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THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY.

CONTINUED.

SECTION II.

PART II.

HISTORY OF THE MODERN CHURCHES.

CHAPTER I.

HISTORY OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH.

The Lutheran

ground in

The Hessians

vinism.

1. We have already seen" the calamities and vexations the Lutheran church suffered from the persecuting spirit of the Roman pontiffs, and the intemperate church loses zeal of the house of Austria, which, on many oc- some places. casions, showed too great a propensity to second embrace Caltheir ambitious and despotic measures; we shall therefore, at present, confine our view to the losses it sustained from other quarters. The cause of Lutheranism suffered considerably by the desertion of Maurice, landgrave of Hesse, a prince of uncommon genius and learning, who not only embraced the doctrine and discipline ofthe reformed church, but also, in the year 1604,removed the Lutheran professors from their places in the university of Marpurg, and the doctors of that communion from the churches they had in his dominions. Maurice, after taking this vigorous step, on account of the obstinacy with which the Lutheran clergy opposed his design, took particular care to have his subjects instructed in the doctrine of the Helvetic church, and introduced into the Hessian churches the form of public

a In the History of the Romish Church. See above.

The reader must always remember, that the writers of the Continent generally use the denomination of reformed in a limited sense, to distinguish the church of England and the Calvinistical churches from those of the Lutheran persuasion.

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