and uphold unholy doctrines: of all which impiety God forbid that I should make myself a partaker!" The elector of Brandenburg (Joachim) then warmly took up the question against Luther; and the bishop of Augsburg as warmly defended what he had advanced, affirming that what the Lutherans assailed "was not the catholic church, but only the abuses prevailing in the church of Rome; and that no one could deny that many gross and dangerous errors remained in that community." The elector of Mentz was obliged at length to interfere, and terminate the discussion.1 Such a case not only strikingly illustrates the impressions which were made on men's minds, but it is extremely interesting and affecting in itself; and happy shall I be, should my future researches bring to light any decisive proofs, that the present was no mere passing conviction in the mind of this prelate, but that he was enabled to overcome the many temptations to which his station exposed him, and faithfully to confess Christ before men; to follow out his convictions, and, according to the hopes which he himself expressed, "to walk in newness of life." At present, however, I know of no such evidence. He was a friend and correspondent of Erasmus, who dedicated to him his Ecclesiastes,' or Discourse on Preaching, and always spoke highly of him. With respect to his leaning towards the reformers, Erasmus says, "The bishop of Augsburg thinks that some concessions should be made for the sake of peace: on which account he bears with many the character of a Lutheran ; 1 From Celestine, Hist. Comit. Aug. iii. 25, in Seck. ii. 159, 160. A. D. 1530. CHAP. Apology for whereas there cannot be a more upright and blameless man than he is."1 If any think that my narrative here becomes minuteness. too minute for general history, I would take the liberty of saying, that it is peculiarly consonant to the design with which the "History of the Church of Christ" was begun and carried on, to shew the power of divine truth, and the influence of divine grace upon the heart of man, of which individuals must necessarily be the subjects and this is done, as most illustriously in the case of the elector of Saxony and the leading characters of the reformation, so likewise, as far at least as conviction and "the strivings of the Spirit" go, in the case of the bishop of Augsburg. For myself also I must avow, that I feel so deeply interested in the noble struggle maintained at the diet of Augsburg, in the cause of Christian truth and Christian liberty, against the mighty powers which had for so many ages borne down both one and the other, throughout the greatest part of Christendom, that I cannot prevail with myself to withhold any material circumstance respecting it. Review of the But it is time that we should give some more Confession. particular account of the contents of the celebrated Confession there exhibited. It is every way worthy of such notice, both for its own merits, and for the influence it has had, and indeed to a considerable degree yet retains, in the world. It is also quite in conformity with the design of this history, to make the reader throughly acquainted with the principles of 1 Erasmi Epist. xxvi. 32. works on which such men as Luther and Melancthon laboured, and which have proved eminently serviceable to the church of Christ. The enemies of Lutheranism indeed have spoken of the confession as not fairly representing Luther's opinions, but only those of his more temperate and yielding friend: and Luther, it is true, was sensible that "some things were omitted," and some "more softened than perhaps they should have been ;" and he thought Melancthon unnecessarily nice about the wording of it in every part; yet, on all doctrinal points especially, Luther and Melancthon were one: and how well satisfied the former was with the confession is evident, both from the exultation he expressed on its being publicly read, and from his own explicit declarations.2 The objection, however, it should be observed, only makes the evidence more strong as to the real doctrines of the reforma-tion. It is agreed on all hands that those doctrines are not here overstated. The work occupies seventy-six closely printed octavo pages in the Sylloge Confessionum, published at Oxford, 1804. It is introduced by a prefatory address to the emperor, and is subscribed by seven princes and the representatives of two cities. It purports to be "the Confession of their Divines and Preachers," to which 1 "Justô mollius prolata." Seck. ii. 170, 171. 2 It was sent to him on the eleventh of May for his judgment and remarks. He answers on the fifteenth: "Mihi eximiè placet, nec quicquam in eâ corrigere aut mutare possum. Neque etiam a me aliquid emendari conveniret. Ego enim ita molliter et delicate incedere nequeo." Scultet. 155. Buddeus, 93.-Again, July 3, "Relegi heri tuam Apologiam diligenter totam, et placet vehementer." Budd. 127. A. D. 1530. 1. CHAP. they themselves fully assented. It consists of twenty-one" chief Articles of Faith," followed by seven others concerning the changes made by the reformation of abuses in the practice of the church; and concludes with an "Epilogue," in which it is observed, that numerous other abuses might have been specified, but that, to avoid prolixity, and to promote conciliation, the writers had confined themselves to such as were most essential; and that, if on any points further explanation were desired, they should be most ready to afford it. To most of the articles of faith are subjoined rejections of the opposite errors: so that each topic may be said to be explained both positively and negatively. The following are the subjects of the articles of faith. +6. Good Works-their ne- *17. Judgment, and the Fu cessity and acceptable ness +7. The Church *8. Unworthy Ministers *9. Baptism 10. The Lord's Supper 19. The Cause of Sin +20. Faith and Good Works +21. Prayer, and the Invocation of Saints. The articles concerning the abuses, which had been reformed, are the following. 1 It appears that Melancthon would have had it presented merely as the Confession of the divines, and that the princes should not involve themselves with it: but in this he was overruled. Camerar. de Vita Melancth. § 37. 1. On the Mass 2. On Communion in both kinds 3. On Confession 4. On distinction of Meats, and on Traditions 5. On the Marriage of Priests 7. On the Ecclesiastical Power The articles marked thus (*), in the former of these lists, were wholly admitted by the popish divines appointed to examine the confession; (except that in the thirteenth they would have had seven sacraments acknowledged; ') those marked thus (+) they wholly rejected. The rest in that list, they partly admitted and partly rejected. Those of the second list were, of course, wholly offensive to It appears that originally the article concerning the eucharist simply declared, "That the body and blood of Christ are truly present, and distributed to the receivers :" and in this form it was that the papal divines approved it. But, it being found, that the omission of all mention of the bread and wine gave occasion to represent the framers of the article as admitting transubstantiation, it was afterwards altered thus-" That with the bread and wine the body and blood of Christ are truly and substantially present." Du Pin vi. 120, 121.-Seckendorf, ii. 171, has some observations on the variations which had been made in the confession. They appear not at all to have affected the doctrine taught, and to be immaterial to us.-The change, however, in the article of the eucharist, in particular, has been made the theme of vehement declamation by the adversaries of the reformers; among whom Bossuet, bishop of Meaux, in his History of Protestant Variations, is eminently distinguished. All the world, indeed, knows that the question, concerning the mode of Christ's presence in the eucharist, produced a lamentable division among those who withdrew from the communion of the church of Rome in the sixteenth century. But what was the true origin of their discrepancy? What else than the extravagant notions upon this subject, which had been so wrought into their minds in that church, that in this instance alone Luther, the boldest genius that the world ever saw was not able, to his dying day, wholly to rise above his early prepossessions. 2 Du Pin vi. 117. A. D. 1530. |