in the book of Ezechiel, where God speaks to that prophet in this manner: "Thou shalt take upon thee the iniquity of the house of Juda for forty days. A day for a year, yea, a day for a year I have appointed to thee." Ezek. iv. 6. On this principle therefore, as the space of five months, taken according to the common acceptation, gives too short a period to comprise all the transactions mentioned in our text concerning the reformation, we shall count one hundred and fifty years for the one hundred and fifty days contained in five months; during which time the locusts were empowered to sting, that is, the Protestants were allowed to torment so rigorously the Catholics. If then the one hundred and fifty years be counted from the year 1525, about which time those violences began to take place, they will bring us to the year 1675. Some part of the history of the reformation relating to this period has been presented to us in the preceding texts, and the rest will appear, as we shall presently see, in subsequent verses of our prophetic author. 66 And in those days men shall seek death, and shall not find it and they shall desire to die, and death shall fly from them," v. 6. Here is a lively picture of the extreme miseries, that the Catholics suffered in consequence of the violence and fury with which the reformation was carried on. And does not the history of those times evince the truth of it? On one side, many finding themselves rifled and stripped of all that belonged to them, actuated by the sting of misery, equal to that of the scorpion, took up arms to recover by force what they could not hope for by any other means. The poor and distressed also, who received their subsistence from the charitable and constant liberalities of the monasteries, being deprived of all resource by the dissolution of those houses, drew courage from despair, Una salus victis nullum sperare salutem-Virgil. and fled to arms, though unjustifiably, and joining with the others, sought for death in battle, rather than die by hunger, though perhaps it was not their lot to find that death. Likewise how miserable was the condition of that multitude of religious people of both sexes, who were ejected from their houses, and robbed of all their possessions! They had abandoned the world, and consecrated themselves to God in solitary retreats. Unacquainted with manual labour, and unaccustomed to every art of providing subsistence, they solely attended to the service of God, and to the preparing themselves for another world, depending entirely for the support of present life on the pious benefactions of those persons, who to promote the divine worship and all the heroic virtues of the Christian religion, had endowed those houses with suitable revenues. But now a storm, like a hurricane, rose and burst upon them. One would have thought that an army of Goths or Danes had invaded the land. The recluses saw themselves assaulted by brutish ruffians, and forcibly driven out of their sanctuaries. They saw their churches violated, together with their houses plundered and pulled down to the ground. Thus were those ancient nurseries of piety and learning reduced to a heap of ruins: a lasting monument of the spirit that guided the reformation. Such were the extravagances of fanaticism and violence at that period, that not a few were scandalized even of those who favoured the change of religion.* Thus, for instance, Sir John Denham, speaking of the demolition of monasteries in England, cries out: Who sees these dismal heaps, but will demand, But when he hears, no Goth, no Turk, did bring Cooper's Hill. Let us hear another protestant writer: "England sate weeping," says Camden, "to see her wealth exhausted, her coin debased, and her abbeys demolished, which were the monuments of ancient piety." Introd. to the Annals of Queen Eliz. By such inhuman proceedings a great number of religious men and women saw themselves stripped of evrey commodity of life. They saw themselves exposed to the inclemency of the weather, to the distresses of want, to the insults of an insolent populace worked up to enthusiasm; in fine, they found themselves turned out into a wide world, without knowing which way to direct their steps. What wonder, if in this destitute forlorn condition they should rather desire to die, than drag on so wretched a life? Had the executioner been sent instead of a commissioner, and required the lives of all those who refused to sacrifice their conscience to the new religion, they would have esteemed themselves happy in * See Stowe's Annals, Fuller's and Collier's Church Histories. acquiring the crown of martyrdom. But to be exposed to all sorts of temptations, to lasting wretchedness, and to see the Church of God trampled under foot, were more cruel afflictions to them than death. These however they were condemned to bear, and to be deprived of the blessing of giving up their lives. They desired to die, and death fled from them. 66 "And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle," v. 7. Here is expressed the spirit of sedition and rebellion that animated the reformers and their proselytes. Luther proclaimed himself the leader in this as well as other articles of the new discipline, and he levelled his first attacks against the Church. He set out with inveighing against all Church government, he declaimed. against the clergy, and especially against the superiority of the pope, though but a little before he had professed all obedience to him. Having gained for disciple and protector, John Frederick, elector of Saxony, he kept no further measures, but declared open war against the bishops, and the whole ecclesiastic order. In his rage, he composed a book on the subject, in which he said, All those who will venture their lives, their estates, their honour and their blood, in so Christian a work, as to root out all bishopricks and bishops, who are the ministers of Satan, and to pluck up by the roots all their authority and jurisdiction in the world: these persons are the true children of God, and obey his commandments." Contra statum Ecclesiæ et falso nominatum ordinem Episcoporum. Again, in his book against Sylvester Prieras. "If," says he, "we despatch thieves by the gallows, highwaymen by the sword, heretics by fire; why do we not rather attack with all kinds of arms these masters of perdition, these cardinals, these popes, and all this sink of the Romish Sodom, which corrupts without ceasing the Church of God, and wash our hands in their blood." Thus preached the new religionist, nor did he cease, till he got the bishops expelled from Saxony, and Hesse, and their authority extinguished. Not content with having thrown off contemptuously the spiritual authority of the pope, the bishops, and of the whole Church, Luther next attempted to subvert the temporal power of princes. The new teachers totally differed from the primitive preachers of the gospel. These, during their whole ministry, had before their eyes the charge which Christ gave to his apostles. Behold, I send you," said he, "as sheep 66 in the midst of wolves." Matt. x. 16. Which they all understood as an order to preserve the meekness and gentleness of sheep, whatever wolves or persecutors they might meet with. And this rule they invariably followed. But Luther, though at first he professed an aversion to violence, finding the way of patience did not succeed, soon altered his maxims. The gospel, he then said, and the rest of the reformers said the same after him, "the gospel has always caused disturbances, and blood is requisite for its establishment." De serv. arb. When therefore he had done as much as he was able, to abolish the clergy, canon law, and the universities, he then proceeded to attack the emperor and temporal princes, both by his writings and preaching. You must know," said he, "that from the beginning of the world to this day, it has ever been a rare thing to find a wise prince; but more rare to find one that was honest: for commonly they are the greatest fools and knaves in the world." De Sæculari Potest. Again: "You must know, my good lords," said he, "that God will have it so, that your subjects neither can, nor will, nor ought any longer to endure your tyrannical governments." Contra Rusticus. Nay, even he could not refrain from expressing the same contempt and rebellious disposition towards his own patron, and protector, John Frederick, elector of Saxony; having been slighted, as he thought, by his highness. "If it is lawful for me," said Luther, "for the sake of Christian liberty, not only to neglect, but to trample under my feet the pope's decrees, the canons of councils, the laws and mandates of the emperor himself, and of all princes; think you, I shall value your orders so much as to take them for laws?" Contra Ambr. Catharin. These sorts of lessons found easy entrance into the minds of people, who had already drunk plentifully of the spirit of "Evangelical liberty." Their dispositions were soured and worked up by this inflammatory doctrine of their ministers to such a degree, that they were ready for any enterprise of sedition and rebellion. Erasmus thus describes them: "I saw them come forth from their sermons with fierce looks and threatening countenances," like men "that just come from hearing bloody invectives and seditious speeches." Accordingly we found "these evangelical people always ready to rise up in arms, and equally as good at fighting as at disputing." How different is this spirit from that of the first ages of Christianity! The faithful then learned from the apostles and their successors no other doctrine, but the doc trine of patience, humility, meekness, obedience to the sove reign powers; and these lessons they invariably adhered to. They said: "Our hopes are not fixed on the present world, and therefore we make no resistance to the executioner that I comes to strike us.” S. Justin. Apol. 2. ad Imper. Anton. pium. They said, " We adore one only God, but in all othe things we cheerfully obey you," the emperors. Ibid. They said again: "We Christians pray to God, that he may grant to the emperors a long life, a peaceable reign, safety at home, victorious arms, a faithful senate, virtuous subjects, universal peace, and every thing that a man and emperor can desire." Tertul. Apol. In fine, the heats occasioned by Luther's seditious doctrine were so much fomented and increased by his disciples and other new reformers, that they soon kindled into a flame. The peasants in Germany rose up in arms, flocked together, and, like horses prepared unto war, they proceeded in a body, carrying devastation through the provinces of Suabia, Franconia, and Alsatia, and ransacked many of the imperial towns. The ringleaders of this multitude, chiefly composed of Anabaptists, were Muncer and Phiffer. Muncer pretended he had received from God "the sword of Gedeon," in order to depose idolatrous magistrates, and to compel the world to acknowledge the new kingdom of Jesus Christ. These fanatic insurgents in their progress plundered and burned churches, monasteries and castles, killed priests monks and noblemen. The elector of Saxony and other princes, to put a stop to these disorders and desolations, confederated together, and joining their forces, cut off and dispersed some parties of the rebels, and defeated the chief body of them at Frankhusen with great slaughter in 1525. Muncer and Phiffer, the chiefs, being taken, were executed a few days after. No part of the German empire was free from these tumults. The people were universally intoxicated with the notion of reforming religion, and bent upon removing such magistrates as would not conform to their new systems. At Erford they degraded and secured all the officers of the town. At Frankfort, after having pillaged the churches, and banished the clergy, they expelled the old senators, committed the government of the city to twenty-four commoners, and made a new set of laws, composed from the doctrine of Luther. Their brethren in Cologne, Mentz, and Triers, had also taken up arms for the same purpose, but failed in their at tempts. Such were the extremes of licentiousness the people |