XVI. III. CENT VI. Among the days that are held sacred in the SECT. I. Lutheran church (besides that which is celebrated, PART every week, in memory of Christ's resurrection The holi- from the dead), we may reckon all such as were days and signalized by those glorious and important events that proclaim the celestial mission of the Saviour, pline of the and the divine authority of his holy religion [b]. Lutheran These sacred festivals, the grateful and well-ground ecclesiasti cal disci church. ed piety of ancient times had always held in the highest veneration. But the Lutheran church has gone yet farther; and, to avoid giving offence to weak brethren, has retained several which seem to have derived the respect that is paid to them, rather from the suggestions of superstition than from the dictates of true religion There are some churches, who carry the desire of multiplying festivals so far, as to observe religiously the days that were formerly set apart for celebrating the memory of the Twelve apostles. It is well known that the power of excommunication, i. e. of banishing from its bosom obstinate and scandalous transgressors, was a privilege enjoyed and exercised by the church from the remotest antiquity; and it is no less certain, that this privilege was perverted often to the most iniquitous and odious purposes. The founders, therefore, of the Lutheran church undertook to remove the abuses and corruptions under which this branch of ecclesiastical discipline laboured, and to restore it to its primitive purity and vigour. At first their attempt seemed to be crowned with success; since it is plain, that, during the sixteenth century, no opposition of any moment was made to the wise and moderate exercise of this spiritual authority. But in process of time this privilege fell imperceptibly into contempt; the terror of excommunication [b]Such (for example) are the nativity, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Son of God; the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost, &c. XVI. SECT. nication lost its force; and ecclesiastical discipline CENT. was reduced to such a shadow, that, in most sc T. III. places, there are scarcely any remains, any traces PART. II of it to be seen at this day. This change may be attributed partly to the corrupt propensities of mankind, who are naturally desirous of destroying the influence of every institution that is designed to curb their licentious passions. It must, however, be acknowledged, that this relaxation of ecclesiastical discipline was not owing to this cause alone; other circumstances.concurred to diminish the respect and submission that had been paid to the spiritual tribunal. On the one hand, the clergy abused this important privilege in various ways; some misapplying the severeity of excommunication through ignorance or imprudence, while others, still more impiously, perverted an institution, in itself extremely useful, to satisfy their private resentments, and to avenge themselves of those who had dared to offend them. On the other hand, the counsels of certain persons in power, who considered the privilege of excommunicating in the hands of the clergy as derogatory from the majesty of the sovereign, and detrimental to the interists of civil society, had no small influence in bringing this branch of ghostly jurisdiction into disrepute. It is however certain, that whatever causes may have contributed to produce this effect, the ellect itself was much to be lamented; as it removed one of the most powerful restraints upon iniquity. Nor will it appear surprising, when this is duly considered, that the manners of the Lutherans are so remarkably depraved, and that in a church that is deprived almost of all authority and discipline, multitudes affront the public by their audacious irregularities, and transgress, with a frontless impudence, through the prospect of impunity. VII. The U 2 XVI. نا Of the CENT VII. The prosperous and unfavourable events SECT. II. that belong to the history of the Lutheran church, PART since the happy establishment of its liberty and independence, are neither numerous nor remarkprosperous able, and may consequently be mentioned in a few and calami- words. The rise and progress of this church, that have before its final and permanent establishment, happened to have been already related; but that very religious ran church. peace, which was the instrument of its stability tous events the Luthe But and independence, set bounds, at the same time, [i] The reason of this will be seen in the following note. [k] In the diet of Augsburg, which was assembled in the year 1555, in order to execute the treaty of Passau, the several states, that had already embraced the Lutheran religion, were confirmed in the full enjoyment of their religious liberty. To prevent, however, as far as was possible, the farther progress of the reformation, Charles V. stipulated for the catholics the famous Ecclesiastical Reservation; by which it was decreed, that if any archbishop, prelate, bishop, or other ecclesiastic, should, in time to come, renounce the faith of Rome, his dignity and benefice should be forfeited, and his place be filled by the chapter or college, possessed of the power of election. [] See Jo. Dav. Koleri Dissertatio de Gebhardo Trucbsessio.-Jo. Pet. à Ludewig Reliquiæ MStorum omnis avi, tom. v. p. 383.-See also a German work, entitled," Unschuldige Nachlicten." A. 1748, p. 484. XVI. tranquillity, or to hurt, in any essential point, its CENT. liberty, prosperity, and independence. Their in- SECT. II. tentions, indeed, were malignant enough; and PART II. it appeared evident, from many striking ciicum-. stances, that they were secretly projecting a new attack upon the protestants, with a view to annul the treaty of Passau, which had been confirmed at Augsburg, and to have them declared public enemies to the empire. Such was undoubtedly the unjust and seditious design of Francis Burckhard, in composing the famous book De Autonomia, which was published in the year 1586; and also of Pistorius, in drawing up the Reasons, which the marquis of Bade, alleged in vindication of his returning back from Lutheranism into the bosom of popery [m]. These writers, and others of the same stamp, treat the Religious Peace, negociated at Passau, and ratified at Augsburg, as unjust, because obtained by force of arms, and as Bull, because concluded without the knowledge and consent of the Roman pontif. They pretend also to prove, that by the changes and interpolations, which they affirm to have been made by Melancthon, in the confession of Augsburg, after it had been presented to the diet, the protestants forfeited all the privileges and advantages that they derived from the treaty now mentioned. This latter accusation gave rise to long and warm debates during this and the following century. Many learned and ingenious productions were. published on that occasion, in which the Lutheran divines proved, with the utmost perspicuity and force of argument, that the Confession of Augsburg was preserved in their church in its first state, uncorrupted by any mixture, and that none of their brethren had ever departed in any instance from U 3 the [m] See Chr. Aug. Salig, Histor. August. Confession. tom. i. lib. iv. CENT. the doctrines it contains [n]. They that felt most SECT. II. Sensibly the bitter and implacable hatred of the PART II. papifts against the doctrine and worship of the XVL Lutheran church (which they disdainfully called the new religion), were the members of that church who lived in the territories of Roman-catholic. princes. This is more especially true of the proteftant subjects of the house of Austria [0], who have experienced, in the most affecting manner, the dire effects of bigotry and superstition seated on a throne, and who lost the greatest part of their liberty before the conclusion of this cen tury. The state of VIII. While the votaries of Rome were thus learning a meditating the ruin of the Lutheran church, and Lutherans, exerting, for this purpose, all the powers of secret mong the artifice and open violence, the followers of Luther were assiduously bent on defeating their efforts, and left no means unemployed, that seemed proper to maintain their own doctrine, and to strengthen their cause. The calamities they had suffered were fresh in their remembrance; and hence they were admonished to use all possible precautions to prevent their falling again into the like unhappy Add to this, the zeal of princes circumstances. and [] See Salig, Hist. August. Confessionis, tom. i.-It cannot indeed be denied, that Melancthon corrected and altered some passages of the Confession of Augsburg. Nay, more; it is certain, that, in the year 1555, he made use of the extraordinary credit and influence he then had, to introduce among the Saxon churches an edition of that Confession, which was not only corrected in several places, but was, moreover, upon the whole, very different from the original one. But his conduct in this step, which was extremely audacious, or at least highly imprudent, never received the approbation of the Lutheran church, nor was the Augsburg Confession, in this new shape, ever admitted as one of the standard-books of its faith and doctrine. [] See the Austri Evangelica of the learned Raupachiu, om. i. p. 152, tom. ii. p. 287. This work is composed in the German language. |