CENT. matter with attention and impartiality, will soon XVI. be persuaded, that such an absurd and impious PART II. doctrine is unjustly laid to the charge of Agri SECT. III. cola, and that the principal fault of this and that it was sufficient to explain with "perspicuity, and to enforce with zeal, what "Christ and his apostles, had taught in the "New Testament, both with respect to the "means of grace, and salvation, and the obliga❝tions of repentance and virtue." The greatest part of the doctors of this century are chargeable with a want of precision and consistency. in expressing their sentiments; hence their real sentiments have been misunderstood, and opinions have been imputed to them which they never entertained. The The Second Period. XVI. SECT. III. that arose riod of the tween the that of Me XXVII. AFTER the death of Luther, which CENT. happened in the year 1546, Philip Melancthon was placed at the head of the Lutheran doctors. PART II. The merit, genius, and talents of this new chief were, undoubtedly, great and illustrious; though Debates it must at the same time, be confessed, that he during the was inferior to Luther in many respects [p], second pe. and more especially in courage, stedfastness, and Lutheran personal authority. His natural temper was soft church beand flexible; his love of peace almost excessive, death of and his apprehensions of the displeasure and re- Luther and sentment of men in power were such as betrayed lancthon. a pusillanimous spirit. He was ambitious of the esteem and friendship of all with whom he had any intercourse, and was absolutely incapable of employing the force of threatenings, or the restraints of fear, to suppress the efforts of religious faction, to keep within due bounds the irregular love of novelty and change, and to secure to the church the obedience of its members. It is also to be observed, that Melancthon's sentiments, on some points of no inconsiderable moment, were entirely different from those of Luther; and it may not be improper to point out the principal subjects on which they adopted different ways of thinking. In the first place, Melancthon was of opinion, that, for the sake of peace and concord, many things Y 2 [p] It would certainly be very difficult to point out the many respects in which Dr. Mosheim affirms that Luther was superior to Melancthon. For if the single article of courage, and firmness of mind be excepted, I know no other respect in which Melancthon is not superior, or at least equal, to Luther. He was certainly his equal in piety and virtue, and much his superior in learning, judgment, meekness, and humanity. CENT. things might be connived at and tolerated in the XVI. church of Rome, which Luther considered as abPART II. Solutely insupportable. The former carried so SECT. III. far the spirit of toleration and indulgence, as to discover no reluctance against retaining the ancient form of ecclesiastical government, and submitting to the dominion of the Roman pontiff, on certain conditions, and in such a manner, as might be without prejudice to the obligation and authority of all those truths that are clearly revealed in the holy scriptures. A second occasion of a diversity of sentiments between these two great men was furnished by the tenets which Luther maintained in opposition to the doctrines of the church of Rome. Such were his ideas concerning faith, as the only cause of salvation, concerning the necessity of good works to our final happiness, and man's natural incapacity of promoting his own conversion. In avoiding the corrupt notions which were embraced by the Roman Catholic doctors on these important points of theology, Luther seemed, in the judgment of Melancthon, to lean too much towards the opposite extreme [9]. Hence the latter inclined to think, that the sentiments and expressions of his colleague required to be somewhat mitigated, lest they should give a handle to dangerous abuses, and be perverted to the propagation of pernicious errors. It may be observed, thirdly, that though Melancthon adopted the sentiments of Luther in relation [g] It is certain, that Luther carried the doctrine of Justification by Faith to such an excessive length, as seemed, though perhaps contrary to his intention, to derogate not only from the necessity of good works, but even from their obli gation and importance. He would not allow them to be con sidered either as the conditions or means of salvation, nor even as a preparation for receiving it. XVI. SECT. III. PART II, relation to the eucharist [r], yet he did not con- CENT. sider their controversy with the divines of Switzerland on that subject, as a matter of sufficient moment to occasion a breach of church communion and fraternal concord between the contend. ing parties. He thought that this happy concord might be easily preserved by expressing the doctrine of the eucharist, and Christ's presence in that ordinance in general and ambiguous terms, which the two churches might explain according to their respective systems. Such were the sentiments of Melancthon, which, though he did not entirely conceal during the life of Luther, he delivered, nevertheless, with great circumspection and modesty, yielding always to the authority of his Colleague, for whom he had a sincere friendship, and of whom also he stood in awe. But no sooner were the eyes of Luther closed, than he inculcated with the greatest plainness and freedom, what he had before only hinted at with timorousness and cau [r] It is somewhat surprising to hear Dr. Mosheim affirming that Melancthon adopted the sentiments of Luther in relation to the eucharist, when the contrary is well known. It is true, in the writings of Melancthon, which were published before the year 1529, or 1530, there are passages, which shew that he had not, as yet, thoroughly examined the controversy relating to the nature of Christ's presence in the eucharist. It is also true, that during the disputes carried on between Westphal and Calvin, after the death of Luther, concerning the real presence, he did not declare himself in an open manner for either side (which however is a presumptive proof of his leaning to that of Calvin), but expressed his sorrow at these divisions, and the spirit of animosity by which they were inflamed. But whoever will be at the pains to read the letters of Melancthon to Calvin upon this subject, or those extracts of them that are collected by Hospinian, in the second volume of his Historia Sacramentaria, p. 428. will be persuaded that he looked upon the doctrine of Consubstantiation not only as erroneous but even as idolatrous; and that nothing but the fear of inflaming the present divisions, and of not being seconded, prevented him from declaring his sentiments openly. See also Dictionnaire de Bayle, art. Melancthon note, L CENT. tion. The eminent rank Melancthon held among XVI. the Lutheran doctors rendered this bold manPART II. ner of proceeding extremely disagreeable to many. SECT. III. The adiaphoristic controver ent nature. His doctrine accordingly was censured and opposed; and thus the church was deprived of the tranquillity it had enjoyed under Luther, and exhibited an unhappy scene of animosity, contention, and discord. XXVIII. The rise of these unhappy divisions must be dated from the year 1548, when sy, or the Charles V. attempted to impose upon the dispute Germans the famous edict, called the Interim. concerning matters of Maurice, the new elector of Saxony, desirous to an indiffer- know how far such an edict ought to be respected in his dominions, assembled the doctors of Wittemberg and Leipsic in the last mentioned city, and proposed this nice and critical subject to their serious examination. Upon this occasion Melancthon, complying with the suggestions of that lenity and moderation that were the great and leading principles in the whole course of his conduct and actions, declared it as his opinion, that, in matters of an indifferent nature, compliance was due to the imperial edicts [s]. But in the class of matters indifferent, this great man and his associates placed many things which had appear ed of the highest importance to Luther, and could not, of consequence, be considered as indifferent by his true disciples [t]. For he regarded as [s] The piece in which Melancthon and his associates de livered their sentiments relating to things indifferent, is com monly called in the German language, Das Leipziger Interim, and was republished at Leipsic in 1721, by Biekius, in a work entitled, Das dreyfache Interim. [t] If they only are the true disciples of Luther, who submit to his judgment, and adopt his sentiments in theologi, cal matters, many doctors of that communion, and our histo rian among the rest, must certainly be supposed to have for feited that title, as will abundantly appear hereafter. Be that as it may, Melancthon can scarcely, if at all, be justified in placing |