the fubjeft. No fatisfadion being ob- tained, and there being no profpe£t of promoting the union of the empire by means of the council, . X 5 with 330 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. with the concurrence of the flates, commiflioners were appointed to draw up heads of dodtrine, and articles oi reformation. The perfons appointed were Julius Pflug bifhop of Nuremberg, Michael Siionius, and Ajjricola. who ei^jhteen years before had defended theProteflant do£lrine in company with Melan£lh- thon and Brentius. Having drawn up thefe arti- cles, they were prefented to the emperor, and af- terwards communicated to all the parties. This meafure being intended to anfwer a tempora- ry purpofe, obtained the title of the Interim, but it gave fatisfa£lion to few. It was received by the elector of Brandenburg in the Palatinate, and at Wittemberg, but it greatly difpleafed the pope and the Catholics, as not made by proper autho- rity, and no lefs the more zealous Proteftants, efpe- cially the late ele6lorof Saxony, v^ho tho' a prifon- er, rejected very flattering offers that were made to him if he would accept it ; and tho' he was treat- ed with peculiar harlbnefs for hi? refufal. His anfwer to the propofal difcavers the greatefl mag- nar.i'mity, a mind deeply fenhble to his fituation, but unbroken by it, and preferring the things of another life to every thing in this. It was alfo re- je6ted by the fubjecls of the landgrave. On the publication of this Interim one inconfiderable city, but It does not appear which, intreated the emperor to «EC. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 331 to be content that their goods and their lives were at his (erviee, but that he would permit titm to referve their confciences for God ; and lead of all was it reasonable, they Paid, that he fhould force upon them a thing which he did not himfcli ac- cept, or believe to be true. F. Paul, p. 479. The citizens ot Magdeburg added much to their oflPence by their reje£lion of the Interim. They alio complained of encroachments on their civil liberties ; and tho fome of their forces were defeated, they perlifted with great magnanimity in their refiftance. On this Maurice was appoint- ed to command the force of the empire again (t them ; but when they were obliged to capitulate, good fecurity was given them both with refpedl to their liberties and their religion. By granting thefe favourable terms to the citi- zens of Magdeburg, and by various alliances with foreign^ powers, Maurice was continually flrentfth- ening himfelf ; while the emperor, intent on the war that he was carrying on in Italy, and on the proceedings oi the council, had no fufpicion of hi« defigns, which were to gain the liberty of his father in law the landgrave, and the liberties of Germany in general, if not by fair means, by force of aims ; and the emperor giving only evafive anCwers to all his applications in favour of the landgrave, he, having fecretly increafed his forces, and made a league iiS THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. league with the king of France, in the fpring of A. D. 1552, publiQied a declaration to the ftates of the empire, complaining, that after many pro- m'fts nothing was done in favour of religion, or of his faiher in la'v, and that fteps were taken to e- ftablifh an arbitrary power in the empire, and ex- pr<^lIino his refolution to take up arms for the com- mon liberty. The declaration was alfo Ggned by Albert duke of Mecklenburg. Alfo Albert of Brandenburg publifhed a declaration ot a iimilar nature, and the king of France another. Thefe fteps being taken, Maurice made fuch difpatch, that the emperor, who faw his danger, and began to levy troops when it was too late, ve- ry narrowly efcaped being taken prifoner at Inf- pruck, from which he fled by night, together with his brother Ferdinand. At length a treaty was made at Paffaw, in which it was agreed that the landgrave fhould be fet at liberiy, that within fix months the emperor fhould hold a diet of the em- pire in order to compofe the differences about re- lioion and that in the mean time all perfons fhould live in peace, and not be molefted on that account; alfo that perfons of the Auguftan confefTion fhould be admitted into the imp rial chamber. The em- peror moreover fet at liberty the late eleQor of Saxony, and behaved to him with great kindnefs. The Sec. VII' THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 33S The ftate of the empire not admitting of any far- ther meafures with refpe6l to the council, the Pro- teftants were from that time permitted to enjoy their religious liberty with httle interruption. Maurice, who by his fupcrior policy, had bern the means of effefting this great event, and of tftab- lifhing his family in the eledlorate, died in battle in A. D. 15/53, fighting again ft Albert of Bran- denburg, who had been joined with him againft the emperor, but afterwards entered into hoftilities with feveral princes and ftates of the empire. Au- guftus the brother of Maurice fucceeded him in the ele6lorate, and the magnanimous John Fred- crick, who died expreffing fentiments of the moft pious refignation in A. D. 1554, never recovered it, tho' by a treaty made a fhort time before his death, his heirs were to fucceed in cafe Auouflus fliould die without male iffue. His wife Sibilla, a woman poffeflfed of the piety and magnanimity of her hufband, and ftrongly attached to him, died the year before. During the interruption of the council of Trent in a. d. 1554, Ferdinand, then king of the Romans, publilhed an edi6t, by which he ordered that no innovation ftiould be made in matters of religion. He alfo procured a catechifm to be compofed by fome divines of his appointment, which 334 THE HIS I ORY OF PKRi XXII. which he ordered to be ufed in pubHc and in pri- vate. This gave equal offence to the Proteftant* and the court of Rome, which naturally took great umbrage at fuch an interference of the fecular J ower in matters of religion. At I he diet in Augfburg February 5, a. d. 1554, he propofed another conference, or national council, to fettle all differences. From this the Proteflants augured nothing favourable to them, lince in Bohemia he had publifhed an edi6l by which more than two hundred minifters had been baniflied. Nor was it better received at Rome. A legate, however, attended on the part of the pope ; but in this ftate of things he died, and was fucceeded by Marcellus II, who fhewed great zeal for the reformation, but died within the year, and had for a fucceffor Paul IV. Both paities being equally obftinate, and fomc termination of their differences being abfolutely neceffary, it was fi- nally agreed that all the Proteflants Ihould have full liberty with refpefl to the religion of their refpeftive ftates, that if any ecc^efiaftical perfon (hould abandon his religion he fhould lofe his be- nefice, but notfufferin any other refpe6fc. This agreement gave great offence to the pope, and the more as he had juft received the fubmiflion of the kimgdom of England on the acceffion of queen Mary ; and he threatened to excommuni- cate Sec. VII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. '&io cate both the emperor and Ferdinand if they did not revoke what they had granted; piomKing them the aid of his troops, and that he would or- der all the chriftian princes to join them with theirs if they would comply with his wifhes. Whea among other reafons, they alleged the oath they had taken, he faid he would abfolve them from that, and even commanded them to pay no regard to it. But it was without any eirefl, and the agreement made at PafTaw was finally confirmed at another diet held at Ratifbon in a, d. 1559. F.Paul vol. 2, p. 50. And thus the great objc6l of the politic and powerful Charles was efFcdually defeated. Seeing his difappointment in this, and his other ambitious fchemes, he renounced the em- pire, and all his dominions, and retired to a mo- naftery in Spain, where he died in a, d. 1558, SECTION It3« THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. SECTION VIII. OJ ths Analaptijls in Germany, I .T is to be lamented that, as there is no evil unaccompanied with fome good, and fo there is no good without fome attendant evil. While fome men are roufed to think with freedom, ener- gy, [and juftnefs, others will think, and often a£i, very extravagantly ; and by this means the beft of caufes fometimes fuflFers. This was particu- larly the cafe at the time of the reformation in Germany. Thomas Muncer, ot whom fome account has been given, as at the head of the revolted peafants, and who pretended to immediate infpiration, had many admirers and followers ; and there cannot be a doubt but that, extravagant as their opinions and condu61; were, they were at their outfet .fincere, and difinterefted, and that the generality of them always were fo. Some of their tenets are almoft a proof of it ; for they indicate the mofl paffive and inoflPenfive difpofition. Befides renouncing the baptifm of infants, from which they had their name, Sec. VIII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH* 337 name, they held it to be unlawful for a chriftian to go to law, to bear any office of magiftracy, to take an oath, or to have any property ; but, like th« primitive chriftians, they were to have all things in common, Skidan,p. igo. Succefs, however, led them to depart from fome of thefe principles. Other real enthufiafts have afted in a fimilar man- ner. The reformers having got pofTeffion of fome of the churches in Munfter by an agreement with the Catholics in a, d. 1533, John Matthew, or Matyflen, and John of Leyden, violent Ana- baptifts, came thither, and tho' at firft they were oppofed by Bernard Rotman, who had introduced the reformation into that city, they were afterwards joined by him j and being very afliduous in preach- ing, efpecially by night, they made fo many pro- felytes, that the magiftrates, ofFended at the pro- grefs of the new opinions, banifhcd them from the city. They found means, however, to return, and their numbers continued to increafe; and one of them pretending to infpiration, ran about the flreets, crying, " Repent and be baptized, or the ♦' wrath of God will overwhelm you." The moft a£iive among them was Knipper- doling; and inviting their friends from other places, they were joined by many of the poorer fort, and many of the rich citizens leaving the Vol. V, Y place. 33« THE HISTORY OF p£R. XXIL place, they chofe magiftrates out of their own bo- dy, and Knipperdolingwas created conful. They then baniftied all who would not join them, and feizing their property, they brought it all into one common ftock. They alfo ordered all books to be burned except the Bible, and demolifhed the churches, John ot Leyden pretending to have a revelation for it. He then appointed twelve mi- nifters to a6l under him, and publiftied, as a new revelation, that a man might marry as many wives as he pleafed, and he himfelf took three. This occafioned a revolt of many of the mare fober ci- tizens ; but they were overpowered, and fome of them put to death. After this the bifhop afiifted by the ele6lor of Cologn, and the duke of Cleves, befieged the city, and Matthew being killed in a fally, at the motion of one of them who pretended to the gift of prophecy, John was made king, and it was faid that he was to be the univerfal monarch, and to put down all other kings. On this he af- fumed all the enfigns of royalty, and fent miffio- naries to make converts in other places, who pro- claimed that the time was come when the vieek Jhould inherit the earth, and that Luther was worfe than the pope. But they were generally feized and put to death. In the mean time, the city was ftill befieged, and a meeting of the neighbouring princes being held. SECiVlIL THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. t6^ held, the ele6lor of Saxony joined the confederacy that was entered into againft them, and notice was given them that unlefs they defifted from their purpofe they would be befieged by all the forces of the empire. This was in December a. d. 1534 5 but having no efFeft, the city was befieged in due form, and after the people had fuffered much by famine, it was taken the 22d of June a. d. I535- Thc king and Knipperdoling were feized, while Rotman was killed fighting* The king arid fome others of the prifoners were carried about Germany, and being then taken back to Munfter they were tortured, and put to death the 19th of January A. D. 1536, and afterwards cxpofed in iron cages at the top of the tower in the city, Sleidan, p« 202. This feverity had the befi efFeft, all the Ana- baptifts on this giving up every idea of civil pow- er, and becoming the moft peaceable of citizens^ and perhaps the more fo for having received this checkk Yi SECTION S40 THE HISTORY^OF Per. XXn. SECTION IX. ^hc Hijlory of the Council of Trent, H A VI NG given a pretty large account of all the former great councils, becaufe the pro- ceedings relating to them fhew in a clear light the fpirit of the times in which they were held, I think it no lefs ufeful with refpeft to this council of Trent, which is the laft of them. No council whatever was confidered at the time as more ne- ceflary to heal the wounds of the church, and of none of them were greater expeftations formed, at leafl; by fome of the parties concerned, and none of them fo little anfwered the purpofes of thofc who were the moft folicitous about it. In no council whatever was the policy and management of the court of Rome fo confpicuous, or fo fuccefs- ful, in turning to its own advantage what was in- tended to militate againfl it. And that human policy, and not the infpiration of the Holy Spirit, diftated all the decrees, will hardly be denied by 5iny perfon who attends to the hiflory of it, efpe- cially Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. zii cially as written by Father Paul, from whofc ac- count the following is principally taken. The council being appointed to meet at Trent, the 15th of March a. d. 1545, the pope, Paul III, fent four cardinals as his legates, who were there at the time. There arrived alfo on the part of the emperor James Mendoza, a Spaniard, Nothing, however, was done till the 3d of May, when ten bifhops being arrived, a congregation was held to regulate the ceremonials of the council, in which the greateft devotion to the p6pe was very manifeft. The number of bifhops being deemed fuliicient for the opening of the council, the firfl feflion was held on the 13th of December; when, after the celebration of the mafs, the cardinal legates read a fpeech, informing the Fathers that the council was called for three purpofes, viz. the ex- tin£lion of hcrefy, the reftoration of difcipline, and the peaces of Europe. After this an oration was delivered, exhorting all perfons to reform their lives, and to attend without prejudice to the bufi- aefs on which they were met. The pope, having received advice of the o- peningof the council, appointed a congregation of cardinals and officers of his court to attend to every thing that paffed in it, and dire6t its proceedings ; when orders were given that it fhould have the following title prefixed to all the decrees. The holy Y 3 acumenical 342 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL cecumenical and general council of Trent, the legates of the apojlolicalfee prefiding in it ; that the votes fhould not be by nations, as in the councils of Conftance and Bafil, but in the manner of that of Lateian, by which means the influence of the bifhops of diftant provinces, who could not attend in great numbers, would be inconfiderable, com- pared to that of thofe of Italy, who were more fub- je£l to the controul of the pope. When the title was propofed at Trent, the French prelates would have added the words repre- fenting the univerfal church, which had been uied at the councils of Conftance and Bafil. But the legates oppofed it, left it fhould excite a recollefti- on of thofe councils, and imply that it had a power fuperiorto that of the pope; but what they alleged was, that it was too pompous, and would give an advantage to the heretics. Every other precaution that had ever been taken to fecure the influence of the court of Rome was introduced, efpecially the holding oijeparate congregations, or committees of particular members, in which every thing fhould be difcufTed, and alfo general congregations, in which, after this, every perfon might be heard on the fubjed, before the fejfi on, which by this means was reduced to a mere ceremony, to publifh what had been agreed upon in the congregations. Things being conduced in this manner, it was not pofTiblo Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 343 poffible but that the influence of the court of Rome and its agents fhould be abfolute. The legates alfo advifed the pope, that fince the emperor would fend fome prelates from Spain, men of great learning, and ability, in whom he could place confidence, he alfo fhould fend ten or twelve fuch perfons on his part, that they might be able to reply to them ; as mofl: of the prelates who were then alTembled, tho' well difpofed, had little knowledge or difcretion, and that thcfe who had much capacity were difficult to be governed. There was for fome time much debating about the order in which matters of dod line and of re- formation fhould be difcuflTed, and the legates were very urgent to get inflrudions from Rome on the fubjecl. But at that time the pope, being chief- ly intent on promoting the war againfl the Pro- teflants, neglefted the bufinefs, and the emperor being alfo employed about the war, and fatisfied that the council was opened, was very indifferent to its proceedings. The legates being thus left to themfelves, they were unwilling to enter upon any thingofmuch importance; but that they might be doing fomething, the lecond feilion was opened on the 4th of February a. d. 1546, in which they agreed upon a contedion of their faith, and appoint- ed the third feffion for the 8th of April; as thsy y 4 were S44 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. were informed that many more bifliops were on their way to join them. After much difputing in the congregations, on various articles relating to the canon of fcripture, which they next entered upon, it was at length agreed, that in this third feffion it fliould be de- clared that, fince every thing relating to truth or to morals was contained either in books, or in tra- ditions, which the apoftles had received from the mouth of Jefus Chrift, and which, being diftated by the Holy Spirit, had been tranfmitted from hand to hand in the church, the council, after the example of the Fathers, received with the fame refpe6l all the books of the Old and New Teflaments, and alfo the traditions which relate to faith ormoials; as having come from the mouth of Jcfus Chrift. And after an enumeration of the facred books, in which they include thofe of the Apocrypha, an anathema was pronounced againft thofe who ftiould deliberately difpife the traditi- ons. It v;as alfo ordered that an exaft edition fhould be made of the Vulgate tranflation, which they declared to be authentic^ and that no anony- mous books treating of facred things, that were not approved, and the approbation inferted in the book, fhould be printed, fold, or retained, under pain of excommunication, and the pecuniary pe- nalty fixed by the council of Lateran. This Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 345 This firft decree of the council, from which fo much was expeded, being made pubhc, gave very little fatiifaSion. It was thought extraordinary that five cardinals and forty eight bifliops fhould take upon them to determine articles of fuch im- portance. None of them, it was faid, were dif- tinguifhed tor their knowledge ; that there were, indeed, among them fome able canonifts, but none who had much knowledge of religion ; that the theologians among them were men of little ca- pacity ; that a great proportion of the members were gentlemen and courtiers ; that fome of the bilhops were only fecular, that the reft reprefent- ed fees fo inconGderable that altogether they could not reprefent the thoufandth part of chriftendom; that there was not a fmgle bifhop or theologian from Germany, and only one of their bifliops, viz. of Augfl^urg, who had a deputy there, and that he, was a Savoyard. Afterwards it appeared that, by orders from the pope, nothing was ever done towards corre6ling the vulgate tranflation of the fcriptures. The pope, reflc£lingon this and other circum- ftances, .faw that it was neceffary to give more at- tention than he had hitherto done to the bufinefs of the council. He therefore increafed the num- ber of cardinals and prelates to whom he deputed the diredion of it, advifed them to ufe great cauti- Y 5 on 346 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. on with refped to the decrees, not to employ their time- on any thing that was not difputed by the heretics, and leaft of all not to fufFer any difpute about the authority of the papal fee. A circumftancc occurred at this time which the Proteftants confidered as fhewing the infigni- ficance of the council. The ele£loral bifhop of Cologn, who was inclined to the reformation, was excommunicated by the pope, without confulting the council ; and yet the emperor, whofe interefl it was that the bifhop fhould not join the Pro- teftants, then in open oppofition to him, paid no regard to the excommunication, but treated him as ftill the bifhop. The Proteftants, therefore, reprefented to the emperor, that it was time to provide for the wants of Germany by a national council, or diet, in which the bufinefs of religion fliould be the principal objeft. After much altercation between the legates of the pope and the minifters of the emperor, who Vi'ifhed that fome articles of reformation fhould be entered upon before thofe of faith, it was determin- ed to proceed to the difcuffion of the do6r-iae of original fin^ and to join to it, as an article of re- formation, the co'.redion of the abufes which le- fpcfted preacJwng, A bifliop from Spain complained much of the dimunition of the original power of the bifhops with Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 54,7 with refpeft to the inllm^ion of their flocks, by the encroachment of the univerfities on the one hand, where alone theology was taught, and that of the monks on the other, who had engrofTcd the whole bufinefs of preaching, and yet made no good ufe of it for the folid inftruftion of the peo- ple, but only endeavoured to amufe them, and draw money from them. To this, he faid, was owing all the mifchief of the reformation, which could not have taken place if Luther had been con- fined to his cell. But to all this the generals of orders replied, that every thing he had mentioned had arifen from the incapacity, or the negle^l, of the bifhops, in confequence of which the people had long been without any inflru6lion at all, that the monks had been invited to this duty by the chief paftor the pope, and therefore that their pri- vileges ought to be refpefted. The pope being informed of this difpute re- ferred the matter to the congregation he had ap- pointed for thofe purpofes, and they conHdered that it had been for a long time the great policy of the popes to preferve their primacy by withdraw- ing the bifhops from their fubjedlion to the arch- bilhops, and the monafteries from that to the bifhops, by this means to have peribns interelled to defend their authority ; that fmce the year a. d. 600 the piirnacy of the holy fee had been main- tained U8 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL tained by the Benedi6lines, and the congregations of Clugny and Citeaux, and feveral others till the rife of the Mendicants, who in their turn defended it to this day j and therefore that to abolifh their privileges was to attack not thofe orders only, but the papacy itfelf. But not to offend the bifhops, it was thought advifable to give them the fuper- intendance of the theological ledures, as delegates- of the holy fee, an expedient to which they had re- courfe on other fimilar occafions, and which gave fatisfa6lion. After much altercation among the divines a- bout original (in, and alfo between the Dominicans and Francifcans about the immaculate conception of the virgin Mary, and many advices from Rome not to quarrel among themfelves, but to confine their labours to the condemnation of the doftrines of the Proteftants, a decree was made containing five anathemas, with many fubtle diflinftions, againfl fome opinions of the Lutherans on the fubjedi; of original fin, but with a declaration that they did not include in it any thing refpefling the virgin Mary, but on that fubjc6l abode by the con- ftitution of Sixtus IV. On the fubje£l oi preadiing feveral ufeful regulations were agreed upon, by which the bifhops were required to give particular attention to it, both in their churches, and the mo- nafteries fubjecl to their jurifdi6lion. None Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 849 None of the decrees of this feffion gave fatis-* faftion to the Proteftants, or even to the emperor, who was difpleafed that articles of reformation of fo little confequence, and things not required by the Germans, fhould be treated of, and that the doc- trine of original fin, which had been fettled by di- vines on both fides at the conference at Ratifbon, fhould again become the fubjeft of difcuffion. He wilhed them to defer all difcuffions of this kind till the arrival of the Proteftants, or at leaft of the German prelates, who, he faid, would attend as foon as the diet fhould be clofed. It is very evident, therefore, that the emperor did not confi- der the proceedings of this council as direSed by the Holy Spirit, any more than the Proteftants, But the war now breaking out put an end to all confideration of the council. It was the force of arms, and not of argument, from which the great- eft advantage w«is expefted to be derived to the catholic caufe. After this, in order to come at the foundation of the Lutheran herefy, the members of the coun- cil proceeded to the difcufTion of the doftrine of Grace ; and this giving room to many diftinftions, the d«bate was purpofely prolonged by the legates, who, in conformity to the wifhes of the pope, en- deavoured to delay the decrees of the next feffiort till the event of the war fhould be known. At length 350 THE HISTORY OF Per;XXIL length, however, the feffion was held the 13th of Januar)'^ a. d. 1547 ; and, contrary to the will of the emperor, who did not wifli to offend the Pro- feftants, and totally alienate them from the coun- cil, they paffed the decrees concerning Grace, con- fifting of lixteen articles, and thirty three anathe- mas, againft particular do£lrines of the Proteflants on the fubjeft. To thefe decrees concerning doftrines they joined others, according to their general lule, refpefting reformation, and thefe re- lated to the refidence of bifhops, which they en- deavoured to enforce by certain penalties. The decrees of this feffion, containing many fubtleties, were much ridiculed by the learned Proteflants, and it was faid that the decrees to enforce refidence could not have much efFe£l. It was remarkable that prefently after the publica- tion of the decrees ot this feffion Sola aDominican, and Catharin biffiop of Minori, both of whom had affifted in drawing up the decrees, and gave their afTent to them, wrote each of them treatifes on the fubjeft, dedicated to the council, in which they maintained different opinions ; and the contro- verfy was carried on with fome warmth ; fo little profpeft was there of thofe decrees, particular as they were, producing uniformity of opinion. In the next place the members of the council proceeded to confider the do6lrine of ihtfacra- ments. &EC. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. SSi ments, which they divided into a great number of articles, and, which occafioncd as much difcuffion as thofe concerning the doQrine of grace. To this they joined the reformation of fome abufes refpefting pluralities, and the quahfications of bifhops. On the 3d of March the feffion was held, when the decrees concerning the facraments in general amounted to thirteen, thofe concernincr baptifm to eleven, and concerning confirmation to three. Thofe relating to the articles of reformation were fourteen. As thofe decrees tended to the exaltation of the power of the bifhops, in derogation of that of the popes, as the contefl between the Do- minicans and the Francifcans on thefe and other fubjefts began to be violent, and could not eafily be kept within due bounds, as the Spanifli prelates, fupported, it was thought, by the emperor, took great liberties in propofing articles of reformation, and the fuccefs of the emperor's arms gave great umbrage to the pope, he began to be ferioully alarmed ; and wifliing to get the council, which he could not decently diffolve, more into his power, he determined to remove it to Bologna; and on the pretence of a contagious diftemper hav- ing broken out at Trent, the decree of the tranfla- tion of the council to Bologna, notwithflanding the remonftrances of the emperor's prelates, was palTed SSr THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII ' pafled|on the iith of March by thh-ty-fivei)i(hops, and three generals of orders, but oppofed by one cardinal and feventeen other bilhops, all fubjeds of the emperor, who by his orders ftill remained at Trent. It appeared afterwards that the bull for this tran- flation*had been prepared long before,to be ufed on any emergency that might occur ; and as the pow- er of ufing it was delegated only to two of the three legates, it fliewed how intirely the council was in the power of the pope. But that the pope paid little regard to the decrees of this council, tho' in fa6l didated by himfelf, appeared by the treaty which about this time he entered into with Henry king of France ; when he began to be alarmed at the acceflion of power acquired by the emperor, in confcquence of his defeat of the Proteilants. For he gave his legates ample powers to grant the king whatever he fhould demand Vtfith refpefil to beneficiary matters, without any regard to what had been decreed by the council. The prelates who remained at Trent did not chufe to do any thing for fear of a fchifm, and thofe of Bologna contented themfeves with pro- roguing their meetings in hope of being joined by thofe at Trent, or of inducing the emperor to ap- prove of the tranflation ; but this he could not be prevailed upon to do. In Sec. IX, THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 5S% In this dormant ftate, things continued till the death of Paul III, who was fucceeded hy the cardinal del Monte, who had been legate to the council both at Trent and Bologna, and took the name of Julius III. Tho' he dreaded the em- peror, yet, confidering the difl&culties with which he began to be preffed by the oppofition that was made to him in Germany, he thought he might fafelv venture to refume the council, and even at Trent. Accordingly an order was ilFued to doing this the 11th of May a. d. 1551. The emperor concurred in this meafure, thinking that by means of his refidence near the place of the council, he could make it fubfervient to his political purpofes, both with refpeft to Germany, and the pope. But the king of France, having a difference with the pope on the fubjetl of Parma, refufed to fend any of his prelates, and threatened the pope with a national council. The Swifs cantons alfo refufed to fend any. When the prelates were once more affembled at Trent, they agreed that their next feflion fhould be held the ift of September ; btit the pope who was a man of pleafure, having given little attention to the affairs of the council, the number of prelates did not exceed lixty four, tho' the emperor now fent many from Germany, and more than before from Spain. V©L. V. Z The 5^4 THE HISrORY OF Per. XXIL The emperor being much occupied with the bufinefs of the council, Maurice of Saxony, the moft powerful of the Proteflant princes, and who was with him, favoured his views, and gave orders for Melan£lhon and the other Proteflant divines to aflfemble at Leipfic for that purpofe ; but he required a fafe conduft both from the council and the emperor. On account of the fmall number of prelates, all that was done at the time that had been fixed for the feffion was to prorogue it to the 1 1 th of Oftober. The bufinefs defigned for it related to the euchariji, with refpeft to dodrine, and the means of enforcing rejldence with refpeft to refor- mation. But the king ot France entered a protefl aorainfl the council, and likewife forbad the carry- ing any money from France to Rome. In the congregations which followed this ten articles were drawn up, condemning the doftrine of the Proteftants with refpeft to the eucharifi, and others defining the genuine doftrine of the church on the fubje6l. But the pope and the council were induced to defer the decilion of the article relating to the communion in both kinds till the arrival of the Proteflants, to whom it was agreed that a fafe condu6l Ihould be given. When the manner in which Chrift was prefent in the eu- charifl came to be difeuffed, there was a great dif- pute Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 35^ pute between the Dominicans and the Francif- cans, but it was compromifed by agreeing to ufe fuch expreflions as both parties might approve. After this the decrees were voted as before. They then proceeded to the doftrines concern- ing j&f nance and extreme unBion, and the article of reformation related to epifcopal jurisdiBion. The decrees on thefe fubjefts were confirmed in the feflion of the 25th of November. There arrived in the mean time the ambalfk* dors of the duke of Wittemberg, requiring a fafe condu6l for the Proteftant divines, with liberty to deliver a confeflion of their faith, and to difcufs the articles of it. At the fame time there arrived ambaffadors from Strafburg, and other cities, and on the 7th of June one from prince Maurice, all requiring a fafe condu£l for their divines, the re- examination of the decrees which had been pafTed, and that the pope fhould not preGde in the coun- cil. But to this the legates would not by any means confent, tho' it was to the great difplcafure of the emperor. All that could be obtained was that the ambafla^jrs fhould be heard in a general congregation on the 24th of June, and that the publication of the articles which had been agreed upon fhould be deferred till their divines had been heard. But tho' the ambafTadors were heard, nothing fatisfa^ory to them was gained, except ^ 2 that 3jG the history of Per. XXII. that a fufficiently fatisfa6lory fafe conduft was granted to the divines, which was declared in the fcflion on the 25th of January a. d. 1553. Alter this four theologians arrived from the duke of Wit- temberg, and two from Strafburg, but they could not obtain any conference on the fubjeft of their demands, tho' it was much urged by the emperor. In the mean time, the war between the emperor and the Proteflants, commanded by Maurice, breaking out, and the members of the council re- tiring, the pope gave orders for the fufpenfion of the council, which was declared on the 28th of April to continue two years, or till the conclufion of the troubles. The pope finding himfelf delivered from a great embarraflrnent by the fufpenlion of the coun- cil, thought to avoid it for the future by pretending jto do that at Rome which could not be done at Trent ; and for that purpofe he appointed a nume- rous congregation of cardinals and other prelates. But nothing was done by them, and the council continued fufpended near ten years, not being rc- fumedtill the pontificate of PiusIV,in a. d. 1559. Averfe as this pope, like moft of his predecef- fors, was to a council, he perceived that a wifii for it was fo general, th^t it was abfolutely neceflary for him to rifle it, efpecially in order to avoid the calling of a national council in France ; and after much Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. S57 much confultation it was agreed, that it fhould be held at Trent, tho' the catholic princes obje6led to it, and the ProteftantSj to whom the pope fent nun- cios, refufed to fubmit Co any council in which he fhould prefide. The prelates being once more aflTembled^ ait Trent, it was agreed to open the council on the i8th cf January, a. d. 1562, without declaring in exprefs terms, but only by implication, that it was a continuation of the preceding council, both the emperor Ferdinand and the kmg of France having great objections to that, fince no regard would then be had to it by the Proteftants in their ftates. In the fermon delivered at this fellion the preacher faid, that the authority of the church was not lefs than that of the word of God, that the changing of the fabbath, and the aboliftiing of circumcifion, were not made by the preaching of Chrift, but by the authority of the church; and he exhorted ftre- nuoufly to combat the Proteftants, and to be af- fured that, as the Holy SpiHt could not err, (o neither could they. It was eafy to imagine ef what nature would be the proceedings of a coun- cil which, was opened in this manner. In the title of the council, alfo, the liberty of propofiu'^ qiieftions was given excIuCively to the legates, notwithftanding the remondrances of fome prc-^ lates from Spain, "^ 3 In 358 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. In the feffion of the 26th of February, perfons were appointed to draw up an Indcte Expur^atorius, or, a lift of fuch books as were prohibited to be read without an exprefs licence, to be laid before the council. Then followed a long difcuffion of fome articles of reformation, efpecially refpefting refidence,\n which the Spanifh prelates, inftigated, it was thought, by the king (Philip II) appeared to be unfavourable to the powei of the pope with refpeO: to the divine right of refidence. This fo much alarmed the court of Rome, that the pope faid if the princes abandoned him, he would have recourfe to heaven, and God would take care of his church. Pie faid, however, he had one million in gold, and knew where to find another ; fo that he did not wholy truft to divine aid. On this account the decilion of this queftion of the right of refidence was deferred to another feffion. After this the ambaffador of the emperor pro- pofed twenty articles of reformation, but the le- gates declined the conlideration of them at that time. And the pope found himfelf fo much em- barralfed with the affairs of the council, and fo much diffatisfied with his legates, that he fent Charles Vifconti, bilhop of Ventimille, as his fe- cret minifter to Trent, with inftru6lions to encou- rage the prelates who were friendly to him, and to gain others ifpoffible. After Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 3J9 After long debates on the fubjeft of communion which had been long deferred, it was decreed that no divine law made communion in both kinds ceceflary, but that communion in one kind only was fufficient ; alfo that it wa^ not neceflary for in- fants to communicate. They then decreed nine arti- cles of reformation, refpefting holy orders, the du- ty of bifliops, &c. So little, however, was done in this feflion, from which fo much had been ex- pefted, from the intereft that the princes took in the queftions, that when the refult was known, the fable of the mountain bringing forth a moufe, was commonly applied to it. In difcuffing the fubje6t of the mafs, to which the members of the council proceeded in the next place, it was agreed that it ftiould be done by the theologians of the different countries; and there being none yet come from France, the ambaffa- dors from that country intreated the members, that they would wait till their arrival, but they could not fucceed ; the perfons to whom they ap- plied always faying that it did not depend upon them. When the minifter of France at Rome ap- phed to the pope on the fubjeft, he replied that he fhould leave it to the legates. On which it was faid by the minifter at Trent. ," The pope refers *' us to his legates, the legates to the fynod, and Z 4 « the 3^ THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII " the fynod is not at liberty to hear any propofal. *« and thus both the king and the world are de- ♦* ceived." After much debate and intrigue of the friends of the pope againft the ambaffadors of the princes, who wilhed them to proceed to feme articles of. ferious reformation, and not take up their time in difputing about things which no way refpe£led the Proteftants, on the 17th of September the fefTion was held, in which feveral decrees were made ref- peding the facrifice of the mafs, and then fomc articles cfreformalion relating to the qualiji cation and conduB of bijlwps. The qucftion concerning giving the cup to the laity was alfo included in the articles of reformation, and not thofe of doc- trines, and left to the difcretion of the pope. It was not made an article of faith becaufe, accord- ing to the rules they had laid down, an article of faith could not be decided but by a great majority of voices, which in this cafe was not expected, while all articles of reformation were decided by limple majorities. The French wtxe particularly dilfatisfied with the proceedings of the council at this tkne, com- plainmg that nothing to any purpofe was done in the bufinefs of reformation, which all catholics wilhed for, or to iatisfy the Proteftants, who would never accede to the decrees of a council in which they Sec. IX. THE CHRIS IIAN CHURCH. SGI they had no voice. The pope, apprehenfive of the arrival of the cardinal of Lorraine among the other prelates from France, endeavoured private- ly to prevent his coming ; and at the fame time by openly fending more of his own prelates, he fhowed him that his coming would not anfwer any purpole of oppofition, as he was fure to be over ruled. No remonftrances from any of the catholic princes deterred the legates from proceeding as they had begun ; and in the next place they pro- pofed the difcuffion of fome articles relating to holy orders. On this the ambaffador of the em- peror obferved, that when they entered upon this fubje6l they had a good opportunity of correding a great abufein church difcipline, by declaring the epifcopal order to be of divine authority, and ref- toring to the bifhops what had been taken from them by refervations, and other methods oi the court of Rome, and by the incroachment of the cardinals on their authority. Ey this means, he faid, the court of Rome had not only become cor- rupt itfelf, but had carried corruption into all o- ther churches. Alarmed at thefe obfervations, the pope now wiftied by any means, dilfolution, prorogation, or fufpendon, to get rid ol the council ; but this was difagreeabie to many of the prelates who Z 5 were 362 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXU. were friendly to him, as well as to the French. He endeavoured, however,[to get the article concern- ing the obligation of refidence to be difpatched be- fore the arrival of the cardinal of Lorraine, and if poffible by reference to himfelf, or by any means rather than by declaring it to be by divine right, as well as the inftitution of bifhops. And as to the pontificate, and his court, he was determined at all events that no reformation fhould be mad« refpefting them but by himfelf. He was well aware that, had the epifcopal or- der been declared to be of divine right, which was much urged in the council, it would follow that the keys were not given to Peter alone, that the council was above the pope, that bifhops were his equals, and only gave him a certain pre-eminence over them, that the fuperiority of cardinals to bifhops would be entirely overturned, and they ivould be reduced to the rank of fimple prefbyters cr deacons. The obligation to refidence would be a neceffary confequence, the bifhops would draw to themfelves the collation to benefices, preventi- ons and refervations would be deftroyed, and the power of the court of Rome would be wholy anni- hilated. Among other methods to prevent this meafure, Lainez, the general of the Jefuits was employed to make a long fpeech, in order to prove that the whole power of jurisdi6lion be- longed Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 363 longed to the pope. Happily for the pope this €xcited no debate, and occafioned the legate no difiiculty. Being preffed on all fides, he thought of relieving himfelf by propofing that refidence fhould be enforced by rewards and punifhments, without declaring any thing concerning the moral obligation. In this ftate of things arrived the long expell- ed cardinal of Lorraine, and he was received with all poffible refpeft, all the legates meeting him at the gate of the city, and conducing him to his lodgings. He did not, on the whole, appear fo hoftile to the interefts ofthe pope as had been apprehended, but he gave much umbrage by hold- ing private congregations in his own houfe upon every fubjeft of difcuffion, as it was feared this might divide the council, and even lead to an open fchifm. But the Roman prelates had a fecret un- derftanding with the Spaniards, by means of which they were apprized of all that pafTed in thofe con- gregations ; and the king of Spain, tho' he wiflied for fome reformation, was fufficiently favourable to the pope. When the cardinal came to the graat fubica in debate, he fpoke much at large, and in fuch a manner as not greatly to offend either |#r.rty. The church, he faid, had received its jurifdi£lion im- mediately from God, that when the keys were giv- en 864 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXiL en to Peter, it was not td his perfon, but as ref- petling the whole church ; that the bifhops re- ceived from God that part of their jurifdi6lion which is attached to their order, that councils alfo had their authority from God ; but then they muft be united to their head,- and that nothing could preferve the union of the church, but the flrengthening the pontifical authority ; and he concluded with advifing not to fay abfolutely that the authority of the bifhops was of divine righk^ but to ufe fome other expieflion, as thatthey were injlitutcd by Jefus ChriJL This, however, did not fatisfy the pope, who was much dift urbed at the turn which he perceived things were taking; and in his letter to the legates infifted on their forming the canon in this manner; viz. that Jefus Chrift had inftituted bifhops to be appointed by the pope, from whom they receive fuch portion of authority as he (houtd judge proper to give theni for the good of the church ; and that with refpe6l to refidence, he fhould have the power of difpenf- ing with it. The pope himfelf conftantly affifled at the congregations that were held in Rome on the afFairs of the council, and after much debate it was agreed, that the canon fliould exprefs that bifhops held the principal place in the church, but in dependance on the pope, who invited theih to relieve him of part of his charge. About Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH* 365 About. this time the ambaffadors from France prefented to the council thirty-four articles of re- formation, v/hich they faid were ncceffary for other churche?, as well as theirs. When they were fent to Rome, the pope, on the firfl; reading ot them, cried out that they meant nothing lefsthan abolifli-, }ng the datary, the rota, and the lordfhips, and ia (hort the whole of the apoflolical authority. But Jie was given to underfland that if they granted a- few things only, fuch as the Proteflants moft wifli- cd for, as the communion in both kinds, the ufe of the vulgar tongue, and the marriage of the priefts, the reft would be difpenfed with. At tlie fame time the legates had no fmall dif- ficulty with refpe61; to the emperor, who was dif* pleafed that fo little progrefs was made in the council, and had pr ope fed for difcuffion by his own divines feventeen articles relating to the pow- er of the emperor with refpefl to councils, and this ^ave the pope no lefs difturbance than the articles from France. But hs had recourfe to diffimula- tiorl to parry the blow, and perceiving that both the emperor and the king of France had no other views in the council than their own convenience with refpeft to their Proteflant fubje6ls, whereas the king of Spain had only catholic fubj e6ls, he determined to attach himfelf to him; and his am- baflador affured him that he would maintain his suithority. The S6C THE HISTOHY OF Per. XXII. The legates fintJing much difficulty in con- ducing the council at fhis time, relieved them- felves a little by propofing for condemnation eight articles maintained by the Proteftants relating to marriage. They would alfo have put ofF the fefsion. which had been fixed for the 22d of April, to the 3d of fune, but they were over-ruled by the cardinal of Lorraine, at whofe propofal they agreed to meet on the 20th of May, in order to fix the time of the fefsion. But this deference to the cardinal difpleafed the pope, who rcmon- flrated with the fecular powers on their condu6t with refpeft to the council ; afTuring them that they would gain nothing with their Proteflant fubje£ls, whofe difcontents arofe chiefly from the abufes of the civil power ; that the hindrances of the reformaiion did not arife from him, but from the princes, and the prelates of the council, who could not agree upon the articles. In the mean time the king of France having made peace with his Proteflant fubje6ls, which gave great offence both to the pope and the king of Spain, took little interefl in the affairs of the council ; and the cardinal of Lorraine complained loudly that the council had no liberty, but that the decifion of every thing came from Rome ; and in the congregation on the abufe of holy orders he inveighed fo vehemently againfl thofe which pre- vailed Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 367 vailed in France, that it was faid he fpoke like a Lutheran. He was, however, advifed by the queen not to oppofe the meafures of the pope any farther than the interells of his own country, and his own honour might require. His prefence.'fhe faid, was more n^ceffarjf ki France, than at Trent'; and on this it was obferved that he ftudied to oblige the pope as much as he could. The next feffion was fixed for the 15th of July, and in the mean time the debates about the power of the bifhops, and the queftion about the fole power of the legates to propofe quedions in the council, led to no conclufion that could fatis- fy any party ; what even the legates agreed to the pope rejedling. And at length the emperor, find- ing that he gained nothing by his neighbourhood to the council, left Infpruck the 25th of June and the decree was drawn up in fuch a manner as to avoid what was moll ofFenfive to all parties, declar- ing holy orders to be a real facrament, imparting an indelible charafter, that bilhops are fuperior to priefts, and have the fole power of adminiflerinjr confirmation, ordination and other funftions. The decree of reformation related to refidence, and con- lifted o{ eighteen articles. Thus it appeared that after ten months of difpute and negociation no- thing of the leaft confequence was done ; all the decrees on the much contefted fubje^ of refidence amounting 3&a THE HISTORY OF Pc^. XXII, amounting to no more than that it was a fin not to refide when there was no lawful caufe to the contrary. This decilion produced an open rupture between the Spaniards and the cardinal ot Lorraine, who, they faidjhad broken his word with them, and had been gained by the pope. Tlie pope and his friends having found fo much difBeuky in the management oi the council, were more than ever intent upon putting an end to it, and endeavoured to perfuade the princes that all their attempts to gain the Proteflants were in vain, that they ought rather to keep them at as great a diftance as poffibie, that all fair means had been tried without producing any efFeft, and that it was only by extreme rigour that they had been fupprcffed in Spain. He added that he fhould thmk himfelf more obliged to them to affift him in putting an end to the council, than if, in fome great diftrefs, they had lent him the aid of their arms. In order to avoid difputes on fubje6ls of great- er difficulty, the members of the council proceed- ed in the next place to confider the queftions re- lating to marri^fge, when it was univerfally agreed to maintain the celebacy of the clergy, but they differed much on other points. Among the ar- ticles of reformation for this fefiion, they had propofed Sec. IX» THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 3(55 propofed fome relating to the princes, but they were perluaded to drop them. Their great difficulty- was to fatisfy the bifhops, who wifhed to have more power in their diocefes, and yet to fecure the re- venues of the court of Rome ; and they fuccecded in fome meafure by giving the bifhops the appoint- ment of the cures, on the pretence of examining their qualifications; but the bifhops could not fuc- ceed in getting the monafleries to depend upon them as in former times. At this time the cardinal of Lorraine paid a vifit to tlie pope, by whom he v\ras received with every mark of refpeft ; and finding his intereft to be the fame with that of the pope, who hinted to him that it was his wifh that he fhould be his fuc- ceffor, he joined heartily with the pope in his en- deavours to bring the council to a termination ; and he perfuaded the pope that it would be better to do this by difTolution than by fufpenfion. " It " is abfolutely necefTary," faid the pope, "toclofe *' the council, and raife money. After that it will *' be as pleafes God." The immunities of the clergy, and other arti- cles of reformation which tended to abridge the power of the princes, being propofed for reforma- tion, met with a violent oppofition, efpecially from the ambafTadors from France, who at length en- tered a protefl againfl them, and left the council. Vol.. V. A a They ^jQ THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. They maintained that the authority of the kings of France over the perfons and goods of the clergy was not founded on the Pragmatic fan£lion, the Concordat, or the conceffions of the popes, but on the law of nature, the fcriptures, antient councils, and the laws of chriftian emperors. And, on the remonftrance of all the ambafladors, the articles for the reformation of princes were omitted. From this time the views of all pardes were united in a refolution to put an end to the coun- cil as fpeedily as poffible j and for this purpofe the pope fent his inftruftions, dire6ling his legates to eonfult with the cardinal of Lorraine, who, he faid, was fully informed concerning his wifhrs. He alfo piefcribed the form in which they Ihould con- clude. They were to confirm all that had been done in the council in the time of his predecef- fors, but with a faving of the authority of the holy fee, and a reference to himfelf tor the confirmation of the whole. The next feflion was held the nth of Novem- ber, and in this fome decrees were paffed relating to marriage, when all clandefline marriages were declared to be annulled, tho* fifty fix bifhops ex- prelTed their diffent. Alfo twenty one articles of reformation about vacancies in churches, plurali- ties, provincial councils, and other fubje6ls, con- cluding with an explanation of the phrafe propo^ nentibus Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 3^1 tientibus legatis, by which it was declared that it was not the intention of the coTincil to depart from the antient forms, and the cuftom of other general councils. On this occafion the cardinal of Lor- ra'ne declared, in the name of the clergy of France, that he accepted the decrees of reformation as a ftep to a more complete reform, which he expedl- ed from the pope, either by his reviving the antient canons, or holding other general councils ; and he had his proted entered in the public a6ls. This proteft gave as much offence to the zealous ca- tholics as tliofe made by Luther. The decrees of this fefiion were much cenfured, and the expla- nation of the claufe legatis prjoponentibiis was ri- diculed, as being contrary to whit was wellknawn to be fa6t, an innovation having been aftuaily made. For the laft feflion decrees were prepared con- cerning purgatory, indulgences, the invocation of faints, and the worfhip of relics, and of images ; and for an article of reformation they chofe fome regulations concerning the monks and nuns. In fome of the congregations they dilcuffed the bufi- nefs of an Index Expurgatorius, the catechifm, and the ritual. At this time the cardinal de Luna from Spain prefented a memorial, complaining that nothing was done about the principal matters for Aa2 ' which 3r2 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. which the council had been called, and that every thing elfe had been precipitated ; but no regard was paid to his remonflrance. Another circumftance which haftened the diflb- lution of the council was the ficknefs of the pope, the greater part of the prelates, as well as the pope himfelf, being defirous that another Ihould be chofen in the ufual manner without the interven- tion of the council ; while thofe from France de- clared that their mafter would acknowledge no pope who fhould not be cholen by it. In this flate of things they anticipated the next feflion, fixing it for the 3d of December, and declared that it Ihould be the laft, and that it (hould continue two days. The decrees on the fubjeds propofed were numerous, but not of fulEcient confequence to be recited here, and every thing relating to the Index expurgatorius, the catechifm, and the brevi- ary, were referred to the pope, as well as the con- firmation of all that had been done. They alfo recited the decrees which had been paffed in the pontificate of Paul III and Juhus III, in order to preferve the unity of the council fron^ .the be- ginning. When this xvas done, the prefident granted a plenary indulgence, and his benediftion, to all who had afhlled in that feflion, and difmilTed them. Then the cardinal of Lorraine began the ufual ac- clamation Sec. IX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 373 clamations, cxpreffive of their joy at the happy ter- mination of the council ; wifhing long life and glory to the pope, eternal happinefs to Paul III, and Julius III, bleffing the memory of Charles V, and the other princes who had favoured the coun- cil ; prailing the faith of this council, as that of St. Peter, of the Fathers, &c. &c. and anathematizing all heretics in general. In the lafl; place, all the members of the council figned the decrees with their own hands ; when there appeared to be four legates, two cardinals, three patriarchs, twenty five archbifhops, one hundred and fixty eight bifhops, feven abbots, thirty nine deputies of abfent bifhops, and feven generals of orders. The pope, who was recovered from his illnefs, exprefTed his joy on the termination of the council by a folemn proceflion, and gave his confirmation to the decrees, referving to himfelf the interpre- tation of them. This cloiing of the council gave little fatisfaftion to the king of Spain ; and the de- crees of reformation were fcverely cenfured in France, as infringing on the rights of the crown, and the liberties of the Galilean church. Both the decrees themfelves, and the manner in which the whole buhnefs had been condu6led, were treated with much ridicule by the catholics in A a 3 Geriainy 374 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. Germany and other places, and the Proteftants gave little attention to them. Thus, at length, this great council, fo earncflly •called for to promote the unity of the church, and the reformation of abufes, was terminated, without producing any efFeft of thfe former kmd, and but little of the latter ; and by the dexterous management of the popes, it ferved to flrengthen, rather than diminifh, their authority. The man- ner in which the decrees were received even in Spain fhows that, without the fan£lion of the royal authority they would not have been bind- ing, which gave little fatisfadtion at Rome ; and all the endeavours oi that court could never pro- cure the decrees of reformation to be received in f Vance. SECTION Sec. X. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 375 SECTION X. Of the Reformation in Sxuiizerland» I .T is not my intention to give fo parti- cular a hiftory of the introduftion of the reformati- on into the other ftates of Europe, and the progrefs that it made in them, as I have done with refpeft to Germany, where it originated; but I (hall give a general idea of the moft important circumflances with refpeft to them all. It has been feen that the reformation in Switzerland was of as early a date as in Ger- many, Zuinglius having diflinguiOied himfelf as a reformer as foon as Luther, tho' his hiftory does not make fo great a figure ; and his ideas of the eucharill were certainly more juft, and farther re- moved from thofe of the catholics, than thofe of Luther. In other refpedts it does not appear that their fentiments were materially different. His general hiftory being given in that of Luther, it is only neceffary to add a more particular account of his death, efpecially as the circumflances of it have been olten reprefented to his difadvantage. A 34 When ZTQ THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII, When the people of Zurich were fo much of- fended at the infolence with which hey were treated by the catholic cantons, that, unable to ob- tain any redrefs, they forbad all commerce with them, and were proceeding to other a6ls of hofti- lity, Zuinglius remonftrated againft fuch conduti, and earneflJy exhorted them to bear every thing with patience, as became chriftians, but without efFedl [Ritchat, Vol. 3, p. 351) and at length mu- tual provocations brought on a war. Then by the order of the magi ftrates, who expe6led much from the influence that Zuinglius would have with the foldiers, he accompanied the army, as it was the cuftom for the clergy to do. They always wore armour on thefe occafions, but were not re- quired to ufe it, except for neceflary felf defence, their bufinefs being to exhort the troops, and af- ford them all the I'pi ritual affiitance that their cir- cumflances might require. It was evident that Zuinglius, who difap- proved of the war, expetled a fatal termination of it, and during the march he fpoke as a man deflin- ed to die. The battle, which was fought-at Cap- pele in a. d. 1531, was ill conduded^ and the Zurichers completely defeated. Zuinglius was found by the enemy wounded, but not mortally ; and not being known v/as ofFered his life if he would recite feme catholic prayers ; but. relufing to Sec. X. THE CHRIS'lIAN CHURCH. 377 to do this be was killed outright, and he died in as pious and edifying a manner, as the circumflanc- es of his death would permit. The lafl words he uttered were, that " men might kill the body, " but could not kill the foul." This was in the forty eighth year of his age. When his body was known, it was treated with the greateft indignity, being quartered, and burned together with a hog ; that if any attempt fhould be made to gather his afhes, they might not be diflinguifhed. After a war deftruftive to both parties, but more particularly fo to the reformed, peace was made on terms ot the mutual toleration of religion, all their political relations remaining as befoie. Next to the people of Zurich, thofe of Berne were the mod zealous and a6live in promoting the reformation. The altars and images were re- moved from all the churches in the ellates of Berne by order of the magillrates in a. d. 1536, and the exercife of the catholic religion was ftridly forbid- den under heavy penalties. Thofe who profeffed it were, hov/ever, 'allowed to fell their efFe6is, and retire whither they pleafed. While the Genevans were catholics, they entered very little into their interefls, but efpoufcd their caufe with warmth when they difcovered an inclination to adopt their religion. In 3532, which was four years after they had A a 5 publicly 57S THE Ills TORY OF Per. XXII. publicly embraced the reformation, refle6ling on the difficulties they had met with, they held a fo- lemn fynod, at which two hundred and thirty mi- nifters attended; and then they made many regu- lations which were drawn up in proper form by Capito, who attended from Strafburgh. But, un- fortunately, they began with laying it down as a maxim, that nothing could be done efFedually without the co-operation of the civil power, as the miniflers of God for the prefervation of doftrine and difcipline in the church; and that it was part of ^bcir office to punifh blafphemy, as well as open fins, as they would be anfwerable for their condu£l at the tribunal of God. *• It is objeded," they fay in their public aft, *' that it was erefling a new papacy for the magif- *' trates to interfere in matters of faith" ? To this they anfwer that " it would be true, if the ma- " giftrates ffiould violate the rights of confcience, '* and take away chriflian liberty ; but that this *' cannot be while theii only care is that the truth *' be clearly preached, and men be exhorted to *' piety ;" not confidering that, in fetting- them- felves up forjudges of truth, and obliging others to conform to their ftandard, they necelTarily in- fringed the rights of their confciences. The de- crees oi this tynod were confirmed by the magi{- trates, who promifed to enforce them by their au- thority Sec. X. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH* 379 thority. At the fame time, however, they pro- feffed their readinefs to receive any propofals for improvement, as thev faid they wifhed to give free courfe to the Holy Spirit. The Anabaptifts gave them frequent oppor- tunities to carry their perfecuting maxims into ex- ecution. Several of this perfuafion having return- ed from banifliment,with which they fiift punifhed them, were drowned, according to another decree which they made lor that purpofe. In a. d. 1533, they made a new law only forbidding their preach- ing, but ordered that, in cafe of difobedience, they fhould be confined for life, and fed on bread and water. But this being thought too tolerant, they farther ordered that all Anabaptifts fhould attend divine fervice, and have their children baptized; that in cafe of non attendance they fhould for the firft offence be imprifoned a day and a night, for the fecond two days. They alfo ordered that any other perfons who neglefted to attend public wor- fhip and receiving the Lord's Supper fhould be puniflied in the fame manner. Two other great prom^jters of the reformation in Switzerland were Henry Biillin^er, and Wil- liam Farel. Bullinger was bom at Bremgarte, in A. D. 1502, and ftudied at Cologne, where read- ing the books of Luther, he embraced the refor- mation ;380 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL mation. He returned to his own country in A. D. 1525, and promoted the reformation in the freeballiages of Switzerland. He was fix years a lec- turer in theology in a monaftery near the lake of Zurich, and preached in feveral churches in the country. But no man after Zuinglius contributed fo much to the reformatiou of many places in Swit- zerland as William Farel, He was born of wealthy parents at Gap in Dauphine in a. d. 1489, and Iludied at Paris. Flying from the perfecution in France, he came to Strafburg in a. d. 1523, where he became acquainted with Capito and Bu- cer. In a. d. 1524 he came to Bafil, where he publifhed feme thefes in favour of the reformation; and tho' favoured by the magiflratcs, the clergy at length compelled him to leave that city. In a.d. 1526 he was at Montbelliard, and the greater part of a. d. 1522 at Aigle, and thence he went to Morat. In a. d. 1532 Farel went to Geneva, but was foon obliged to leave that city. He was, however, fucceeded by Froment, a man of equal zeal, and equally indefatigable; and by the labours of thefe two men (for Farel foon returned) joined v.^ith thofe of Viret, the reformation was publicly re- ceived in Geneva in a. d. 1535. In confequence of this the citizens were expofed to great difficul- ties Sec. X. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. G8t ties from tfce oppofition and defertion of many of the citizens, and the open hoftility of their bifhop and the duke of Savoy. But they were eflFeftually fupported by the people of Berne. When their troubles were over, they carried their fcheme of reformation into complete effeft, but in fuch a manner as to bear hard on the confcien- tious catholics, chiefly at the inftance of Farel. When every thing relating to the reformation at Geneva was fettled, John Calvin pafling through that city was detained there by Farel. This emi- nent man was born July the loth a. d. 1509, at Noyon in Picardy, of an honourable family, and in good circumflances. He was educated at Paris, and being, on account of his early piety, deflined for the church, his father procured for him a be- nefice in the cathedral of Noyon, when he was only twelve years old, and five or fix years after a curacy in the village from which the family fprung, and where he fometimes preached, tho' without having taken orders. Both the father and the fon having embraced the reformation, Calvin applied to the ftudy of the law at Orleans, and in this he diftinguifhed himfelf, tho' his favourite fludy was theology, and with this view he learned both Greek and Hebrew. On the death of his father in a. d. 1533, Cal- vin went to Paris, where becoming acquainted with sas THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. with fome eminent reformers, he devoted himfelf wholly to the fame objeft with them. Being oblig- ed to leave Paris, he went to Nerac, but returned in A. D. 1534, tho' he kept himfelf concealed on account of the perfecution of the reformed. There too he became arquainted with Servetus, whom he afterwards procured to be burned alive at Geneva. The violence of the perfecution increaf- ing, Calvin retped to Strafburg, alter publifhing at Orleans a treatife to prove that the foul does not fleep from the time of death to the refurrec- tion. At Strafburgh Calvin became acquainted with Grynaeus and Capito, and there he publifhed his Jnfiitutions of the Chrijlian Religion, a work much admired to this day for the excellence of its lan- guage and method, and which he dedicated to Francis 1. From Strafburgh he went to Italy, to fee the dutchefs of Fcrrara, the daugther of Lewis XII, whom he confirmed in the principles of the reformation, and who always retained a particular refpeft for him. In a, d. 1536 he returned to France, and intending to fettle at Strafburgh, or Bafil, he came to Geneva, where he was perfua- ded by Farel to flay and labour with him and his companions there. He was prefently made pro- feffor of theology, and afterwards paftor, being then twenty feven years of age. From this time he Sec. XL THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 383 he continued twenty eight years at Geneva, in all which time his labours in preaching, and writing, were inceUant, tho* his conftitution was weak ; and his influence with the magiftrates feems to have been very great. SECTION XL Of the Reformation in the Low Countries. A: ,S the people in Low countries dif- tinguiflied themfelves by their application to ma* nufaclures and commerce rpore than any other people in Europe, a long time before the reforma- tion, we are not furprized to find many inquifitive perfons among them. About the end of the fif- teenth century fome of the clergy, as WeUel of Groningen, John of Amftcrdam, John Van Gooch, and fome others, attacked various errors of the church of Rome. The laft mentioned of thefe openly maintained that the writings of Tho- mas Aquinas, and the other fchoolmen, were fitter ^U THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL fitter to darken the truth than to difcover it, that the fcriptures were the only rule of faith, and that the dfcrees of popes and of councils ought to be judged by that rule. Brandt, Vol. i, p. 12. The doftrine of Luther fpread fo early, and fo much in the Low Countries, that in a. d. 1521, a placard was publifhed by Charles V to flop its progrefs. In this it was faid that Luther was not a human creature, but a devil in the fhape of a man, and the habit of a monk, that he might the more calily occalion the death and deflruftion of man- kind. The year following, G. Grapheus, a man of learning, and a great friend of Erafmus, was fen- tenced to perpetual imprifonment for the freedom of his writings ; and in the fame year Henrv Vocs, and John Efli were burned alive at Antwerp, as was m>entioned before ; and from this time, fays Erafmus, the doQrine of Luther began to be in vogue in that city. The nuns of Holland, he fays, ran from their convents, and mofl of the in- habitants of Holland, Zealand, and Flanders em- braced the do6lrine of Luther; and notwithlland- ing the execution of Voes and Eih at Antwerp, the Lutherans continued to hold their affemblies v/ithout the ivalls of that city. In thefe circum- flances Margaret daughter of the emperor Maxi- milian, governefs of the Low Countries, very wifir Sec. XI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 38J wifely exhorted the monks to admit none into their pulpits but learned and prudent perfons, who would tell no idle flories ; and flie particularly- enjoined them not to make any mention of Luther in their fennons. In A. D. 1527 the do6lrine of the Anabaptifts began to fpread in the Low Countries, and John Waden and two other perfons were the lirft of this fe6t who faffered death for it. They were burned with a flow fire at the Hague. Some of this denomination were afterwards guilty of great diforders, efpecially about the time that Muncer appeared in Germany. In A. D. 1531 Margaret dying, Mary, the emperor's filler, was made governefs of the Low Countries. She was a lover of learning, and dif- pofed to moderation, but fhe could not prevent the perfecution of the reformers. In a. d. 1533 the courts of judicature finding that the reforma- tion fpread in confequence of the public execution of thofe who were condemned to death, reprefent- ed to her that it would be better to have the exe- cutions private, and fhe allowed them to a6l as they thought bell. In a. d. 1536 William Tin- dal, who had tranflated the bible into Englifh, was apprehended at Antwerp, and burned on that account. Vol. V. Bb The 3S6 tHE HISTORY^OP Per. XXIL The Anabaptifts being every where more obnox- ious than any other of the reformers,a man was put to death in a. d, 1539 for only harbouring Menno Simons, a leader of that fe6l, and from whom all of that perfuafion in that country were afterwards called Mennonites. He was a man of learning, at firft a Romifh prieft, and a great oppofer of the Anabaptifls, tho' he joined them afterwards* In A. D. 1543, a reward of one hundred florins was offered to any perfon who would apprehend Men- no. In A. D. 1540 the emperor, arriving in the Low Countries to fupprefs an infuneftion at Ghent, publilhed a violent placard againft both the Lutherans and the Anabaptifts, which was followed by a great perfecution. One of the moft diftinguifhed of the martyrs in the Low Countries at this time was Angelus Merula, who had taken orders at Utrecht. Being old, and much efleem- ed for his learning, probity, charity, and eloquence, tho' the inquifitors were very defirous of having him burned, they for a long time did not venture to do it, for fear of the people. They therefore, continued to deceive him into a feeming abjuration of his opinions, when he meant no luch thing. This lofing him the afFeftion of the people he was apprehended, and condemned to the flames; but while Sf.c. XL THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. iBT while he was kneeling down to pray before his ex- ecution, being extremely feeble, he fell down, and was taken up dead. He had been in a flate ot perfecution five years, the greater part of which he had paffed in prifon, where he experienced the moft cruel ^ufage. In A. D. 1559 Philip II left the Low Coun- tries, and went to Spain, where the reformation had begun to make fome progrefs, leaving his na- tural filler Margaret, dutchefs of Parma, govern- efs, with orders to extirpate all herefy. The fame llrift orders were given to the governors of all the provinces ; and from this time the perfecution raged with peculiar violence, and being accompa- nied with oppreffion in civil matters, did not end but with the lofs of thefe provinces to Spain. Bb2 SECTION 388 THE HISTORY OF Peb.XXII. SECTION XII. Of the Reformation in Spain, T HE overbearing power of the court of Spain, and the rigour of the inquiCtion, foon fuppreffed the reformation in that country ; but notwithftanding this Spain can boafl of its Proteft ant martyrs, and many, no doubt, there vvere,whom we have not at prefent any means of difcovpring. The firft perfon that fufFered martyrdom in Spain for being a Proteftant was Nicolas Burton, an Englifh fa£lor. He was burned at Seville in the reign of queen Mary. All his goods and notes were feized, and the perfon fent to claim them was imprifoned on the fufpicion of herefy, Geddes's Tra^s, Vol, i, p. 456. fn A. D. 1558 Auguftin Cazala, who had been feveral years chaplain and preacher to Charles V in Germany, alter undergoing the cruelties of the inquifition, in which his mother died, was burned together with three more, on account of his faith. At Sec. XII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 389 At the fame time with Cazala was burned He- rezulo, who had been his convert. He was an eminent lawyer. A perfon who was prefent at his execution faid, " I obferved all his geftures (for he could not fpeak, having his mouth gagged) *' but I could not difcover the leaft fign of unea- *' finefs in him." After feveral years imprifon. ment his mother alfo v/as burned, and fufFeied, it is faid, with as much fortitude as if fhe had been made of ftone, and had not been flefh and blood. There alfo was burned Dr. Perez, a fecular prieft of great learning, and exemplary piety. Soon after don Carlos de Sefo, a nobleman of an illuftriou* family, was burned with forty others, one of them, John Sancho, who had been a fervant of Cazala. ** Thefe," fays the writer of the Pontifical, <' en- *' dured burning alive with a courage that afto- «' nifhed all that beheld them." Don John Egidio another favourite preacher of Charles V, and who had been nominated to the bifhopric of Tortofa, died in the inquifition, and was afterwards burned as an impenitent heretic. Conllantio Pontio, chaplain, and as fome fay confeflbr, to Charles V, and appointed by him to attend his fon to Flanders, as the moft learned man, and the moft eloquent preacher, in Spain, alfo died in the prifon of the inquilition ; and his body, together with feveral of his writings, were B b 3 burned SgO THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. burned at an a6l of faith. When Charles heard that Conftantio was taken up as a heretic, he faid that if he was one, he was not an ordinary one, al- luding to his great learning and piety. The monaftery of St. Ilidore was a great femi- nary of Proteftantifm in Spain. Five monks were taken from it and burned, and twelve made their efcape from it to Geneva. D. Geddes gives an ac- count of feveral more whofe fufferings were well deferving of being recorded, and adds, that they were but a fmall part of the glorious army of Spa- nifh martyrs, who were burned by the inquifition, and who for the exemplary piety of their lives, and their admirable patience and courage, trium- phed over death in the mod dreadful of all its forms, not inferior to the martyrs of any other na- tion, or any age. SpaniJJi Prottjiant Mariyrolo- It is fomething remarkable that many of the great perfecutors, both of Chriftians and Protefl- ants, have either come to untimely end, or have fuffered in feme other exemplary manner. Philip II may be added to thofe that are enumerated by Laftantius in his treatife De Mortibus Perftaitoncm. He had been feized with a hedic fever, which re- duced him very much, when he was attacked with a violent fit of the gout, on St. John's eve. The aciimony of the juices produced an abfcefs which firfl: Sec. XII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 591 firft broke out at his knee, and then in feveral parts of his body ; and horn thefe abfcefles ifTued fwarms of lice, which could not be removed. He was alfo difeafed in feveral other ways. The purulent matter from his ulcers exhaled fuch a flench, that the fervants who attended him were infefted by it. He was infupportable to himfelf, and died in the moll agonizing paia, Laval, Vol. 5, p. 318. SECTION XIII. OJ the Reformation in France. T HE difputes about indulgences in Germany did not pafs unnoticed in France, efpe- cially after the cenfure of the writings of Luther by the Sorbonne ; and the reformation received much countenance from William Briffonet bifhop of Meaux, who, tho' it was then unufual, preach- ed himfelf; and befides this, employed feveral learned men, and of excellent charadcrs, to preach in his diocefe. Of this number were James Fa- ber, and William Farel, who fo greatly promoted the reformation in Switzerland. By this means B b 4 the i02 THE HIS TORY OF Per.XXH. the reformation fpread in Meaux,tho' chiefly among the lower orders of the people. Of thefe John Le Clerc, a carder, was in a. d. 1523 fentenced to be whipped and branded in the forehead, and after this he was burned alive at Metz in a. d, 1524. Many others fufFcred in the fame man- ner, and, terrified probably by thefe examples, the good bilhop, tho'a friend to the reformation, proceeded no farther. This cruelty, however, did not put a flop to the progrefs of the reforma- tion in other places. It was received by many in Orleans, Bourges, Thouloufe, and in every part of the kingdom. The reforrhation was more particularly coun- tenanced by Margaret queen of Navarre, lifter to Francis I. She publilhed a treatife entitled The mirror of the Jinner's foul, the fentiments of which were entirely agreeable to thofe of the re- formers. The king himfelf was at one time fo well difpofed, that he invited Melanfthon to go to France, that he mi^ht hear him on the fubjed of the matters in difpute ; but he was offended at the extreme zeal and violence of fome of the reform- ers, who fixed their chanies a^ainfl the tenets of the church of Rome in the public places, and to the door of the king's own apartment. Alfo, his affairs requiring the aid of all his fubjeQs, and that of the pope, he perfecuted the reformed dur- ing Sec. XIII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 393 ing the whole of his reign more than he was na- turally inclined to do j and tho* he at the fame time wifhed for the afliUance of the Protcftants in Germany againft Charles V. On the whole, how^ever, the reformation made fuch piogrefs in France in this reign, that there was hardly any city or town in which the reformed had not fome af- femblies. Laval, Vol. x, p. 69. Henry II, as an evidence of his zeal for the catholic religion, not only caufed many of the re- formed to be put to death, but in a more cruel manner than had been ufed in his father's time ; having many of them drawn up by pullies, and let down again into the fire, in order to prolonj^j their torments. At thefe horrible executions the king himfelf was fometimes prelent ; but he was fo much affe6ld at the flirieks of one of thefe mar- tyrs, that it was faid to have afFefted his mind all his life after. He did, not, however, change his condu6l. Thefe executions contributed much to the fpreadofthe reformed religion ; fo that Meze- rai fays, there was at this time no province, no totvn, no trade in the kingdom, where the new opi- nions had not taken root. The learned, the law- yers, and even the cccleiiafiics, tho' againft their intereft, embraced them. In A. D. 1559 the reformed held a rational fynod at Paris, at which they drew up forty arti- B b 5 clcs a&4 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. cles of faith, and as many of difcipline. Still, however, the perfecution went on, and the mofl illuflrious martyr at this time was Anne Dubourg, a perfon of confiderable note, who, after a long trial, was firfl ftrangled, and then reduced to afhes. At this time the reformed in France got the name of Hugonots as fuppofed from Hugo, who was faid to have been a king, whofe apparition rode in the night through uninhabited places ; and as the reformed reforted to fuch places, and often in the night, they got that appellation. At an affembly held at Fontainbleau to confult about reftoring the peace of the kingdom, in a. d. 1560, admiral Coligni, who diftinguifhed himfelf as one of the chiefs of the reformed, prefented two petitions for liberty of confcience, which he faid more than fifty thoufand perfons were ready to fign ; and with a view to fupport it, he voted for a convocation of the Hates of the kingdom. This was agreed to, and in the mean time all capital punifhments were fufpended, except in cafe of a breach of the peace. But by the influence of the Guifes this liberty was foon infringed, and it was refolved that a catholic confeffion of faith fliould be figned by every perfon, and that they who refufed fhould forfeit their lives and eftates. The meafure, was however, fruflrated by the death of Francis. 11. At Sec. XIII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 39:r At the aflembly of the Hates, which was held in A. D. 1561, the judges were enjoined to releafe ail prifoners on account ot religion, and to reflorc them to the poffeffion of their ellates ; but at the fame time it was enabled that for the future all per- fons (hould conform to the rites ot the church, tho* it was made a capital crime to reproach any perfon on account of his religion. At this time alfo a con- ference was appointed between the catholic prelates and the reformed at Poiffy, in which the chief fpeaker was Theodore Beza, a colleague of Calvia at Geneva, on the part of the reformed, and the cardinal of Lorraine for the catholics. The king and the court attended. But tho' they reformed conceded more than they ought to have done widi refpeft to the do£lrine of the eucharift, they broke up diffatisfied with each other; fo that tho' great things had been expe6led from the conference, it did nothing towards an union of the parties. The next j^^ear, however, an edi6l was publifhed, allowing the exercife of the reformed religion un- der certain reilriQions ; and in fome places the catholics and the reformed made ufe of the fame churches. But notwiihflanding this the relormed fufFcred much in popular tumults, excited by the cleigy and the monks, Prefently S96 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXU Prefently after this the civil war, in which reli- gion and civil policy were about equally concern- ed, broke out, and kept the country in a difturbed ftate many years. The objefl of moft of the lead- ers was too evidently their own agrandizement, while their followers fought, as they imagined, for their religion. We muft, however, except the admiral Coligni, a truly great charafter, who fufFered at the maflfacre of St. Bartholomew, of which an account will be given in the next pe- riod. In this civil war it appeared, that the kingdom ivas fo nearly equally divided, that it was often as probable that the reformed would prevail, and eftablifh their religion as the Ca* tholics. SECTION Sec. XIV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH^ 397 SECTION XIV. Of the ReforTYiation in England* I N England a good foundatiou was laid for the introdu6lion of the reformation by the la- bours of WicklifFe and the Lollards, as his difci- ples were generally called, in a preceding period, and alfo by the violence of the clergy in the per- fecution of them. In London the whole body of the clergy became exceedingly obnoxious to the laity in A. D. 1515 by the murder of Richard Hunn, a merchant, who profecuted fome of them in the temporal courts for fuing him for a mortua- ary in the courts of the legate; he alleging that they had no right by the laws of the land to bring the kings fubjefts before a foreign tribunal. Pro- voked at this oppofition, and finding that he had WickliflPe's bible in his pofTefTion, they had him apprehended as a heretic ; and not being able by this means to make him defift from his fuit, the bilhop's chancellor Dr. Henry, with fome affift- ants murdered hiiii in prifon, and afterwards, hav- ing m THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII ing procured his condemnation as a heretic, his body was burned. This atrocious condu£l being confidered as the aft of the whole body of the clergy, the rage ?.gainft them proceeded fo far, that the bifhop of London complained that he was not lafe in his own houfe. Hunn was fuppofed to have been encouraged in his profecution of the clergy by an attack made by Dr. Standifh, a Francifcan, on the pretended immunities of the clergy in cafes of civil oflFence. After much debate the king declared againft the clergy, but in Older to give them fome fatisfaftion, it was fettled that when Dr. Henry was profecuted for the murder of Hunn, no evi- dence ftiould appear againft him. This conduct g?.ve no fatisfaftion to the common people. On the contrary it greatly increafed their difcontent, and difpofed them to throw off the ecclefiaftical tyranny. Burnet, Vol. i, p. 19. In this ftate of things the publications in Ger- many, being tranflated into Englifli, made a great impreffion on many perfons ; and this irritating the clergy more than ever, they procured the death of fix .women, who were burned alive in Coven- try, for only teaching their children the creed, the Lord's prayer, and the ten commandments in En- glifli. * At this time Henry VIII became the champion * In the beginning of the reign of Henry V an aft Sec. XIV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 39§ champion ot the church by writing againft Lu- ther, and he was rendered more averfe to the re- formation in confequence of the afperity with which Luther treated him in his anfwer. Notwithftanding this, it was by means of this very king, the moft ar- bitrary of any monarch of England, that divine providence was pl^afed to bring about a refor- mation. Being difTatisfied with his wife, who had been the widow of his elder brother, and fifter to Charles V, he in a. d. 1527 applied to the pope for a di- vorce ; and for fome time with a great profpeft of fuccefs ; but afterwards the pope, unwilling to difoblige the emperor, deferred the decifion of the caufe fo long, that the king, impatient at the de- lay, took other meafures. At the fuggeftion of Cranmer, then a lludent at Cambridge, he con- fulted the principal univerfities and divines in Eu- rope, as their decifion was fufficient to latisfy his confcience. They unanimoufly declaring againft the marriage as unlawful, he was divorced from the queen, notwithftanding her appeal to the pope, and in a, d. 1553 was married to Ann Boleyn, ivho was favourable to the reformation. At the fame paffed which exprefTed that, whoever fliould read the fcriptures in their mother tongue,then called Wkklijfe^s language^ they fhould forfeit their lands, life, and goods to ihe king froai their heirs for ever. Ncalf Vol, 1. p. 7, 40a THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. fame time Cranmer, who was equally favourable to it, was made archbifhop of Canterbury. The pope, againfl his own inclination, but in compliance with the wiflies of the emperor, de- claring the former marriage valid, and requiring the king to live with the furmer queen as his wife, this haughty prince, notwithftanding his attach- ment to the do6lrines of the church, formed the defign of fliaking off the yoke of the pope, and in that year all intercourfe with the court of Rome, was by a6k of Parliament declared to ceafe. At the fame time it was declared that there was no de- fign to relinquifh any of the articles of the catholic iaith. The monafteries were alfofubjedled to the king's vifitation, and the clergy in convocation af- fented to thefe a£ls. The year following the king was by aft of Parliament declared to be fupreme head of the church of England, ^nd power was giv- en him to reform all herefies and abufes in the ecclefiaftical jurisdi6lion • alfo the firfl fruits and tenths ot all church livings were given to him, as they had belonged to the pope. This was, in faft, fetting up another ecclefiaftical tyranny inftead of that of the pope, attended with this abfurdity, that the head of the church was a layman. In this flate, however, the church of England has continu- ed to this day. Comolaint Sec. XIV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 4dl Complaint being made of the fevcrity of the ecclefiaftical courts by the a6l of fupremacy in the twenty fixth of Henry VIII, the aO: of the fecond of Henry IV was repealed, but thofe of Richard II and Henry V were left in full force * v/ith this qualification, that heretics fhould be proceeded a- gainft by two witneffes at leaft, and could not be put to death without the king's writ de hercelico comhurendo. Heretics were therefore now to be tried according to the forms of law. Neal, Vol. i, p. 14. In the mean time, it being thought that the pope would be more favourable to the king's di- VoL. V. C c vorce * By.an a6l of Henry IV the biftiops might take into cuftody any perfons fufpecled of herefy, and if they re- fufed to abjure their errors, or relapfed after abjurati- on, they were to be delivered over to the fecular power, and burned to death before the people. rhis was without trial by jury, by the bifliops in their fpiritual courts. A^m/, Vol. ), p. 6. The a6l of Richard Henafled that," all who preach- *' ed without licence againft the catholic faith Ihould be '» arrefled, and kept in prifon till they juftified them- " felves according to the law and reafon of holy church. " This commitment was to be by adl from the chancel- " lor." In the beginning of the reign of Henrj' V it was enafted that " the Lollards, or Wickliffites, fhould " forfeit all the lands they had in fee fimple, and all their " goods and chattek to the king," 402 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII, vorce by fevere proceedings againfl; the heretics, a proclamation was iffued againft their books and perfons, and ordering all the laws that had been enafted againft them to be put in execution. But Tindal's tranflation of the Bible, which was print- ed at Antwerp, did more to favour the reformation than all the temporal powers could do againft it; and it being the king's intereft to unite with the reforming princes of Germany, a ftop was put to the perfecution. The monks being the chief oppofers of the re- formation, a general vifitation was made of all the religious houfes in the kingdom, and the vifitors finding in them many diforders, and the account of them being printed, a great indignation was ex- cited againft the whole fyftem. On this fome of the monafteries voluntarily furrendered their reve- nues to the king, and by an a€l of parliament in A. D. 1536, all the monafteries whofe revenues did not exceed two hundred pounds per annum, were fupprefled. In a. d. 1537 the greater monafteries were in like manner given up. On this occafion the fhrine of Thomas Becket was broken, and the gold belonging to it was fo much, that it filled two ehefts, each of which took eight men to carry it out of the church. That the monafteries in general were in a very difordcrly ftate in this reign, may be fafely conclu- ded Sec. XIV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 4G5 ded from what we find concerning them in the reign immediately preceding ; when the diffolute manners of the clergy, efpecially of the regulars, were much talked of, and gave great offence to the laity; who were provoked to fee the immenfe pofTeflions bellowed upon the church by the piety of their anceflors fo fhamefully abufed. The court of Rome becoming apprehenfive that this difcontent of the laity might have lerious con- fequences, Pope Innocent VIII fent a bull to archbifhop Morton in March a. d. 1490, in which he acquaints him, that " he had heard with great " grief, from perfons worthy of credit, that the *' monks of all the different orders in England had " grievoufly degenerated, and that, giving them- *' felves up to a degenerate fenfe, they led lewd and " diffolute lives, by which they brought ruin upon *' their own fouls, fet a bad example to others, ^' and gave great offence and fcandal to many." He then direded the primate to admonifh the abbots and priors of all the convents in his pro- vince to reform themfelves, and thole under them; and if any of them did not obey the admonition, he gave him authority to vifit and reform them by ecclefiaflical cenfures, to cut off incurable mem- bers by deprivation, and to call the fecular arm to his affiflance when it was neceffary, C c 2 In 404 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL In abedience to this bull the archbifhop fent monitory letters to the fuperiors of all the convents and religious houfes in his province, admonifhing and commanding them by the authority he had re- ceived from the pope, to reform themfelves and their fubjefts from certain vices, of which they were faid to be guilty, and of which he accufed them. The monitory letter that was fent on this occa* fion to the abbot of St. Albans has been publifh- cd. If that abbot and his monks were flained with all the odious vices of which the primate in his letter fays they were notorioufly guilty, they were, lays Dr. Henry (from whofe Hijlory of En- gland, Vol. 12, p. 3, I quote this) a moft execra- ble crew, and flood much in need of reformation. Some of thefe vices, he adds, are fo deteftabic, that they cannot be fo much as named in hif- tory. " You arc infamous," fays he, to the ab- " bot, for fimony, ufury, and fquandering the *' poiTeffions of your monaftery, befides other e- *• normous crimes mentioned below." One of thefe crimes was that he had turned all the modefl women out of the two nunneries of Pray and Sap- well (over which he pretended to have a jurisdic- tion) and filled them with proftitutes ; that they were Sec. XIV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 40s were efteemed no better than brothels, and that he and his monks pubhckly frequented them as fuch. The archbifhop feemed to be well informed ; for he names fome of thofe infamous women and their gallants. The monks were at leaft as pro- fligate as their abbot. For befides keeping con- cubines both within and without the monaftery, he accufes them of ftealing the church plate, and jewels out of the fhrine of their patron St. Alban. He allows them fixty days to reform from all their vices, especially from cutting down the woods, and Healing the plate and jewels of the monaftery; but if they did not reform in that time, and be- come very chafte, honeft, and good monks, he threatens them with a vifitation. What efFe£t this monitory letter had on the abbot and his monks we are not informed. It is probable, the hiftorian adds, that it was not great. For we learn from the fame letter that they had been feveral times admonifhed before to no pur- pofe. When the. monaftics lived in idlenefs, wal- lowed in wealth and luxury, and were doomed to celebacy, the temptation to certain vices, he •juftly ohferves, was too ftrong to be overcome by monitory letters, which they probably confidered as things of courfe. C c 3 Speaking 4^C THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. Speaking ofthe monafteries after their diffolu- tion he fays, p. 357, The vifitations that preceded their fuppreflion difcovered, if credit be due to the infpeftors, crimes the mod degrading to human nature. Hypocritical fan6lity, and holy fraud.*, he fays,are congenial to every monaftic inftitution, and the counterfeit relicks impofed on the vulgar, or the artifices pra6tifed to fupport their credit, are to be regarded as the cftablifhed trade of religious orders. Intemperance alfo is to be expefled wherever afcetics have obtained a relaxation from rigid difclpline. But the reports are replete with other crimes of a deeper complexion, the lewd- nefs of the monks, the incontinence of the nuns, and the abortions forcibly procured by the latter, and the monftrous lulls which the former indulged. The particulars would ftain and difhonour our page. Yet an hiftorian,hefays, anxious for the digni- ty of human nature, might wifh to believe that the reports ot the vifitors were inflamed by zeal, and perverted by an jnterefted and malignant policy. It is difiicult to conceive that they would venture, unfupported by evidence, to accufe a community of crimes repugnant to human nature; and their veracity feems to be vindicated by their folicitude to preferve fome convents whofe conduft was ex- emplary. But thefe crimes were apparently no- torious ; nor is their exiflence doubtful, or the li- centious Sec. XIV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH* 407 centious lives of the regulars difputable, when their debaucheries had already attrafted the papal in- dignation, and their crimes incurred the cenfures and menaces of the archbifhop. If at the com- mencement of this period the monks of St. Alban had begun, in diflPerent convents, to difplace the nuns, and fubftitute proftitutes, it is not probable that their morals were afterwards improved, or their difcipline re-eftablilhed. In this year the bible was printed in Englilh, and a copy was ordered to be put into all the churches. But notwithflanding this, fo zealous was the king for the doftrines of popery, that the next year Lambert, who had been affociated with Tindal in this tranflation of the bible, was burned for denying the corporal prefence, and fix articles were enforced by a6l of parliament in a. d. 1538 to prevent diverfity of opinion. They related to communion in one kind, the obfervance of the vows of chaftity, private maflfes, the celebacy of the clergy, and auricular confeflion. However, on the remonflrance of the ambaflador from the German princes, the king (aid the aft was neccfla- ry to reprefs theinfolence of fome perfons, but that it fhould not be carried into execution except i:i cafefi of great provocation. * C c 4 I1 * Many Gomplaints being made in this reign of thofc who had licences to preach, they, iw erck*r tojulliiy 408 THE HISTORY OF P^r. XXH. In A. D. 1547 the king died, and was fucceed- edby his fon Edward VI, a young prince, but of great capacity, and much knowledge, and a fincere promoter of the reformation, in which he was warmly feconded by Cranmer, who had been ex- pofed to much danger in the latter part of Henry's life. One of the firft things that was done by the privy council (which had all the ?oyal power till the king fhould be of age) was to procure the com- pofition of certain homilies, or difcourfes, chiefly in favour of the reformation, ordering them to be lead in churches, and to dhe6t that an Englilh tranflation of Erasmus's Paraphrafe of the New Tejlamcnt, together with a new tranflation of the Jjible, ftiould be lodged in them all. A ftri6l charge was alfo given for the due ob- fervance of the Lord's day, which was diredled to be wholly employed in the duties of religion, or in a£ls of charity ; only in time of harvefl; perfons were allowed to work, as well as on other feflival days. A general vifitation of all the churches was appointed, and in the mean time the jurisdic- tion themfclves, began generally to write and read their fermons ; and this was the beginning to the preaching Irom nsiLS. All preaching before this time was ex tempore, or from memory. Burnet, Vol.1, p. 270. Eng- land is the only country in which preaching is generally from notes, the difcourfes being carefully precompofed» Sec. XIV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 4E>^J tion of the bifhops was fufpended. When the par- liament met, an aft was pafTed to repeal that of the fix articles, enafted in the preceding reign, and alfo all the afts againft the Lollards. Communi- on in both kinds was allowed, and a new liturgy was compofed in Englifti. In a. d. 15*49 ano- ther a6b was palTed permitting the marriage of the clergy. Unhappily, the fpirit of the reformation was not thought to be inconfiflent with that of perfe- cution, and in this year there arrived fome Ana- baptifts from Germany, and among them fome who *' denying a trinity ofperfons in the god-head, *' and maintaining that Clirift was not God, and " did not take flefh of the virgin," were ex- pofed to it. The mod diftinguifhed fuflPerer was Joan Bocher, or Joan of Kent, who, notwithftand- ing the remonftrances of the young king, was burned alive ; Cranmer perfuading him that, being God's lieutenant, he was bound in the firfl place to punifh offences againil God. George Van Paris, a Dutchman, being con- vifted of faying that " God the Father was the '•■ only God, and that Chrifl was net very God,'' was condemned in the fame manner with Joan of Kent, and burned in Smithfield April 25th, a. d, 1551. He was a man offtrift virtue and great piety, and he fuffered with great conllancy, kifTing C c 5 the 410 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL the flake and the faggots that were to burn him. Thefe cafes were juftly brought by the catholics againft criminals in the time of queen Mary. Ncal, Vol. 1, p. 50. Strype fays that arianifm fhewed itfelf fo open- ly in the reign of Edward VI, and was in fuch danger of fpreading, that it was thought neceffary to fupprefs it by more rigid methods than feemed agreeable to the merciful principles of the profef- fion ot the gofpel. Lindsy's Hi/lorical View, p. 84. In A. D. 1550 farther progrefs was made in the reformation. Images were ordered to be de- faced, all the prayers to the faints were ftruck out of the primmer publifhed by the late king, a book of ordination was publifhed, the book of common prayer was revifed, altars were put down, and in A. D. 1551 forty two articles of religion (the fame that were afterwards reduced to thirty nine) were agreed on. All thefe things were confirmed in the convocation of the clergy, who in general complied with the new regulations. Alfo a refor- mation of the eccleliaflical laws was prepared. But while things were in this progrefs, the king died, and being fucceeded by his fifler Mary, who was a bigoUed catholic, all the fleps that had been t:.ksn to promole the reformation were re- verfed, and the favourers of it were expofed to a dreadful Sec. XIV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 411 dreadful perfecution. Cranmer was prefently im- prifoned, and in the firft parliament in this new reign all the late laws relating to religion were re- pealed. In A. D. 1554 the kingdom was folemn- ]y reconciled to the holy fee, and the year follow- ing many were publickly burned alive for herefy. Cranmer at firft recanted, but afterwards fufFered with great heroifm. The firft who fufFered in this reign was John Rogers, a reader of divinity in St. Paul's church ; and it is fomething remarkable that he, as well as Cranmer, had approved of the burning of J. Bocher, in the preceding reign. When fhe was under fentence of death, a friend of Mr. Roaera earneftly requefted him to ufe his intereft with the archbiftiop that fhe might only be kept in pri- fon, and not put to death. When he would not confent to this, his Iriend begged that he would plead for fome eafier kind of death than that of be- ing burned alive. But to this Rogers replied, that burning alive was not a very cruel death, but eafy enough. To this his friend, taking him by the hand, faid with peculiar earneftnefs, '- Well " perhaps it may fo happen that you yourfelves " may have your hands full of this mild burnincr." Cro/b/s Hijlory of the Englijh Baptijls, Vol. 1, p. 60. Whether Mr. Rogers ever changed his opinion on the fubjeft of perfecution, does not ap- pear; Atz THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII.. pear ; but, tho* a perfecutor himfelf, no perfon could behave with more firmnefs, or more propri- ety in all refpefls, when it came to his turn to fuf- fqr, than Mr. Rogers did. It was computed that in this reign two hundred- and eighty four were burned alive, many more were imprifoned, and fixty died in prifon, or of the tortures to which they were expofed. Many fled trom this violent perfecution, efpecially to Frankfort and other cities of Germany, where the reformation had been carried farther than in Eng- land. Burnet, Vol. 2, p. 304. According to Mr. Neal the number that fuf- fered death in the reign of queen Mary was not lefs than two hundred and feventy feven perfons, of whom five were bifhops, twenty one clergymen, eight gentlemen, eighty four tradefmen, one hun- dred hufbandmen, labourers, and fervants, fifty five women, and four children. Befides thefe there were fifty four under perfecution, feven of whom were whipped. Sixteen perifhed in prifon. The refl who were making ready for the fire, were preff rved by the death of the queen, Ncal, Vol. I, p. 66. The Lutherans would not receive thofe who Hed from the perfecution of queen Mary, becaufe they were Sacramentarians. MelanQhon inter- fered Sec. XIV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 4U fered for them, but without efFe6t. Neal, Vol. 1, p. 101. The number of refugees was about eight hundred. But in A. D. 1558 the queen died, and being fucceeded by Eh^abeth, the reformation was re- fumed. The next year the Englifh liturgy was « again ufed, and a new tranflation of the bible was made. Many of thofe who now returned to Eng- land were advocates for a more complete reforma- tion, but the queen refolutely oppofed them, and infilled on a ftri61: conformity to every thing that (he thought proper to fix, even with refpeft to the ufe of things allowed to be in themfelves indiflPer- cnt, as the popifli veflments, &c. On this many perfons refufing to comply were expofed to great hardfhips, as they continued to be in all that and the following reign of the Stuarts. Profeffing a purer religion than that which was eftablifhed by law, they got the appellation of Puritans^ Their history will be given in the next period. SECTION' 4r4 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. SECTION XV. OJ the Reformation in Scotland and Ireland^ c kJ GOTLAND, in confequence of a long feries of civil wars, which had alrnoft defolat- ed the country, had not in the time of Luther its natural proportion of learned men. But notwith- ftanding this difadvantage the reformation was in- troduced into this country at a very early period by feveral perfons who had refided in Germany ; and being embraced by fome of the nobility, and other men of great power and influence, very few jfufFered in confequence of it. The only martyr of much note was Patrick Hamilton. He was nephew to the earl of Arran by his father, and to the duke of Albany by his mother, and an abbey was given to him for the profecution of his ftudies. But on his travels he became acquainted with Lu- ther and Melanfthon, and adopting their opinions he openly preached them on his return to his own country. Being, in confequence of this, appre- hended, and committed to prifon, and afterwads appearing Sec. XV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 415 appearing before Beaton archbifhop of Sr. An- drews, together with the archbifhop of Glalgow, three bifliops, and five abbots, he was condemned as an obflinate heretic, and ordered for execution on the afternoon of the fame day. This was while the king was abfent on a pilgrimage; for they were apprehenfive of the friends of Mr. Hamilton making interefl for him. When he was fattened to the flake he expreCfed great joy, and the fire not taking efFeft immediately for want of gun powder, the friars vere very urgent with him to recant, and efpecially one Campbell, who had frequently been with him in prifon. But he replied to them all with great energy, and par- ticularly to Campbell, charging him to anfwer for his conduft before God. When the gun-powder was brought, and the fire rekindled, he died, fre- quently repeating Lord Jcjus receive my fpirit. It is remarkable that loon after Campbell became in- fane, and died within the year, and this, as well as the behaviour of Hamilton, made a great impref- fion on the people. After this a friar faying in his confcfnon to an- other, that he thought Hamilton was a good man, and the confefTor difcovering it, this was received as evidence, and he was condemned and burned- Many others were brought before the bifhop's courts. 41ft THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII courts, and the greater part of them abjured, but two, of the names of Gourley and Smeaton were condemned and burned. The king, who was very expenfive both in his pleafures and his buildings, and confequently in great want of money, efpecially to provide for his many natural children, being told by the clergy that from the perfecution of the heretics he might raifc an hundred thoufand crowns a year, and pro- vide for his children in the abbies and priories, gave into their meafures ; when a canon, regular, a fe- cular prieft, two friars, and a gentleman were burned. The archbifhop of Glafgow difliked thefe per- fecuting meafures, and when RuflTel a friaT, and Kennedy a young man of eighteen years of age were brought before him, and behaved with un- common lirmnefs and joy, he was flaggered, and appeared unwilling to pafs fentence, faying that thefe executions did more harm to the church than good ; but being urged by the clergy about him, faying that he muft not aft differently from the o- ther bifliops, he pronounced the fentence, and they were burned ; but they behaved with fo much pa- tience and joy, as made a great imprefTion both on the fpe6lators and thofe who heard of it. George Buchanan, a moll excellent Latin poet and hillo- rian, Snc. XV. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 411^ torian, and who at the king's inftigation had writ-* ten an admirable poem entitled Franciscanus a- gainft the monks, being now abandoned by the king, fled into France, and^ lived twenty years in foreign countries. The mofl adive promoter of the reformation by his preaching was John Knox, a difciple of Cal- vin, who came to Scotland in a. d. 1559, a man of great zeal, undaunted refolution, and popular eloquence ; and being fupported by a flrong party who oppofed the court, he was not expofed to much perfonal danger. Ireland followed the fate of England in all its changes with refpeft to the reformation. There all the views of Henry VIII were carried into execu- tion by G. Brown, a monk of the order of Auftin, who had been made aichbilhop of Dubim in A. 0*1525. He was deprived of his dignity by queen Mary, but under Elizabeth the reformati- on was re-eftablifhed in Ireland as well as in Eng- land. Vol. V. D d SECTION 4lii THE HISTORY^OF Per. XXIL SECTION XVI. OJ the Reformation in the Northern and Eajlern Countries oJ Europe, I. Of ihe Reformation in Sweden, T H E reformation was firfl: preached in Sweden by Olaus Petri, a difciple of Luther, foon after his rupture with Rome, and he was powerful- ly feconded by Guftavus Erickfon, who had been juft raifed to the throne in the place of Chriftian II king of Denmark, whofe cruelty had made them revolt. He fent for learned divines from Germa- ny, and procured the fcriptures to be tranflated into the Swedifh language. Much reputation was alfo gained to the fide of the reformers by a public difputation, held by order of the king at Upfal, in A. D. 1526. The year following the affembly of the flates eftablifhed the reformation, and Guftavus was declared to be head of the church of Sweden, , JlOf S£c. XVI. THE CHRISTIAN CHUi^Crf. 419 IL Of the Reformation in Denmark, Chriftian II, tlio' a tyrant, wps a zealous pro- moter of the reformation in Denmark, and for this purpofe in a. d. 1520, he font for Martin Ray- nard out of Saxony, and made him profeffor of divinity at Copenhagen. After his death, which happened the year following, he procured Carol- flat to fuccced him; and he making but a fhort flay there, the kmg endeavoured to induce Luther himfelftogo thither. His views were probably fimilar to thofe ofHenry VIII of England. He wifhed to make himfelt independent of the pope, and to appropriate to himfelf the great church liv- ings in his dominions. Tho* this king was depofed in a. d. 1523, his uncle Frederic, who fucceeded him, was as much a friend to the reformation, and conducted himfelf with more prudence. At an alTembly of the ftates in A. D. 1527, he procured an edift to be publifh- ed, declaring all the fubjefts of Denmark free to profc fs either the catholic religion or that of Lu- ther, on which the greater part of the people chofe the latter. The reformation was completed by Chriflian III, a prince of exemplary prudence and piety. He reduced the authority of the bifhops, and rellored much of the polIcfTions of the clergy to the heirs of the antient owners, both thefe having become exorbitant in all the northern D d 2 kingdoms. 420 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL kingdoms. This prince fent for Bugenhagius from Wittemberg, to draw up a plan of religious do6lrine, difcipline, and worfhip, which was ap- proved at an afferably of the flates held at Odenfee, in A. D. 1539- Inltead of bifliops, Chriflian ap" ^oinied fupc) intendants of the churches, wuhout any temporal authority whatever. ///. 0/ the Reformation in Poland % The reformation foon fpread into Poland, both by means ol the Lutherans, the reformed in Swit- zerland, and the Bohemian brethien, all of whom were well received by many of the nobility of that country ; nor was the king hirnfelf ill difpofed towards them ; and in a. d. 1555, the Proteil- ants held their firft general fynod at Caminiec, when the confeflion of the Bohemian brethren was read, and approved, all parties giving each other the right hand of fellowfhip, and receiving the communion together. Cranlz. During the long reign of Sigifmond, which was forty two years, the German reformers poured their difciples into Poland; and the Lutherans, afiTifted by the Bohemian brethren, taught with fo much fuccefs, that popery was reduced to the low- ell ebb. Several of the nobility became their pa- trons, and the fenate itfelf was filled with friends of refcimation, Robinfon, ^. p^6o» /F. (9/' Se«. XVI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. '42t JV. Of the Reformation in Hungary and Tran- Jilvania, The reformation was introduced into thefe countries in the year a. d. 1518 (which was only one year after Luther began to preach againft indulgences in Germany) by means of fome mer- chants who bnmght books on the fubje£l of religi- on into thole countries ; and they are among the very lew in which it made a rapid progrefs with lit- tle oppufition,or perfecutionof the friends of refor- mati.in. Not that the clergy were lefs violent thaa in other countries, or the I'overeigns lefs difpofed to favour them; but they were counttra6led by the grandees, tvhofe powfr was fuperior to that of any other order of men. In a. d. 1521 lomc merchants of Hermanftat (Cibinium) brought fc- veral of Luther's books from Leiphc into Tranfil- vania, as on the fubje6l of chrillian liberty, auri- cular coniellion, penance, monadic vows, corn- munion in both kinds, and on the Babylonifh cap- tivity ; by the reading of which the eyes of many, the hiftorian fays, were opened. At Vihelyinam in upper Hungary the refor- mation was promoted by Michael Sicklofi, and in Tranfilvania the bufinefs w^s undertaken by two perfons whofe names are not certainly known, but D d 3 one aza THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII, one of them was thought to have been Ambrofe of Sllefia, and the other George of the order of preaching friars. Thefe preached with the great- eft vehemence againft the abufes of popery at Her- manflat. Complaint being made of this, they were called to appear before the bifhop of Strigo- nia. How they were treated by him is not faid, but foon after they left the country. The princi- pal magiflrate in this city at this time was Marcus Pefflinger, and a perfon of great experience and prudence. He not only read the works of Lu- ther himfelf, but recommended the reading of them toothers. He was oppofed by Mathias Colman, hut this perfon died foon after the conteft began. A ciicurnfiance that greatly contributed to pro- mote the reformation in this city was a conteft, probably of fome ftanding, between the inhabitants and their bifhop. King Lewis endeavoured by an cdi6l daied at Buda in a. d. 1522, to check the progrefs of the reformation by fome violent meafures ; but owing to the interceflion of Peft- linger, and the abfence of the newly appointed biihop who was then at Rome, the perfecution did not take place. Another fevere edi£l was procur- ed by the clergy in a. d. 1523, but nothing ap- pears to have been done in conlequence of it. In A. D. 1724, feveral perfons went from Hun- gary and Traiifilvania to ftudy at Wittemberg, with Sec. XVI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 4iiJ^ with a view to qualify themfelves to promote the reformation with more eflFed. At the fame time the new biftiop fent commiffaries with letters to the {enate at Hcrmanftat, requiring them to exe- cute the king's edift ; and in confequence of this many of the writmgs of Luther were taken from the citizens, and publickly burned. Among thefe was a German pfalter of Luther, which when in flames (probably by fome accident in flirring the fire, and the dire6lion of the wind) fell upon the head of one of the commiffaiies ; and whether in confequence of the injury be received from the fire, or being, as fome thought, ftruck with terror, he foon after died. However, the only efFe6l of this meafure of the bifhop was that the principle:^ of the reformation were from this time more gen- erally and more publickly avowed than they had been before ; and this, notwitiiflanding another order of the bilbop, under pain of greater ex- communication, to prohibit the reading of the books, and burning all that couid be found ot them. In A. D. 1525 an order was procured for the banifhment ot aJl the Lutherans out of the king- dom, or 10 apprehend and burn them, but no re- gard was paid to if; ; and the fame year the refor- mation was preached at BuJa, wheie the court reiided, by Simon Gryaoeus, and Vitus Vv'eir- P d 4 fhemius, *24 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXH. ftiemius, the prefidents of the public fchools in that city. But being obliged to fly, Grynoeus went to Bafil, where he was made profelTor of phi- lofophy, and Vitus went to Wiitemberg, where he was made profeflbr of the Greek language. Their places were fupplied by other perfons fent by Lu- ther and Melanflhon, and among thera was John Honter, who was followed by Leonard Stokell, both of whom, however, went to Tranfilvania. In the year following the archbifhop of Buda, feconded by the clamours of the inferior clergy, endeavoured to perfuade the king to deftroy PefF- linger, and all the other favourers of the dodrine of Luther ; but he was prevented by a formidable invafion of the Turks whom he marched to op- pofe. He however, wrote to this count, pro- mifing him his favour if from that time he would do his duty in exterminating the Lutherans. He, however, deferred doing any thing till after a jour- ney which he undertook to meet the king. But they never did meet, the king being defeated and killed in the fatal battle of Mohacs. Many of the bifhops who accompanied the king in this expedition having perifhed with him, their revenues were adrainiftered by laymen, who were the ^reateft promoters of the reformation-; and the return of count Pefflinger foon put an end to the proceedings of the monks in the execution of SeCv XVI. THE CHRISIIAN CHURCH. 4Qil the edi6ls. As they had profcribed George of Silefia, and his companions, the count took them to his owu houfe, and encouraged them to preach in the moil public manner; and from this time iall the inhabitants of Hermanftat, and by degrees thofe of the neighbouring towns, embraced the re- formation. Indeed, after the battle ot Mohacs, moft of the counts and barons of Hungary joined the reformers, and protefted their preachers. King John being defeated by Ferdinand, and ■flying to Poland, left the adminiftration in the hands of Alexius Bethlen, a perfon of great mode- ration, who was urged in vain by the catholics to adopt violent meafures ; and in a. d. 1529, on a report that the forces of Ferdinand had been de- feated, the magiftrates of Hermanftat publiftied an edift, ordering the monks either to abjure popery, or leave the city on pain of death. In A. D. 1530, five of the free cities of Upper Hungary fent a confeffion of their Proteftant faith to Ferdinand, and many perfons of the highefl rank and the greateft power in Hungary, openly defended the refoimation. At the return of king John to Buda in a. d. *5'33' *-^^ clergy left nothing unattempted to in- duce him to fupprefs the reformation by the moft violent methods ; and the archbifhop fent to pri- fon a prieft who had preached againft the iafts of D d 5 the 42^ THE HISTORY OF Per. XXU the church of Rome; and after having him fcourg-i ed he expofed him in the ftreets, with hares, geefc, and fowls taftened to him, and then had him puriued by d^'gs; in confequence of which he died ; but vithin a few days after this, being ftruck, it was fuppofed, with remorfe for what he had done, the hifhop became infane, and died. In A. D. 1535 Matthias Devai diftinguifhed himfelf fo much by his zeal in promoting the re- formation, that he was commonly called the Hun- garian Luther ; but he did not adopt the fenti- ments of Luther on the fubje6l of the eucharifl, but leaned to thofe ot Zuinglius ; and their diflfer- ence of opinion was the occafion of a divifion a- mong the reformers in this part of the world, that was prejudicial to the common caufe here, as it was in Germany and other places. This Devai was not only the caufe of the con- verfion of Gafpar Draghius, a perfon of high rank, who became a patron of the reformers, but he brought over to his party the noble city of Veheli, and its neighbourhood. He alfo preached with much fuccefs in Buda. the capital of the kingdom, and converted many in the court ot king John, the rival ot Ferdinand, Being, however, appre- hended and imprifoned at Buda, he was examin- ed by John Faber, thebithop of Conllance ; and when he was going to prifon his condudor faying, Sec. XVI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 43/ " If you were a chriftian, I would ble(s you ;" he replied, *' I do not want your benediftion. It ** is God that will blefs me, and have mercy on *' me." How he was delivered from his imprifon- ment does not appear. He was again apprehend- ed at Vienna, but by fome means or other he el- caped a fecond time. He had a public difputation with Szegedinus a Francifcan, the particulars of which he publifhed. The reformation in Hungary was alfo greatly promoted by John Honter abovementioned. He was a philofopher and mathematician, and fludied firfl at Cracow, and then at Bafil, drawn by the great reputation of Reuchlin; and returning to his native country in a. d. 1533, he fet up a printing office, and firft publifhed a work of Luther's on auricular confeffion, and other works which had before been brought from Germany, and which fold for great prices. In A. D. 1542 the fenate of Corona were in- duced by his zeal to appoint him their preacher, in order to eflablifh the reformation in that city ; and he fucceeded in bringing the whole province of Barcia into the reformation. So induftrious was he and his coadjutors m this work, that before the end of the year a. d. 1545 it had taken place in all that province of Tranfilvania iq which is the city of Media, called Media Saxonum, and 428 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII there was publifhed a confeffion of the Proteft- ant faith. The fame was done at Eidod, when twenty three minifters of the reformation drew up twelve articles of faith, and likewife profelTed their aflent to the articles of that confeffion which haA been prefented to the ftates of the empire at Augf- burgh. This was a great mortification to the arch- bilhop Martinucius ; who had always been an ad- vocate for violent meafures, and who had fome time before procured one of the Proteflants to be burned alive. This perfon, however, had in fome meafure provoked his fate ; having ftruck a wo- man who was worfhipping before an image, when this prelale was attending the queen at her en- trance into Waradin. In a. d. 1552 mention is made of another martyr to the Proteftant caufe in Bafilius Radon, but there is no account of the cir- cumftances of his martyrdom; and the fe are the only examples of Proteftant martyrs, that I can find in this country. The principal of the grandees who oppofed the violent proceedings of this ecclefiaftic, was Uiban Batjani, whom he procured to be poifoned in a. D. 1546; and even when he had been honoura- bly buried, he had his body taken out of the grave, and expofed on a dunghill. Under Sfic.XVI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 423 Under Ferdinand the Proteftants had better treatment ; for tho' he favoured the catholics, in feme articles which were drawn up for compofing the differences of religion, in a. d. 1548 ; yet by the oppoGtion and influence of the grandees, c(- pecially of Alexius Turzo, and his two fons, e- qually zealous with himfelf in the caufe of refor- mation, the preachers were prote6led. In A. D. 1549 there was a numerous fynod of the Proteftants at Temeswar, when they made thirteen canons concerning the duty of paftors. In the fame year died John Honter, famous for his writings and other fervices in the caufe of the re- formation, and of general literature. At this time, however, flaurifhed Stephen Szegedinus, who after Mr. Devai diftinguifhed himfelf the moft; in the fame caufe. He alfo followed Devai in adhering to the doftrine of Zuingiius on the fubje6l of the eucharift. In A. D. 1554 the difpute about the eucharift occafioned much diflurbance in the ^Proteftant churches of thefe countries ; and in the fame year another difference arofe among them occafioned by the opinion of Francis Stancarus concerning the mediatorial cffice of Chrift, which he faid de- pended upon his human nature only, and not at all on his divine nature; and for this opinion he fuffered fomething like a perfecution from the great ^ majority 430 THE HISTORY OF Peh. XXII. majority, who dilTented from him. And yet this fame Stancarus urged it upon queen Ifabella, and the grandees of Tranfilvania, to punifti heretics with death ; and aniong them he mentioned Fran- cis David, an unitarian, as deferving to be put to death, for declaring war, as he had faid, againfl: Jefus Chrift; faying it was of divine right that they and their works fhould be committed to the flames. In A. D. 1555 the emperor Ferdinand found it neceffary to allow the free exercife of religion to five free cities of Upper Hungary. Bat the Ana- baptifts were perfecuted in thcfe countries as well as in all other places. This year they were order- ed to leave the kingdom in one month, and tho' for fome time the nobles detained fome of them who were artifans, they could not do it long. In A. D. 1559 there was a public difputation between the Lutherans and the Sacramentarians, which the Lutheran reporter faid ended in favour of his party ; and in the year ^following after ano- ther conference the Sacramentarians were abfo- lutely excluded from communion with the Lu- therans. But it appears that in a. d. 1562, a great number of the Lutherans embraced their opi- nion. The lad article that I have to mention relating to this period is that in a. d. ir^G^, in an aflembly ^ • of Sftc. XVI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 431 of the ftates at Tcmeswar, it was decreed that all perfons fhould beat full liberty to follow whate- ever mode of religion they pleafed without difturb- iriGj one another, and in a. d. 1564 Maximilian II granted the fame liberty to a diftnfl; in Hungary inhabited chiefly by miners. From that time to the prefent even Unitarians are not only exempt from perfecution, but enjoy every civil privilege, at ieaft in Tranfilvania, of which thpy occupy a large diftridl, which was once pointed out to me on the map of that country by a perfon who came from Prefburg. This account of the reformation in Hungary and Tranfilvania is abriged from Lavipe's Hijlory of it in Qiiario, printed at Utrecht in a, d. '728, SECTION 432 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. SECTION XVII. Amort particular Account of fame of the Englijk Martyrs, X HO' I have undertaken to write nothing more than a general hijlory of the chriftian church, I think it right to give occafionally particular ac- counts of transa6lions, , efpecially when they feem to be neceflary to give a juft idea of the manners and ipirit of the times to which they relate, which fuccinft and general accounts can never do ; and jfet this is always confidergd as one principal ob- je6t in writing hiftory. Now nothing can contri- bute more to give a jufl idea of the fpirit of the difiPerent parties, viz. the Catholics and Proteft- ants, at the time of the reformation, than the hif- tory of the perfecution of the latter by the former, where we fee the temper and behaviour of both. I alfo chufe to be more particular in this cafe, becaufe fuch narratives tend in an eminent manner to infpire the true fpirit of chriflianity, which is my principal objeft in writing this hifto- ry ; and in peaceable times this fpirit is too apt to be Sec. XVir. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 43* be lofl in that of the world, there being nothing in thefe circumftances to draw our attention to it, and excite it. In fuch times as thefe there arc but few, I fear, who intereft themfelves in books of martyrology, and therefore they mufl be ignorant of fome of the mod interefling and inftrudlive ar- ticles in ecclcfiaftical hiflory. For fuch general hiftories as that of Mofheim and others, tho' va- luable on feveral accounts, contain nothing of this kind. If this fubje6l be thought irkfome or dif- gufting, tho' it ought not to be fo to any chrifti- an, the feftions relating to it will have their fepa- rate titles, fo that they may be paffed over without any prejudice to the reflof the work. In perufing thefe accounts readers of the prefent more civilized age will be fhocked at the unneceffa- ry cruelties with which perfons, and perfons of the moft refpe6lable chara£lers.were then treated. But it was the obje£l; of thofe who were in power to bear down all thatoppofed them by any methods, how- ever barbarous and illegal. For the fake of the Eng^ifli reader I fliall fele6l accounts of a few of the martyrs in the time of queen Mary, abridged irom the much larger accounts in that mod valua- able, tho' now too much neglefted, work of Mr, Fox, intitied The ABs and Monuments of thz Churchy but more commonly known by the tide of The Book of Martyrs, beginning with John Rogers, Vol. V. £e who 'Ij4 THEHISrORYOF PER.XXIIe who was the firfl that was executed in this reign for his adherence to the principles of Prottftan- ifm. Mr. Rogers was educated at Cambridge, whei"5 he difliaguifhed himfe f by his application to li- terature, and his good conduft. After this he was chofcn by the fociety of Merchant Adventurers to be their chaplain at Antwerp in the reign of Hen- ry VIII ; and in this fituation he gave great fatis- faftion to his employers. Here it was that he be- came acquainted with William Tindal and Miles Coverdale, who had left England on account of their religion, which by their means he was led to embrace, and he affifted them in their tranflation ol the fcriptures into Englifh. Here he married; and going to Wittemberg he made farther progrefs in theology ; and being a great proficient in the German language, the charge of a congregation was committed to him. On the acceffion of king Edward he left his eftabllfhment at Wittemberg, and returned to his native country, without any other profpeft than that of promoting the reformation. But Ridley, then biihop of London, knowing his worth, made him a prebendary of St. Paul's church, and the dean and chapter chofe him to be their reader of divin- ity ; ^nd this duty he difcharged till the acceffion of queen Mary, -When Src.XVIt. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 4^5 When (he came to the tower, it being the duty of Mr. Rogers to preach at Paul's crofs, he fo earneftly exhorted the people againft the doftrines of popery, that he was rummoned before the coun- cil to give an account of his fermon ; and this he did with fo much firmnefs, and yet with prudence, that at this time he was difmilled. But after the proclamation concerning preaching he was called before the council a lecond time ; and tho' he clearly forefaw his danger, and had a wife and ten children to provide for (which he could eafily have done in Germany) he did not chufe to flee, when it was in his power. Not giving fatista6lion to the council, he was at firft made a prifoner in his own houfe, but after about half a year he was, at the procurement of biftiop Bonner, fent to Newgate, and there con- fined with the word criminals; and all that is known of him, and his examinations, (S:c. from this time we learn from an account drawn up by him- felf, left in his cell after his death, and fo concealed that his enemies had not found it. Otherwife it certainly would never have feen the light. After having been kept a clofe prifoner in thefc circumftances till the 22d of January a. d. 1555, which was nearly a year and an half ; he was brought before bifhop Gardiner the chancellor, jind the rell of the privy council ; when being a(k- E e 2 cd 436 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. cdifhe would conform to the catholic church, as the nation in general had done, and receive a par- don, he anfwered in the negative with great firm- nefs ; and after a long altercation about the fupreme head of the church, the fervice in Latin, and the marriage ofpriefts, to which his own marriage had given occafion, he was remanded to prifon. In the night between the 28th and 29th of the fame month he was brought out again, when he re- monftrated with his judges on the fubjeft of his imprifonment, which had been contrary to the law as it then flood, and the unreafonablenefs of main- taining himfeif and his large family, when his fa- lary, the means of his fubfiflence, had been taken from him. But not anfwering to fatisfaftion with refpeft to the doftrine of the eucharift, he was in- formed that with the hope of his recanting, they would forbear to proceed any farther till the next day, when about nine o'clock he was brought up again ; but beginning to charge his judges with temporizing, as they had done in the former reigns, he was not allowed to fpeak any more, but was fentenced to be degraded and ordered for executi- on, together with bifhop Hooper; and then the ftieriff conduced them both to Newgate. The only requefl that Mr. Rogers made, was that his wife might be permitted to have accefs to him the ftiort time that he had to live, but this was denied Sec. XVII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH^ 4ST denied him, Gardiner faying that fhe was not his wife. He replied that (he had been fo eighteen" years, and farther faid that, tho' they were oflFend- ed with the marriage of priefts, they made no ob- jeftion to their open whoredom. For that in Wales every prieft had his whore living without difguife with him, and that the priefts in France and Germany did the fame. To this no reply was made. On Monday the 4th of February, early in the morning, he was informed that he muft prepare for execution that very day. He was, however, firft carried before bifhop Bonner, who degraded him in due form, firfl; drefling him like a prieft, and then, with certain ceremonies, taking thofe gar- ments off. At this time he again requefted that he might be permitted to fpeak to his wife, who being a ftranger in the country, and with a large family, might want fome advice ; but he was again peremptorily refufed. As he was on his way to Smithfield, the place deftined for his execution, he was met in the crowd by his wife, who had the youngeft child in her arms, and was accompanied by two others ; but this affe6ling fight did not move him from his pur- pofe; and when he had an offer of a pardon at the ftake, he would not accept of it on the condi- tion of his recanting. Not being permitted to ad- £ e 3 drefs Adf THE HISTORY OF Per. XXIL drefs the people, who attended in great crouds, he only fung as he went along the pfalm which be- gins with the word mijererc, and he fufFered with tiie greateft conflancy. It is conjeftured that he particularly wifhed to fpeak to his wife to inform her of the MS. whicK he had written in the prifon, and which was found by one of his fons, when they went to the place, after it had, no doubt, been examined by the keeper. With the fame conftancy died many others in thefe times, who, like Mr, Rogers, had themfelves "been advocates for the dodlrine of burning heretics. But this opinion, abhorrent as it is now ac- knowledged to be to reafon and chriftianity, was then nearly, if not wholly, univerfal ; fo that the holding of it argues no particular difpolition to cruelty. Protellants of all defcriptions, when .in power, as well as the catholics, acled upon it. Bilhop Hooper, as \ have obferved, was con- lined in Newgate at the, fame time with Mr. Ro- gers, and his hiftory and martyrdom is the next tjiat I fhall give an account of. He was educated at Oxford, and there he was equally noted for his love of literature, and his zeal for religion ; but the ^iyl articles of Henry "S^ II I being then publifhcd, and he not approving ot them, fome divines of Oxford gave Ijim fo much trouble that he left the univeiiity, arid was receiv- ed Sec. XVII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 489 ed in the capacity of Ileward by fir Thomas Arun- del, who, tho' a zealous catholic, was much pleaf- cd with his behaviour ; and with the friendly view of reclaiming him, he fent him on a melTage to the bifhop of Winchefter, with a letter iniorming him of his defign. By the bifhop he was detained four or five days, in which his lordfhip endeavoured to convince him of his errors ; but not fucceeding he fent him back with much commendation of his a- bility and learning ; but from this time he con- ceived a rooted averfion to him ©n account of his opinions, and, as he would naturally think, his ob- ftinacy. Being warned by a friend of his danger in con- tinuing in the family of Mr. Arundel, he fled to France, but foen returned, and was received bv a Mr. Sentlow till, a fnare being laid for him, he went to Germany, where he formed a connexion with feveral learned Proteftants, and efpecially at; Bafil and Zurich, where he formed a find fricnd- fliip with Mr. Bullenger There he applied himfclf to the fludy of Hebreu', and alfo married. On the acceffion of king Edward he took an afFetlionatc leave of Mr. Bullenger and his other friends at Znrich, and returned to England; and arriving in London he never failed to preach once, and often twice, every day ; and being very elo- quent, he always had crowded audiences. Boing £ e 4 called 440 THE HISTORY OF Po. XXII. called to preach before the king, he was foon ad- vanced to the biflioprick of Gloucefter, and after two years that of Worcefter was added to it. The duties of this high office he difcharged with fingu* lar adiduity and fuccefs. Aed to die before he fhould be brought to his trial. The year following, on the igth of March, he was again brought before his judges, and without being allowed to fpeakfor himfelfhe was fentenc- ed, on account of his marriage, to be deprived of his preferment. Being alfo queflioned on the fubjeQ of the eucharifl, and not giving fatisfa£li- on, he was by the bifhop of Chichefter called a hypocrite, and by Tonftal and others, a beaft. -On the 22nd of January a. d. 1555 he was brought before the commiflioners at the houfe of bifhop Gardener, but giving them no more fatis- faftion than he had done before, he was remand- ed to prilon. On the 28th of the fame month he was brought before them again, when both he and Mr. Rogers were informed that they would be heard again the next day ; and then, as they could E e 5 not 442 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. not be perfuaded to recant, they were fentenced to be degraded and delivered to the fecular power to be executed, after which they were conduced co Newgate. On their way thither great crowds prelFed to fee them, praifing God for their con- flancy in the doSlrine which they had preached. In Newgate they were kept fix days without any perfon being permitted to fee or converfe with them. Bonner, however, and other catholics vifited them in order to induce them, if p )ffible, to recant, but this was without any efFeft. There was, however, a report circulated that the bifhop liad recanted, and it gave him feme difturbance. But this did not continue long. For on Monday, the 2d of February, the bifhop of London came and performed the ceremony of their degredation; and the fame night the bifhop was informed that he was to be carried to Gloucefter, and fufFer there; at which he v/as much rejoiced, fince he fhould then die in the midft of his flock. When they were on their journey his conduc- tors always took care to avoid the inns that be had been ufed to frequent, and at Cirenceflef they tookhnn to the lioufe of a woman who had been iifed to revile him ; but, contrary to their expec- tation, flie flhewcd him every mark of kindnefs, la- menting his cafe with tears. When they came near to Glouccflc.i, they were met by fo great a c'-jwd S£C. XVII. THE CHRISIIAN CHURCH. -AS crowd of his friends, that the aid of the mayor and his officers was thought necellary for his guard. He was, however, peife£lly compofed, ate a hearty fupper, and flept foundly as ulual ; but the re- mainder ot the night, and all the next day, he paflT- ed in a6ls of devotion. When the fhenfF, who was to fee him execu- ted, waited upon him the next morning, he faid he had only one requeft to make, which was that they would make a quick fire, and difpatch him as foon as poflTible. At five o'clock that night he went to bed, and flept foundly as before, hut em- ployed the remainder of the night, as he had done the precediug day, and at nine he was con- duced to the place of his execution, attended by a prodigious crowd, but he was not peimitted to make any addrefs to them. After a folemn prayer he undreiTed himfelf, and was bound with an iron hoop to the Hake, tho' he aflfured them that it was not necellary, for that he (hould be quiet, and give them no trouble. They allowed him to put a bag of gunpowder between his legs, and with grecit calmnefs he (hewed them how to place the faggots. Bundles of reeds being given him, he killed them, and placed one uqder each arm. Vv'hen the fire was lighted, the faggo'.s were found to be fo green, that the heat only fcorchcd him, and after fomc lime drier faggots were brought, but 4U THE HISTORY OF Per. XXH. but dill the wind blew the flame in fuch a man- ner that his lower parts only were affefted. In this ftate of extreme torture he was heard to pray, faying, " Jefus, thou fon of David, have *' mercy on me, and receive my foul.'* Then, wiping his eyes, he called for more fire. With the third fire the gunpowder exploded, but fo as to be of little fervice to him. He kept praying as long as he was able to fpeak, flriking on his breaft with one of his hands till it fell oflF, and then with the other, till, on its touching the hot iron hoop, it fluck fall to it, and prefently after this falling for- wards, he expired. Tho' owing to the unfavoura- able circumftances above mentioned, he was for three quarters of an hour in extreme torture, he continued, the hiftorian fays, quiet as a lamb, ne- ver moving his body, tho' his lower parts were fo burned, that before he died his bowels fell out. Willing to complete this fefltion by a third example of thofe noble martys, I was a long time undetermined which to feleft, from fo great a num- ber that prefented themfelves in Mr. Fox's book; all the cafes having in them fomething particu- larly deferving notice. Having given the preced- ing account of bifliop Hooper, I pafs over the cafes of the bifhops Cranmer, Latimer, and Rid- ley, efpecially as the lives of two of them have been excellently written, and in a popular man- ner, Sec. XVII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. AiS ner, by Mr. Gilpin, and on the whole I have thought it moft eligible to take that of Mr, Bradm ford, tho' for a long time I hefitated between his cafe and that of Mr. Taylor of Hadley in Suffolk; efpecially asl had been upon the fpot where he fuf- fered, and witneffed the veneration with which his memory is ftill cherifhed in that town, fo that tho* he has been fo long dead he yd fpeaketh. Mr John Bradford was born at Manchefler in Lancafhire, and was not originally defigned for any of the learned profeflions, but entered into the fervice of Sir John Harrington, who had great employments under Henry VIII and Edward VI ; and by his fkill in writing and accompts, as well as by his general behaviour, he gained his entire confidence. Tho' it was probable that in this fi- tuation he might have acquired a decent fortune, he quitted this employment, and appears for fome time to have applied to the ftudy of the law in the Temple; but afterwards he went to the univerfity of Cambridge, with a view to qualify himfelf forthe chriftian miniftry, and there he gained fo much favour by his diligence and proficiency in his flu- dies, that after one year he was admitted to the de- gree of mafter of arts, and foon after was chofen fellow of Pembroke college. Here he particular- ly recommended himfelf to Martin Bucer, one of the moft eminent of the reformers, who greatly en- couraged 416 THE HISTORY oV Per. XXlI couraged him to undertake the office of preacher. In confequence of this he was ordained by Ridley the bifliop ot London, and was made a preben- dary of St. Paul's Church. In the faithful and laborious difcharge of his duty in this fituation he continued three years; but on the acceflion of queen Mary he was appre- hended, and fent to the Tower on a charge of fedi- Uon, tho' his behaviour entitled him to the thanks of the clergy and the court. For when the bifhop of Bath preached at St Paul's crofs, with a view to reconcile the people to the change of meafures that was to take place, and was fo much infulted by the people, that he was in danger of his life, Mr. Bradford, who was a great favourite with them, protefled him ; and preaching at Bow church the Sunday following he fharply reprov- ed the people for their diforderly behaviour, at the fame time that he exhorted them to adhere to their principles of proteflantifm. From the Tower he was removed to the king's bench prifon, and there the keeper had fo much confidence in him, that he permitted him to go out whenever he pleafed.and he always returned at the time that he promifed, tho' he might have made his efcape. On the 2 2d, and again on the 29th of January, 1555, he was brought btlore the council, and af- ter Sec. XVII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 447 ter fuch an examination, and luch infults, as Mr. Rogers and bilhop Hooper had experienced before him, he was fentenced as they were, to be degrad- ed and burned, and then was fent to the Counter prifon in the Poultry. This was after he had been a year and a half in the king's bench; and wherever he was confined he exerted himfelf fo much in ex- horting his fellow prifoners, and preaching to them, and to others who came to the prifon to hear him, that he was of eminent ufe, and he was held in the higheft efteem on that account. When he was in the Counter he had notice given him that he was to be removed to Newgate, and executed ihe day following; and on hearing this he took off his cap, and faid, " I thank God *« for it. The Lord make me worthy of it." The prayer which he made on that occafion was highly edifying to many who were prefent; ar-l when he left the place all the prifoners, as wul -.' the jailer's family, bid him farewell with many tears. His removal to Newgate had been in the night, between eleven and twelve o'clock, it being thought that at that time nobody would be in the ftrcets ; but they u-ere crowded with people, who were loud in their exprelTions of efteem, and ex- hortations to conflancy. On the day of his remo- val 44» THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. val from Newgate all Smithfield was crowded by four o'clock in the morning, becaufe it was fuppo- fed that, in order to avoid a crowd, his execution would be at that early hour, but it was nine before he was aftually brought. As he went along a brother in law taking him alFeftionately by the hand, one of the fherifFs offi- cers broke his head with his ftafF. Being come to the place of execution, he firll proftrated himfelf on the ground in filent prayer ; and then, having flripped himfelf to his fhirt, he calmly went to the flake, and fufFered without any other indication than that of joy, together with a young man, an ap- prentice, of the name of John Leaf. At this time many perfons in the ordinary ranks of life profelf- ed the principles of the reformation, and fuffered for them, with as much firmnefs as thofe who had had a liberal education ; and women fhewed as much fortitude as men. Harlh as the treatment of thefe excellent per- fons will appear to be in thefe days of greater hu- manity and juftice, it will be feen to have been mild when compared with that of the French Pro- teftants in the next period, fome examples of which I fhall there exhibit, with the fame view with which I have produced thefe. I wifh the reading of fuch accounts was fo general, as to make thefe fe6lions in my work unnecefTary. There Sec. XVII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 449 There is a circumllance deferving of particular notice in the hiftory of martyrdoms, which is that ftrong mental feelings overpower, and in fome meafure counteract, thofe of the bodily fenfes ; fo that the pain of torture is lefs fenfibly felt. This was exemplified in the cafe of Thomas Tomkins. The cruel Bonner, thinking to over- come his conflancy by the fenfe of pain, had a lighted candle held under his hand in his own pre- fence till, as the hillorian (dys, " the finews (hrunk, *' and the veins burft ;'' and yet he afterwards told a friend of his, that " his fpirit was fo wrapt that *' he felt no pain." Soon after this he was burned at Smithficld, but nothing farther is faid of him. Fox, p. 154. I fhall recite another inftanceof a fimilar na- ture. Thomas Hawkes being fcntcnced to be burned alive, fome of his friends, who expefted the fame fate, delired him to give them a token when he was in the fire, whether the pain was fuch as to be in any degree tolerable ; fo that, as they faid, " a man might keep his mind quiet and patient." If it was fo tolerable, they defired him to fhew it by lifting up his hands. Accordingly when, as the hiflorian fays, " he had continued long in the *' fire, fo that his fpeech was taken away by the vi- «' olence of the flame, his fkin almoft drawn toge- " ther, and his fingers confumed in the fire ; fo Vol. V. Ff "that 450 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. <« that now all men thought certainly he had been " gone, he reached his hands over his head, and ♦' with marks of joy clapped them three times." At this there was great joy expreffed by the fpeda- tors, but elpecially by thofe who knew the mean- ing of it. After this he foon funk down into the fire and died. lb. p. 220. I hardly need to obferve that, on thefe trying occafions, women have fhewn as much firmnefs in bearing torture and death as men. Thus, in the account of the martyrdom of Mrs. Joice Lewes, p. 704, it is faid that when (he was faftened to the flake with a chain, fhe fhewed fo much cheerful- nefs, that " it paffed man's reafon, being fo patient;" which greatly afiFefted all who were prefent. And when the fire was lighted, " fhe neither ftruggled *' nor flirred," but only lifted up one of her hands to heaven. Cicely Ormes, who was burned at Norwich, had at firft recanted ; but repenting of it fhe was brought to the flake ; when fhe kiffed it, faying, " Welcome the crofs of Chrift." When the fire was kindled, fhe faid, " My foul doth magnify the *' Lord, and my fpirit rejoices in God my Savi- " our." Then looking upwards, fhe raifed her arms, and held them in that pofture " till the fi- "news Sec. XVII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 451 " news broke alunder, and fhe died as quietly as " if fhe had felt no pain. p. 717. It is by no means my objeft to recite all the afFeftincT circumftances that occur in the narra- tive of thefe murders. For, confidering the fpi- rit with which they were conduced, they deferve no other name; but I fliall juft mention the cafe of a blind man, and another that was lame, who were burned at the fame ftake, p. 587; of a blind boy, p. 589, and of a woman who was delivered of a child when fhe was in the lire, and which the in- human fherifiF threw back into the fire, to be burn- ed along with her, p. 627. Surely there will be a time of recompence for thefe things. F U SECTION 452 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. SECTION XVIII. Of the Unitarians in this Period, w, HEN the amazingly complex fyf- tem of errors and abufes which had been introduc- ed into the catholic church began to be examined, it could not be expelled that all the reformers fliould agree in the fame principles, but that fome would go farther than others, and of courfe give offence to the reft, who would wifti to preferve fome chara6ler for orthodoxy with thofe from whom they had feparated. And as no queftion in the whole compafs of theology had undergone fo much difcuflion as that concerning the perfon of Chrift, and the prevailing opinion had been cftablifhed by power and not by argument, we cannot be fur- prized that many perfons fhould entertain doubts concerning the doftrine of the perfe6l equality of the Son to the Father, or of his divinity in any- proper fenfe of the word. Indeed, we find traces of fuch perfons in every period, and cfpecially a- mong Sec. XVIII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 453 mong the Albigenfes. It was, therefore, natural to expe6l that when the minds of men were more than ever awakened to every thing that could be fufpeded to be an abufe in this period, fome fhould revive the opinion of the antient Unitarians, and other modifications of antitrinitarian fentiments. Accordingly it appears, fays Mofheim, that fo early as the year a. d. 1524, Lewis Hetzer, an Anabaptift, openly denied the divinity of Chrift ; and about three years afterwards he was put to death at Conftance. He was a man of confidera- ble learning. He wrote againft the ufe of images in churches, and tranflated the prophets of the Old Teftament into German. Robinson, p. 519. His treatife againfl the trinity was fuppreflfed by Zuinglius. Beausobre, Vol. 4, p, 145. John Campanus, a native of Juliers, taught at Wittemberg and other places, that the Son was inferior to the Father, and one Claudius propaga- ted an opinion ot a limilar nature in a. d. 1530 in Switzerland, and excited no fmall commotion by this means, tho' no regular fe6l was formed by any ot thefe perfons. Pope Clement in his Tpecch to Charles V faid, there were fome who had lately revived the error of Paul of Samofata, which makes chriftianity a pure Mahometanifro. 15^ Vol. 4, p. 242. F f 3 The ^54 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXll . The'perfon who in this period diftinguilliedhim- felf the mod by tenets which in the opinion of the majority tended to degrade the perfon of Chrift, was Michael Servetus, who was born in a. d. 1509 at VilJa Nova in Arragon, and ftudied the civil law at Thouloufe. The reformation making muchnoife at this time, he there applied himfelf to the lludy of the fcriptures; and conceiving that the doftrine of the trinity was one of the articles that rerjuired to be reformed, he wrote a treatife on the fubjeft, intitled De triniiatis erroribu%, which he publiOicd at Stra (burgh and Frankfort in a. d. 1531, when he Vf3.s not more than twenty one years of age. This book gave great offence to the principal reformers. CEcolampadius at Bafil was required hy the magiftrates to examine the book, and find- ing in it, as he thought, erroneous and blafphe- mous prcpolitions, he publifhed them, and had a conference with the author on the fubjefl. On this occafion Servetus comolained that his antagon- ill, who was in general of 51 mild difpofition, was vejy rough with him ; faying, •' I wiil be miid in *' other things, but not when I hear Jcfus Chnfl " blafphemed." Ruchat, Vol. 3, p. ic8. CEco- lampadius writing to Buccr, on the fubjed of Servetus's book, fays, •' Our churches wiil be very *'■ ill fpokenof unlefs our divines make it their bu- :** oefs to cry il down. 1 beieech you in particular " to Sec. XVIII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. iS3 " to keep a watchful eye upon it, and to make *' an apology to our churches, at lead in your *' confutation infcribed to the emperor. We know *' not how this beaft came to creep in among us. *' He wrefts all the pafTages of fcripture to prove *' that the Son is not coeternal and confubftantial ** with the Father, and that the man Chrift is the " fon of God." This clearly fhews how defirous thefe reformers were to keep fome meafures with the church of Rome, and to avoid the charge of herefy. Impartial Hijlory of M. Servetus, p. 35. The year following, a. d. 1532, Servetus pub- lifhed another treatife on the fame fubjeft. This, no doubt, added to the alarm of thefe reformers. Melanfthon, writing to Joachim Camerarius, fays, " You know that I was always afraid that thefe *« difputes about the trinity would break out fome " time or other. Good God, what tragedies will ** this quetlion excite among our pofleriLy, whether •' the loCTOsbe a fubfiflence or a perfon, and whe- <' therthe Holy Spirit be a fubfiflence or a perfon. " I have recourfe to ihofe words of fcriptute " which command me to worfliip Chrift, that is, to " afcribe to him the honours of divinity, which is V full of confolation ; but it is by no means expc- " dient to examine accurately into the ideas of ''fubfifUncc or perfon." Thus were thefe rtloim- ers afraid of free inqn'uy, when they apprehended F f 4 th-it 45S THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. that it might lead men farther than they had gone themfelves. After this Servetus paiTcd two or three years at Lyons, and then went to Paris to fludy medicine, which he afterwards praflifed ; and he pubhftied ibme treatifes on medical fubje£ls. It was at Paris that Calvin became acquainted with him. From Paris Se.rvetus retired to Vienne in Duphine, where he pradifed phyfic ten or twelve years. In this time his books were much read, efpecially in Italy ; and it is thought that Loelius Socinus and others were led by them to rejeft the dodrine of the trinity. In all this time he correfponded with Calvin, who fays that for the fpace of lixteen years he endeavoured to reclaim him from his errors. It appears that in the courfe of this correfpondence they were both much irritated. Calvin in his Commentaries calls Servetus *' a profligate fellow, *' a man full of pride, the proudeft of the Spani(h *' nation, a dog, and an obfcene dog." Ho-.vever, during this correfpondence, he fent Calvin a ma- nufcript which, tho' it never was printed, he un- generoufly produced againft him at his trial* Servetus not convinced of any error, and eon- finuing to think the opinion he had advanced of much importance, publifhed in a. d. 1533 ano- ther book, but without his name, againft the tri- nity, and fome other dodrines. This wms inti- tied Sec. XVIII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 45/ tied Chrijlianismi Rejlitutio, and it was in this tieaiife that he introduced his opinion of the circu- lation of the blood. It was for writing tliis book that Calvin, by his letters, procured Servetus to be apprehended, and tho' heefcaped out of prifon, he was fentenced, if he could be caught, to be burned alive with a flow fire. His books and his effigy were burned. In order to procure his con- demnation Calvin fent to Vienne above twenty letters which he had received from him. Flying from France, it was the intention of Servetus to go to Naples, and pradice phylic there; but going thro' Geneva, Calvin, on being inform- ed that he was in the town, had him apprehended, and procured thirty eight articles of accufation to be exhibited againft him. After this he was de- tained in prifon about five months, and his trial commenced Auguft 14. The principal accufati- ons againft him related to the dodrine of the trini- ty. Tho' he was a foreigner, he was not allowed an advocate to plead for him ; and iho' he fufFered exceedingly from cold and vermin, he was unable to obtain any relief, lie alfo pleaded in vain tlic rights of confcience, and the innocence of free inquiry, not attended with any breach of the peace. Calvin writing at this time to Farel, fays, " I •' hope Servetus will be condemned to death, but F f 5 ♦' I vTiih 458 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII; " I wifh the fcverity of his punifhment may be '* foftened /' the very language always ufed by the popilli inquifitors on fimilar occafions. Farel, who had himfelf fuffered perfecution, replied thatServetus deferved to die a thoufand deaths, and intimated that the judges would be very cruel, ^nd enemies to Chrill and his church, if they did not proceed and make an example ol liim. Bucer faid he deferved to have his entrails plucked out, and to be torn in pieces. Bullcnger laid the magiflrates a6led no- bly, and that punifliing fuch obflinate heretics was for the glory of God. How does this juftify the proceedings of the catholics againft themfelves. On the 261!! of Odober ServeLus was fentenc- ed to be burned alive ihe day following, together with all his books, printed and manufcript, and Beza fays, it was according to the opinion of all the Helvetian churches. Servetus would have ap- pealed to the council of two hundred, who it was thought, would have acquitted him, but Calvin prevented it. Before his execution he defired to fee Calvin, and when they met, he begged his par- don for the harlii language he had fometimes ufed towards him ; but Calvin, who had offended at lead as much in the fame way, did not aflc his. He only exhorted him to repent of his herefy. But Servetus continued fteady, and died calling upon God. In Sec. XVIII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. ^59 In this period we find Valentine Centilis, a Neapolitan, who fufFered at Bern in a. d. 1566. He adopted tlie Aiian hypothefis. He left the place of his nativity, which was Cofenza, on ac- count of religion, and retired to Geneva, where feveral Italian families had already forined a church, and one of the principal of them was George Blan- drata, a phyfician, who afterwards went to Poland. Gentilis. having given great offence by his writings, and efpecially to Calvin, fled from Geneva, and after various adventures was apprehended at Bern the nth of June A. d. 1566. He was fentenced to be beheaded, and at the place of execution faid, ** Many had fufFered for the glory of the Son," meaning probably for their chviflian faith, *• bat *' none that he knew of before himfelf had died for " the glory and fuperiority of the Father.'' Bayle. Servetus, however, had fuffered before him. Calvin, and ether foreign divines, had many friends in Poland ; and by their means fent letters and trafts into that country, juftifying the murder ol Servetus and Geniilis,and aireriing ihe ncccflfity of employing fecuLu- power to rid tJie world of fuch monPieis ai denied the trinity and infant bap- tifm. Rohinjon, p. 584. Andrew Dudjth, a. mod accompliflied perfon, who was fent to ihe council of Trent, and had great preferment in the church of Rome, joined the 460v THE HISTORY OF Pm. XXII. the reformers, and fettled at Cracow, Writing on this fubjefl to Wolf, a divine at Zurich, he fays, " Tell them, my learned friend, now that the Cal* "vinifts have burned Servetus, beheaded Gentilis, *' and murdered many other* ; now that they have *' baniflied Bernard Ochin with his wife and chil- ** dren from your city in the depth of winter. " Now that the Lutherans have expelled Lafco, *' with a congregation of foreigners that came out " of England with him, in an extremely rigorous " feafon of the year, and have done many o- ** ther fuch exploits contrary to the genius of chrif- *' tianity, how fhall we meet the Papifts ? With ** what face can we tax them with cruelty ? How *' dare we fay," Our weapons are net carnal'^} " How can we any longer urge, ** Let both grow '^ togtther till the harveji"? Let us ceafe to boaft " that '^ faith cannot he compelled, and that confci- "ence ought to be free.- Robinson, p. 592. Other perfons are alfo mentioned who held G- milar opinions, tho* with many variations. But the proper origin of the Unitarians, as a feparate body ot chriftians, is with fome degree of probabi- lity afcribed to fome private alTemblies of I tali- ans, efpecially in a. d. 1546, at Vicenza, in the territory of Venice. They met for the difcuffion of religious fubjeas, and among tfcem it is faid, but not with ceitainty, was Loelius Socinus, born in Sec. XVIIL THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH* 461 in A. D. 1524 at Sienna, defigned for the profeffi- on of the law, and greatly diftinguifhed for his learning and piety. He certainly travelled much in fearch of truth. He was, however, of a timid difpofition ; for tho' it is evident that he was no trinitarian, he lived and died a member of the Hel- vetic church of Zurich in A. D. 1562. It was his nephew Fauftus Socinus, a man of perhaps lefs learning, but of greater ability, and more zeal, who gave celebrity to the fe£l, and from him the Unitarians were long called Socinians % but his hiftory falls within the next period. About this time, however, many perfons who entertained thefe fentiments, as well as thofe ot the Anabaptifts, being perfecuted by all the other denominations of chriftians, took refuge in Poland, where, behav- ing with much moderation, they were at firft re- ceived into the churches of the reformed, and did not feparate from them till the year a. d. 1565. Loclius Socinus, it is faid, inftilled fentiments contrary to the prevailing ones, into the mind of Fran- cis Lifmaninus, who was preacher and confeflbr to Bona Sfortia the^wife of Sigifmond king of Poland- This Lifmani|pts publifhed feveral treati fes to prove the fupremacy of the Father, as the origin and foun- tain of divinity to the Son ; nnd ihh encouraged Gregory Paul, a minifter of the Proteftant church at Cracow, openly to affert the fame opinions. About ^^^ THE HISTORY OF Per. XXH. About this time alfo a perfon from the Low Countries, whofe name was Spiritus, arrived i Poland ; who having propofed the queftion, whe- ther there were three Gods, doubts on the fubjedl: of the trinity arofe in the mind of Andreas Fricius Mordrevius, fecretary to the king ; and at the de- lire of this prince, who was of an inquifitive dif- pofition, he ftudied queftions of this kind, and wrote fome treatifes in favour of the Unitarian doc- trine, which he entitled Silver. In A. D. 1556, Peter Gonefius, a Pole, after his return from his travels, avowed his rejection of the Nicene and Athanafian creeds, and in a. d, 1558, there came to Pinczow George Blandrata, a phyhcian of confiderable eminence, whom, Sigif- mond invited to his court, and who brought with him Francis David an Unitarian minifler; and then it is faid, Blandrata embraced the doftrine of the fupremacy of the Father. He here met with Gonefius and Stancarus, an Italian, who held the lame opinion. Thefe perfons entering into a difpute on the fubjedi, a fynod was called for the purpofe of compofing the controverfy, at which were prefent many minifters, and alio nobles; and tho' nothing was agreed on, it contributed much to the overthrow of the do£lrine of the trinity. The lame controverfy was carried into other fy- nods, all of which terminated in the increafe of Unitarians, Src. XVIII. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 4P3 unitarians. In other fynods, however, their doc- trine wasoppofed; and at one held at Cracow, in A. D. 1561, letters were produced from Calvin, exhorting them to be on their guard againll Blan- drata. Toulmins Life of Socinus, p. 2, Sec. However, by the endeavours of Blandrata and Francis David the king and a great part of the no- bility were induced to favour the Unitarians, fo that they had liberty to profefs their opinions in the moll public manner. This gave them fo firm a footing in Tranfilvania, that tho' Bathori, who afterwards fucceeded to the kingdom, wifhed to fupprefs the new feft, he found it prudent not to make the attempt ; and in this country they have ever lince remained unmolefled, having femina- ries of learning, and holding their religious affem- blies, tho' expofed to much danger from their many enemies. Mojhcim, Vol. 4, p. igo. In this period the Unitarians endeavoured, but without fuccefs, to eflablifh themfelvesin Hunga- ry and Auftria, being effedlually oppofed both by the catholics and Proteflants. SECTION 4§4 THE HIS TORY OF Per. XXII. SECTION XIX. OJ the Jefidts, ^ I .T was peculiarly fortunate for the ca- tholic caufe, that when the bifliops became difcre- dited, by their negleft of learning, and adopting the free manners of the nobility, the monks arofe for the fupport of it ; and that when they fell into difcredit the mendicants took their place. In this period, when the mendicant orders were in no higher cre- dit than the monks, another order of learned men made their appearance, and by their ability and zeal were of more fervice to the fame caufe than the monks or the mendicants had ever been. Thefe were the Jefuits, a fociety founded by Ignatius Loyola, a gentleman of Navarre in Spain, himfelf a man of no learning, and a wild enthufiaft. . He was born in A. d. 1491. At firft he was a page to king Ferdinand, and then ferved in the army, but was a man of pleafure to the age of twenty nine ; when being dangeroufly wounded at the liege of Pampeluna, he read for his amufement the Sec. XIX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 465 the lives of the faints; and by their example he was fo fired, that from that time he gave himfelf wholly to fuch a life as he found moft recommend- ed there. His firfl refolution was to make a pilgrimage to theHoly Land, going barefooted, and clothed in fackloth ; but being prevented in this, he went to Notredame de Montferrat, near Barcelona ; and there, watching in the church all night, he folemn- ly hung up his arms, by way of renouncing the profeflion of a foldier, and devoted himfelf to the fervice of the Virgin Mary. Thence he went to the hofpital at Manrefe, where he lived on bread and water, except on Sundays, when he ate fome boiled vegetables. At the fame time he wore an iron chain on his loins, and a rough haircloth un- der his other clothes. He alfo whipped himfelf three times a da}'', lay on the bare ground, begged his bread from door to door, and made fo dirty and hideous an appearance, that the boys hooted at and pelted him as he went along ; and thence he retired to a cavern in the neighbourhood, where he was found almofl dead with his excefTive morti- fications, and carried back to the hofpital. Being much perplexed with doubts about his falvation, in confequence of the free life he had formerly led, he went to the Dominicans at Man- refe, where he failed feven whole days, without Vol. V. G g eating 466 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII eating or drinking, or relaxing of his other aufteri- ties in any refpeft. He went thence to Rome, where he arrived in the time of pope Adrian ; and after this he performed his pilgrimage to Jerufa- lem, whence he returned to Barcelona in a. d. 1524 ; and finding the want of learning which was necefTiiry for his undertaking, he applied himfell to the iludy of Grammar, but made little progrefc. After this he went to fludy philofophy and theo- logy at Alcala, and there he got four difciples. But finding much confufion in his ideas on the fubjc6ls ot his fludies, he and his difciples applied themfelves to the converfion of finners. From Alcala Ignatius went to Salamanca, but there he and his four difciples were impiifon- ed, and fliut up in a dungeon, for teaching with- out proper qualifications. Being releafed on his examination, he went to France, without his com- panions, to fludy in the univerfity at Paris, and there he formed a defign of eflablifhing a new fo- ciety for the converfion of infidels, and propofcd to take the members of it out of that univerfity. Among the firfl who engaged with him was Fran- cis Xavier, who then taught philofophy in the college of Beauvois, and who afterwards diftin- guifhed himfelf by his miflioh to the Indies. An- other was James Lainez, both Spaniards. Thefe and five others he took to the church of Montmar- tre Sec. XIX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 46? tre near Paris in a. d. 1534, and afier a folemn communion they took a vow, that, abandoning every thing in the world, they would go to Jeru- falem for the converfion of the infidels ; and if that fhould be imprafticable, that they would throw themfelves at the feet of the pope, and de- vote themfelves to his fervice, without requiring any thing for their labours. In the mean time he prefcribed to them certain religious exercifes, hav- ing compofed a treatife on that fubjeft fome time before. Being then advifed to return to Spain for the recovery of his health, which was much in- jured by his exercifes, he engaged his difciples to meet him at Venice in a. d. 1537. When Ignatius was there he became acquaint- ed with J. P. CaralFa, who was afterwards Paul IV, and who endeavoured in vain to perfuade him to join the order of Theatins, which he had inftitu- led. Finding the times unfavourable to their in- tended voyage to Palefline, Ignatius, Le Fevrc, and Lainez, went to Rome to offer their fcrvices to the pope, while the reft difperfed themfelves iu the univerfitiesof Italy, in ordei to gain profelytes. But before this they agreed upon the following rules, " to lodge in hofpitals, to beg their bread, " that when any number of them were together, " they fhould be fuperiors in their turn, that they *' fhould preach in the ftreets, an^ wherever they G g 2 "could 468 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. « could, that they ftiould catechize the children, *• and take no money for their fervices." Hijioire de la ccmpagnie de jfefus, Vol i, p. 36. When Ignatius and the two others came to Rome, which was in a. d. 1538, Paul IV, at the folicitation of a Spanifli doftor Peter Ortiz, who knew Ignatius at Paris, accepted the offer of their fcrvice, and there Lainez became profelTor of fcho- laftic theology. On this all the difciples, fome of whom had been preaching with much fuccefs, aflembled at Rome ; and then Ignatius laid before them his great fcheme of forming a fixed fociety, who to the vows of poverty and chaftity, which they had taken before, fhould add one <'f perpe- tual and ablolute obedience to the chief whom they fhould chufe, and another of obedience to the pope, to go wherever he fhculd fend them, without any allowance for their expencts. At the fame time it was agreed that the prrjffjed jefuits (for they called themMves, the C(>mpa7}y of Jejus) fhould have no property either in private or in common, but that they might have colleges, with revenues for the maintenance of fludents. After fome difficulty the pope gave his fanQi' on to this new order September the 27th, a. d. 1540; but he fixed the number of piofefTed ]efuits to fixty. At this time Ignatius had no more tha» ten difciples, and they chofe himfelffor their fupe- rior Sec. XIX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 469 rior or General. The year following Ignatius fettled the particular conflitu; ions of his order, by which it appears that his defign was that his difci- ples fhould divide their time between a contem- plative and an adlive life. He appointed no habit but that of the common clergy of the times, and he excluded particular mortifications, and alfo long prayers and meditations. They were not e- ven to perform divine fervice, but rather apply themfelves to fludy. Hifloire, Vol i, p. 59. By this conflitution the General was to refidc at Rome, and have four alTiflants, one ,in Iialy, another in Spain, a third in France, and a fourth in Germany, to be appointed at the general af- fembly. Befides thefe, there were to be Provincials appomfcd by the General, as alfo fuperiors of par- ticular houfes, and of the probationers, calied A^o- viciates, and reftors of colleges. That the Gene- ral might have a more perteft knowledge of the perfons he employed, the Provincials in all parts of Europe were obliged to write to him once a month, and thofe in the Indies every opportuni- ty. Befides this, every three years there was to be fent to him an account of every perfon in the fociety, in which their ages and their qualifica- tions in all refpedls, were noted, and every thing elfe relating to the fociety, G g 3 Ignatius 4ro THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. Ignatius alfo divided his fubje6ls into four clafles, the projejjtd, the coadjutors, the fcholars, and the novices, who were to remain in that ftatc two years. The profeired were of tno kind?, fome of all the four vows, and others of three only, the fourth vow being that of obedience to the pope, over whom the General had no power. The coadjutors were either fpiritual or temporal, the former of whom did not take the fourth vow. There being very foon a great demand for Je- fuits, efpecially for the education of youth, Ignati- us obtained leave of the pope to make as many of the order of pro/ejfed SiS he pleafcd, and in a fhort fpace of time there were foundations of Jefuits in all parts of Europe, and in all the European co- lonies in the Eaft and Weft Indies. Ignatius alfo procured two of his difciples, Lainez and Salme- ron, to be fent as the pope's theologians to the council of Trent. There they found another mem- ber of their fociety, Le Jay, who was theologian to the cardinal of Augfburg, and by their ingenuity, humility, and charity, they gained univerfai ef- teem. The firft perfon who founded a college for the nfe of the jefuifs was Francis de Borgia, duke of Gar,i:3ia, where they taught philofophy, theology, and polite literature ; and in thj« line they fo much dillinguiilied themfelves, that in a fhort fpace of time Sec. XIX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 4ri time their colleges were numerous In all parts of Europe, a'ld the education of the opulent youths was almoft wholly in their hands. They alfo re- commended themfelves fo much to the great, that the confeffors of catholic princes were almofl all Jefuits. At the fame time they never loft fight of their ♦'•riginal objeft, which was the converfion of infidels, and they were more indefatigable in thrt refpe£l than the mendicants had been before them ; and for fome time their fuccefs feemed lo corref- pond to their labours. Ignatius, forefeeing the inconvenience that would arife to his fociety from the members of it afpiring to eccleCaftical dignities, made a new re- gulation in his fociety, by which he forbad their ac- cepting of any church preferment, as a mortal fin. But by not being bifhops, the Jefuits g^ve lefs umbrage, and in facl had more power, and ferved the papal intereft more eflFeQually, than if they had been pofTeflTed of the highefl; ftations in the church. Soon after the eflabUfhrnent of his order, 1^- natius admitted fome women to take the fame vows, and to come under the government of his difciples ; bat prefently'pefceiving the inconve- nience of this, he not only got his fociety difcharg- ed from this incumbrance, but he procured an or- der from the pope, that there fhould never be any G^g 4 ordtr 4r2 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. order of JefuitefTes ; or that women fhould in any form have a connexion with his fociety. The reputation of this new fociety was not u- niverfah It had many enemies, Melchior Cano, a theologian of the order of Dominicans at Sala- manca, reprefented them as the forerunners of an- tichrift, and the falfe apoflles who were to arife in the laft times, and who by their addrefs in infi- nuating themfelves into houfes, their affiduity to the great, their intrigues in courts, their feeming zeal for the falvation of their neighbours, and the inflru£lion of youth, and other peculiarities, were calculated to do much mifchief. His oppofition prevented their eflablifhment in Salamanca where he lived till they contrived to have him fent as a theologian to the council of Trent, when, in his abfence, they fecured their ettablifhment. They found ilill greater oppofition in France ; but in Portugal they were encouraged for the purpofeof fending miffionaries to diftant colonies. Above all others Francis Xavier diftinguiflied himfelf by his labours in the Eaft Indies. After preaching with more or lefs fuccefs in feveral other places, he went to Japan. JuHus 1 1 1 was no lefs a favourer of the Jefuits than Paul III. He pubiilhcd a bull in their fa- vour, recommending the fociety in the flrongefl: terms ; faying that, having learned of his prede- ceffors Sec. XIX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 473 cefTors the great advantage which that fociety had been of to the holy fee, by their intire devotion to the fucceffors of St. Peter, he confirmed their in- ftitutc. *' Tho," he fays, " all the faithful ought " to be fubjeft to the fovereign pontiff, as the " head of the church, and the vicar of Jefus Chrift, " yet to render the devotion of thefe fathers to the ** apoftolic fee (he more entir<;, and the renounc- *' ing of their own will the more perfe6l, in fuffer- ** ing themfelves to be guided by the holy fpirit, *' we have thought proper that they who compofe " this fociety, befides the three ordinary vows, •' take a fourth, of intire fubmiffion to the fovereign " pontiff, who can fend them into any country, *' even among Turks and infidels, into tlie Indies, " or the countries of heretics, without their being '• able to refufe, or make any excufe whatever. lb. 128. In this bull the pope gave the difpofal of the property of the houfes to the General, the profeffed Jefuits having no property at all in in them. All the endeavours of (he Jefuits to get an efldblifhment in France were in vain. The parli- ament made the ftrongell remonftrances arainft it; faying that the inftitution was fuperfluous, and contrary to the canons, which forbad the ellablifh- rnent of new religious focieties, that bv their infli- tute they were exempt from paying tytlies, by G g 5 which 474 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. which the cures would be depriied of their light?, that they might leave the kingdom without the leave of the parliament, and that they were not fub- je£l to the jurisdi6lion of the bifliops, which was contrary to the liberties of the Gallican church. Some of the difciples of Ignatius entering more than he wifhed into the profeiFed humble fpirit of their order, and declining to be confeffors to princ- es and great men, by means of which they after- wards obtained their great wealth and power, he reproached them for it ; faying " The humility of " apoflolical men like you, is more generous than " you imagine. You ought not to defpife the " lowed Tunftions, but neither ought you to dread *' the higheft, for you are not monks, confined to " cloifters. It is true you ought to exercife your " zeal in hofpitals, gallics, and prifons, but you *' are not to fly from the palaces of princes. Being " bound by your inflitute to labour for the falvati- •' on of all, you ought to make no diflin6lion of *' perfons, efpecially not to relufe to labour for *• kings, to whom you owe fo much the iriore of " your attention, as they are farther from the king- •• dom ofheaven than other men." Ibid, p. 136. By this time there was awakened in Ignatius an ambition which had not appeared before : for at his outfet no man could avoid what is called the world, and efpecially the great world, with more care than Sec. XIX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 475 than he did. His followers foon fhevved that they had no objedion to the new admonition of their founder. It mufl be acknowledged that the Jefuits were indefatigable in their attempts to introduce the ca- tholic religion, and exalt the power of the pope, in many foreign countries, as China, and J;tp.in in Afia, Ethiopia, and Congo in Africa, and for fome time their fuccefs was very promifing. But, con- trary to the praflice of the apoflles, they always applied thcmfelves in the firft inftance to the princes, and having by much addrefs gained them^ introduced their religion among the common peo- ple in a manner independent of any rational con- viftion; and having too generally aimed at civil power, fo as to bring the people into fubjeftion to the fee of Rome, they every where at length gave umbrage to the governing powers, and were finally expelled, leaving the people more prejudiced againfl the catholic religion, and chriftianity in general, than they found them. It may however, be clear- ly feen from the perufal'of the LeUrts edificantcs et cuneuses, that whatever might be views of their fc- periors and employers, no men ever fiit-wed moie of a truly chriftian fpirit, more zeal, difnitfrcfled- r.efs, humility, patience, and perfeveiance, in a6l- ing or fufFcring, than many, I believe than mod, of the mifiionaries did. At the Tame time it is e- vidcnt 476 THE HIS TORY OF Per. XXH. vident that they were men of extraordinary talents, qualified to rife in the world, if that had been their obje6t. I have read thefe letters with fingular fa- tisfa6lion. This 1 obferve in this place in general, as it is not my defign to relate the particulars ei* ther of their reception in, or their expulfion from, foreign countries. The Jefuits did not fucceed in their endeavour^ to eflablilh themfelves in England on theacceflion of queen Mary; their exorbitant demand of the revenues of all the fuppreffed monafteries being re- je6led with indignation by cardmal Pole, and the hifhops ; from whofe jurifdi6lion they were to have been exempt. They alfo failed with refpefl to Flanders, the council rpjefllng all their pvopofals, tho' favoured by Philip II, on account of the dif- turbances which they had occafioned in other countries. On the acceffion of Paul IV, the founder of the Theatins, the Jefuits were much alarmed; as having given him offence by their not entering into his order. But finding how ufeful they were to the advancement of the papal power, he was reconciled to them, and only prevailed upon them to change one of their conflitutions, which forbad their celebration of divine fervice ; and after fome time mafs and vefpres were performed every Sun- day, and on all holy days, at their houfe in Rome. In Sec. XIX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. ATT In A. D. 1556 Ignatius, exhaufted by his la- bours, died at the age of fixty five, when he had the fatisfadion to fee his fociety eftabhfhed in mod parts ot the world. They then had an hundred colleges, without reckoning the noviciates, the pro- fefled houfes, and mifTions, which in all compofed thirteen provinces, adminiftered and filled by more than a million of Jefuits. Ibid, p. 197. After much cabal and difputation he was fucceeded by Lainez, a man much fuperior to himfelf in every refpeft. Under him leave was given to fludy, and to give le£lures from other theological works befides thofe of Thomas Aquinas, which the hiftorian fays opened a door to new opinions, and all the Icandalous exceffes which the Jefuits introduced into morality. Ibid, p. 231. Pius IV fhewed them more favour than his predeccffor, granting them a confirmation and extenfion of their privi- leges, with refpe6l both to their univerfities, and their exemption from foreign jurisdiSion, SECTION 478 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. SECTION XX. Of ike Waldevfes in this Period, HE antient Waldenfes were far from being fuEPered to pafs unnoiiced in this period, notwithfianding the rife of new and more inteiefl- ing objeds of attention. Having fufFered much '. in various and long continued perfecutions, in confcquence of which their learned padors had been difperfed, and much ignorance had prevailed among them, they had been generally induced to attend mafs, and to have their children baptized hy the popifh pricfls. But in a. d. 1530. hearing of the progrefs of the reformation in Switzerland and Germany, they fent two of their miniflers, G. Morel and P.Maflbn to BaGl to confer with CEco- lampadiu *, others to Strafburg to confer with Bu- cer and Capito, and two to Farel at Newchaflel. To QLcolampadius they prefented a large writing in latin, containing an account of their church dilcipK*?e and do6trine, RucJiat, Vol. 3, p. 253- in SiLC. XX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 479 in which their opinions on the fubje£l of grace and predeflination appeared to be unfavourable to what had been advanced by Luther, at which they feem to have been fomewhat diflurbed. They thought that it was in the power of man to do the will of God, that he willed all men to be uved, and that no man periflied but through his own fault. (Xco- lampadius blamed ihem for yielding lb far as they had done to avoid perfecution, but on the fubjc£l of grace and predeftination he feemed to agree with them ; faying, that men's deflruftion came of themfelves, and falvation from God only. Ibid^ p. 269. On the return of the deputies from their mif- fion they fuffered greatly. P. M-ilTon was impri- foned at Dijon. Mr. Gonin who was lent to Farel was arrefted at Grenoble and thrown into the river in a fack, but the reft arrived fafe at Me- rindol, where they gave an account ol their million; and a fynod was called for the year followina^ at which fome foreign miiiifters were requefled to attend. In A. D. 1534, Charles duke of Savoy was fo much importuned by the archbifhop and inquifitor of Turin, to perfecute the Waldenfes, who were then very numerous, that he fent about five hun- dred ot his troops againft them, and they plunder- ed and deftroyed all that came in their way. But thefe 480 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII. thefe poor people when they were recovered from the panic with which they were firft feized, return- ed upon their enemies, and repulfed them with great flaughter. After this ambufhes were laid for fmall parties of them, and many were cut off in this way • but this was far from extirpating them. G. Morel in his memoirs, written a little before this time, fays then there were about eight hun- dred thoufand perfons who profefled this reli- gion. In A. D. 1536 Francis I having conquered Piedmont, Paul III perfuaded him to proceed a- gainft the Waldenfes, and many of them were ap- prehended and executed in confequence of his or- ders for that purpnfe. In A. D. 1545, fome troops under the com- mand of D'Oppeda were fent againft them, and they fet fire to feveral villages, when the poor inha- bitants were flain without refiftance, and every kind of enormity to which foldiersare accuflomed, were committed. At the fame time all perfons were forbidden under pain of death to give them any food or fuccours. At Cabrieres, where they offer- ed to furrender the place, and leave the country, provided they might be permitted to do it unmo- kfted, this general taking polIeiTion of it, put to death all the men, and fhutting up the women in a barn lull of ftraw, fet fire to it, and deliroyed them Sec. XX. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 481 them all. More than four thoufand perfons were flaughtered on this occafion, and twelve towns and villages reduced to afhes. The king was exceedingly oflPended at this cru- elty ; but when, in the next reign, an inquiry was inftituted, in order to bring the criminals to juf- tice, DOppeda efcaped punifhment by the mte- reft of the duke of Guile. However, in a. d. 1552 Guerin, an advocate, who iffued the commilhon, and had been peculiarly a6live in promoting the perfecution, was beheaded, and Toon after D'Op- peda himfelf died, as is related by Thuanus, of a dreadful difeafe in his bowels, receiving, as he fays, from God the puniQiment from which his judges had laved them. In A. D. 1559 Philibert Emanuel, being re- ftored to his ellates, was perfuaded to attempt the redu6Vion of thefe poor people, and their mofl carneft entreaties had no effe6t to divert him Irom his purpofe ; but the troops fent againft them were defeated, and at length in a. d. 1561, at the interceffion of the dutchefs, who was iuppofed to favour their doftvines, he entered into a treaty with them, by which they were allowed the exer- cife of their religion. Morcland, p. 238. Vol. V. Hh SECTION 4S2 THE HISTORY OF Per. XXII SECTION XXI. Oj the Bohemian Brethren,, X HE Bohemian Brethren had feveral conferrences with Luther, as has been obferved in his hiftory, and tho' at one time he had con- ceived a great prejudice againft ihem, he was alter- wards reconciled to them, and did not difacprove their church difcipline. He always lament* d the want of it in his own churches, but had not fixed on any plan. At their laft conferrence in a. d. 1549, he feems to have thought it befi that the two churches ihould preferve their peculiar difci- pline in brotherly love, ufin.j thefe v»ords, " Be ye ** apoflles of the Bohemians, I and mme will be •' apoftles of the Germans.'' He alfo wrote to John Augufla, one ot their deputies to him, fay- ing, " I exhort you in the Lord to perfevere with *' us unto the end in the fellow fhip of the fpirit, " and of doftnne." Crantz. The Bohemian Brethren had alfo in this peri- od fome intercourfe with the Waldenfes, who fent a deputation to them to renew their fellow (hip with them, and alfo with the reformed at Strafburgh, where Bucer was fo much pleafed with them, that he Sec. XXI. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. 483 he wrote to them as follows, " I believe you are *' the only people at this clay who, together with a " pure dotlrine, exercife a genuine and weil a- *' dapfed difciplinc, which is not grievous but pro- " Stable." Ibid, p. 45. Calvin alio kept up a conftant corrcfpandencc with them, and is (aid to have introduced fome part of their difciplinc into the church of Geneva. Not being wilHng to fapport the cmpcior Charles V againfi; the Proteflants, thefe Brethren were expofed to a grievous perfecution. John Auguftaand others were put inprifon, and other- wife cruelly ufed, and he was not releaftd till the death of Ferdinand, ^lx^een years after. Being ordere