ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, FROM The Birth of Christ TO THE BEGINNING OF THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY; IN WHICH THE RISE, PROGRESS, AND VARIATION OF CHURCH POWER ARE CONSIDERED IN AND The Political History of Europe during that Period. BY JOHN LAWRENCE MOSHEIM, D.D. CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GOTTINGEN. TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN, AND ACCOMPANIED WITH NOTES AND CHRONOLOGICAL TABLES, BY ARCHIBALD MACLAINE, D.D. TO WHICH IS ADDED, AN ACCURATE INDEX. A NEW EDITION, IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: PRINTED FOR THOMAS TEGG, 73, CHEAPSIDE; GRIFFIN AND CO., GLASGOW; TEGG AND CO., DUBLIN; AND J. AND S. A. TEGG, SYDNEY AND HOBART TOWN. MDCCCXLII. INTRODUCTION. The method observed in the preceding part of this history changed in the Fourth Book. The history of the I. THE order and method, that have been followed in the former part of this work, cannot be continued without the greatest inconveniences, in this Fourth Book, which relates to the modern history of the church. From the commencement of the sixteenth century, the face of religion was remarkably changed; the divisions that had formerly perplexed the church increased considerably; and the Christian societies, that relinquished the established forms of divine worship, and erected themselves into separate assemblies, upon principles different from those of the Roman hierarchy, multiplied from day to day. This circumstance renders it impossible to present in one connected series, or, as it were in one continued tablature, the events, vicissitudes, and revolutions that happened in the church, divided its members, and enfeebled the dominion of its tyrants. From the period on which we now enter, the bond of union among Christians, that had been formed by a blind obedience to the Roman pontiffs, was every where either dissolved, or at least relaxed: and consequently this period of our history must be divided into a multitude of branches, into as many parts, as there were famous sects that arose in this century. II. It is, however, proper to observe here, that many of church in this the events, which distinguish this century, had a manifest divided into two relation to the church in general, and not to any Christian general heads. society in particular. And as these events deserve to be mentioned separately, on account of their remarkable tendency to throw a light upon the state of Christianity in general, as well as upon the history of each particular Christian society, we shall therefore divide this Fourth Book into two main and principal parts, of which the one shall contain the General, and the other the Particular History of the Christian religion. The general his- III. To the General History belong all those events which relate to the state of Christianity, considered in itself and in its utmost extent, to the Christian church viewed in the general, and abstracted from the miserable and multiplied divisions into which it was rent by the passions of men. Under this head we shall take notice of the advancement and progress of Christianity in general, without any regard to the particular sects that were thus instrumental in promoting its interests; nor shall we omit the consideration of certain doctrines, rites, and institutions, which appeared worthy of admission to all, or, at least, to the greatest part of the Christian sects, and which consequently produced every where changes and improvements of more or less importance. century may be tory of the church, its extent. VOL. II. B |