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 Concord of at 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 1 Seck. iii. 145 (5). 2 lb. 98. 3 Melancthon, Epist. vi. p. 90, says, "Luther, having been sent for to meet the nuncio, is said to have discoursed with him very freely on the Romish tyranny. I will give you a full account of their interview, when I have learned the particulars." 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 the commission given to the nuncio 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. Anecdote. 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 they are received, with the bread and wine, equally by the worthy and the unworthy communicant"-for the latter position, no less than the former, was considered as essential to his doctrine. 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, 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. 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 could I preach so ingenious and learned a sermon as you have done to day: but my practice is this; when I mount the pulpit, I consider what is the character of my hearers, most of whom are rude and uninstructed people-almost Goths and Vandals-and I preach to them what I think they can understand: but you rise aloft, and soar into the clouds; so that your sermons suit the learned, but are unintelligible to our plain people. I endeavour to copy the mother, who thinks her child better fed with the simple milk of the breast, than with the most costly confections."" 2 · A. D. 1537. Previously to the more solemn meeting of Articles of the confederates at Smalkald, which has been Smalkald. noticed in the preceding chapter, Luther, at the desire of the elector, and with the assistance of some of his brethren, drew up a fresh statement of the articles of their faith. The reason for this measure was not any dissatisfaction with the Confession of Augsburg, but only that, several years having now elapsed, and much discussion having taken place, it might again be considered, whether on any points they could express themselves more clearly; whether, on any, concession could be made; and on 2 1 He names the ancient inhabitants of the country. Seck. iii. 131 (11). He even went so far as to say, "Optimi ad vulgus hi sunt concionatores, qui pueriliter, trivialiter, populariter, et simplicissimè docent: "-a sentence which will be found good or bad accordingly as it is wisely or unwisely interpreted. Melch. Ad. i. 80. CHAP. IV. what they must resolve to stand firm. Many accessions to the confederated body had also taken place within the last eight years; on which account it might be more proper, that a new and public testimony should be given by all to their common principles. Thus, more over, it might be more distinctly declared, that they still continued free from the many obnoxious dogmas which were pertinaciously ascribed to them.'-The statement, thus drawn up, passes under the name of the Articles of Smalkald: it obtained the free concurrence of all parties concerned; and it is still numbered among the symbolical books of the Lutheran church. No difference worth noticing subsists between these articles and the Confession of Augsburg; but there was annexed to them a tractate, in two parts, from the pen of Melancthon, on the supremacy of the pope, and the power and jurisdiction of bishops 2-subjects which it had been thought adviseable to pass over very slightly at Augsburg, while the hope of conciliation existed. In this piece Melancthon makes "as firm and manly a stand as Luther himself could have done."3 1 Seck. iii. 151–157. • See Pezelii Consil. Melanc. i. 272–287. Seck. iii. 152.-The reasons assigned for framing these articles are obviously such as might induce fair and honest minds to adopt the measure. Bossuet, however, has endeavoured to avail himself of it, in his usual way, in his "Histoire des Variations," representing these repeated Confessions of their faith as a sufficient demonstration that the protestants knew not what they believed. A simple reconsideration of the Confession, and renewed ratification of it without change, unless there had appeared strong reason for change in any point, might perhaps have better answered the purpose, and precluded such invidious representations.-In fact, these articles were subscribed only by the divines of the various states present; the lay part of the assembly content |