СНАР. IV. confessed, that he was not conversant in theology, which indeed appeared from the arguments he used; for that none could call the doctrine of the reformers new, unless he believed that Christ, the apostles, and the holy fathers governed their lives by such rules as the pope, the cardinals, and the bishops now did: nor could any argument be drawn against the doctrine from the discords in Germany, except by one little acquainted with the scriptures, and not aware that it is the peculiar mark of the word of God and the gospel of Christ, that where it is preached in the world it occasions troubles and tumults, even to the setting of the son against the father, and the father against the son; and that its effect is, to give life to them that obey it, but to increase condemnation to them that reject it; that it was a great fault of the Romanists, to support the church of Christ, as if it were a temporal state, by human sanctions: that this is that kind of wisdom which S. Paul calls foolishness with God; whereas to disregard those political considerations by which the Romish hierarchy is conducted, to trust the promises of God, and to refer the interests of the church to his divine management, is that folly of men which is wisdom with God: that it was not in the power as well as Dr. Milner, to adopt : yet the very opposite account, unnatural as it is, and unsupported by facts, is perpetually asserted by all the adversaries of Luther, with Bossuet at their head, and re-echoed by those who affect to hold a middle station of philosophic impartiality between the two parties. They represent him as actuated only by selfish motives; as from the first prepared to push matters to the utmost extremity that he could against the church of Rome; and as hypocritical in all his professions of willingness to stop short and be silent. 1 See further, Seck. iii. 187 (6). of Martin to make the council succeed, and prove profitable to the church; it rather depended on the pope's leaving it free, that the Spirit of God alone might rule and preside in it; and that, all interests, usurpations, and artifices of men being excluded, the holy scriptures might be the sole standard by which every thing should be decided: that, if it were so conducted, he, for his part, would carry with him thither all possible sincerity and Christian charity, not for the purpose of pleasing the pope or any human being, but of promoting the glory of Christ, and establishing the peace and liberty of the church: but that so great a blessing to the Christian world could not be hoped for, unless all hypocrisy were laid aside, and the wrath of God against their sins appeased by serious repentance: that the assembling together of men, ever so learned, was but a weak resource for so great a work; seeing that, so long as the wrath of God is kindled, there is no error so absurd to which the grand enemy of mankind cannot persuade those great learned men, who trust in their own wisdom and knowledge-for it pleases God to confound the wisdom of the wise: that he could receive nothing from the court of Rome compatible with the ministry of the gospel: that the examples of Eneas Sylvius and Bessarion moved him not at all; the twinkling splendour of worldly greatness having no attractions for him; but that, if he were inclined to boast himself, he might adopt the facetious remark of Erasmus, 'that poor and despised Luther made many rich and great:' that he need not go far to prove this; as the nuncio himself knew that, only in the month of May last, the advancement of Fisher, bishop of Rochester, to the A. D. 1535. CHAP. IV. Pallavicini bourg. cardinalate was greatly owing, and that of Schönberg entirely owing to him."-" Vergerio therefore," proceeds Father Paul, "could gain nothing from Luther, who maintained his wonted magnanimity, and held fast his doctrine as firmly as if it had been the object of vision to his bodily eyes; openly avowing that the pope and the nuncio should sooner embrace his doctrine, than he would surrender it." 1 This relation excites the indignation of Paland Maim- lavicini and Maimbourg, who roundly charge the great author, who delivers it, with fiction and falsehood. In support of the charge Pallavicini quotes Vergerio's letters to Rome, in which he says that he " only saw Luther at dinner, just before he left Wittemberg; that Luther talked of indifferent matters, and in a very mean style, answering only by monosyllables; and that he appeared to him to be distinguished by nothing but impudence and malice." Such a report of the poverty and meanness of Luther's conversation is in itself utterly incredible. The account is also not very consistent with itself, for wherein was he to shew his "impudence and malice," if he talked only" of indifferent matters," and "answered only by monosyllables?" And indeed Maimbourg himself, who quotes it, betrays a suspicion that it might have been framed to suit the wishes of those to whom it was addressed: "Especially," he says, " if the nuncio was conscious of having imbibed some taint of the heresy which he afterwards avowed, he would write in this way concerning an interview with Luther." 2 1 F. Paul, 70-72, compared with Seck. iii. 95, 96. Luther himself, in a paper written two years afterwards, during the meeting at Smalkald, gives some confirmation to the account of what passed at this interview. He says, "Vergerio confessed to me at Wittemberg, that he had heard very different reports of us before he arrived, than he found to be true." Vergerio also soon after recited to the elector some things which had passed, 2 in accordance with what is stated above. 3 A. D. 1536. Wittem berg. 1536. Dean Milner having related, quite as much at Concord of length as can be interesting to his readers, the progress of the lamentable sacramental controversy, which permanently divided the friends of the reformation, I have almost entirely abstained from noticing the subject in this volume. It may be proper, however, just to state, that, under the auspices of Bucer, who was ever intent upon healing the division which this controversy occasioned, and, for that desirable object, sometimes, perhaps, had recourse to nice refinements, beyond what was consistent with perfect "simplicity and godly sincerity," an union was at length effected between certain of the parties litigant. This was called the Concord of Wittemberg, and took place in the year 1536. It was here conceded to Luther, "That the body and blood of Christ are truly and substantially present in the eucharist, and that 1 Seck. iii. 145 (5). 2 Ib. 98. 3 It may be proper, however, to add, that Bayle, who in his Dictionary, under the article Luther, has mainly employed himself in examining and exposing the many calumnies propagated against the reformer, thinks that he finds reason to doubt the authenticity of Father Paul's account of this interview; particularly in what relates to his orders to gain over some of the leading reformers.-Even if we suppose that great author on this occasion to have indulged his imagination, his inventions will still shew us what he thought to be probable, and consonant to the character of the two parties respectively. CHAP. they are received, with the bread and wine, equally by the worthy and the unworthy communicant' IV. Anecdote. 99 for the latter position, no less than the former, was considered as essential to his doctrine.1 The Swiss, however, could never be brought to consent to these propositions: but the divines and churches of Strasburg and other places in Upper Germany, which had before inclined to the sentiments of the Helvetic church, now retired from its communion, and joined themselves by a public act to that of Luther; a circumstance which gave abundant satisfaction to that reformer.2 Those, however, who believe, with the church of England, that "the body of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the supper, only after a heavenly and spiritual manner;" and that "the mean, whereby the body of Christ is received and eaten in the supper, is faith;" will think the following little anecdote, connected with the event, as interesting as any part of the proceedings. "On the day that Bucer preached at Wittemberg, Luther invited him to supper, and, after commending his sermon, observed, however, that he could preach better than Bucer.' Bucer courteously assented, saying that by universal consent that praise belonged to Luther.' Luther then speaking seriously said, 'Do not think that I am vainly boasting: I am conscious of my own slender stores; nor 1 Accordingly in the Articles of Smalkald (to be noticed immediately,) it is said, "We believe that the bread and wine in the supper are the true body and blood of Christ, and are given and received not only by pious Christians, but also by those who are destitute of piety-impiis." Seck. iii. 155. 2 Seck. iii. 129-132. Du Pin, vi. 133-139. Mosheim, iv. 69.-Strasburg was at that time, and for a hundred and fifty years after, a German city.-Musculus of Augsburg (afterwards of Berne,) was one of those who could not accede to the doctrine of the sacrament, thus agreed upon. |