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III.

torians have themselves given these two princes this CHAP. character.

6. This confirms what has been just now stated, that a confederacy would be entered into by Protestants with any, however base or wicked, provided by it, they had a prospect of answering their own purposes against their former brethren.

Eccl.His

7. And what still more eminently discovered an antichristian spirit of division, of enmity, and a sordid thirst for pre-eminence, in the reforming party, was Luther's refusing to comprehend in this league, tory, vol. the followers of Zuingle, and those who had adopted iv. p. 96. Note [.] the sentiments and confession of Bucer, although they were his brethren, in the present necessary work of reforming the church.

Hist. of

Charles V

vol. ii. p.

343-347,

iv.p. 109.

Hist. vol.

8. Time and contentions roll on, and more violent and iniquitous measures ensue. The emperor, confederate with the pope, raised an army of thirty-six 336, and thousand men in order to reduce the Protestants to & Eccl. obedience. The Protestants far superior in number, amounting to eighty-five thousand, pushed forward their armies, and cannonaded the camp of the emperor at Ingolstadt, but their long fomented divisions, jealousies, and spirit of contention among themselves, prevented their success.

9. Had the Reformation been carried on under the name of a political revolution, on the side of freedom, things might have been kept in their proper order; but when divisions, perfidy, war and bloodshed, make up the greatest part of their transactions, and all carried on under the name of the Prince of Peace, and the pretext of maintaining his religion, the truth was distorted into falsehood, the precepts of the gospel trodden under foot, and the reason of mankind insulted.

10. Whatever credit may be due to the princes in the defence of their natural and civil rights, the peaceable religion of Jesus is manifestly put out of the question by their conduct: and whatever deception there be in the case under religious pretexts, the honour of this deception is due to Luther and the rest of the Protestant priesthood.

11. From the year 1517, in which the Reformation

III.

CHAP. commenced, until the year 1546, in which Luther died, nothing but the fruits of corrupt ambition are manifest from the whole face of history, during that period of more than twenty-eight years. Endless controversies, debates about diets and councils, violence and wars, are the distinguishing marks of those times of discord. And even the means by which the Reformation was finally established, were as opposite to the precepts of the gospel, as bloodshed and robbery are opposite to peace and good will.

Hist. of
Charles V

12. While the Papists and Protestants, and their vol. iii. p. armies, were concerting plans to subdue each other by the sword, MAURICE, duke of Saxony, a professed Protestant, and a perfect master in the art of dissimulation, perfidiously makes a league with the emperor, and engages to take up arms against his father-inlaw, and to strip his nearest relation of his honours and dominions. JOHN FREDERICK, elector of Saxony, was his uncle, and his father-in-law was PHILIP, landgrave of Hesse.

ibid.

p. 358.

ibid.

13. Accordingly, MAURICE having assembled about twelve thousand men, defeated the troops which the elector had left to guard his country, and took possession of his dominions. The news of these conquests soon reached the camps, and filled the Papists with joy, and the Protestants with terror.

14. The maxims of the princes, with regard to the p. 343. conduct of the war, differed as widely as those by which they were influenced in preparing for it. Perpetual contrariety, jealousy, and a spirit of contention prevailed. These multiplied dissensions flowing from the inconsistency of their natural tempers, rendered them more violent.

15. It was but a little while before Maurice took possession of his uncle's dominions, that the confedp. 339. erated Protestants, "declared their own resolution

bid.

Ibid.

to risk every thing in maintenance of their religious rights." But a spirit of discord and anxiety for their temporal interest and safety, manifestly prevailed to put religion out of the question.

16. The elector returned with an army towards p. 364. Saxony, and the greater part returned with their respective leaders into their own countries, and dispers

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ed there. All the princes in person, and the cities CHAP. by their deputies, were compelled to implore mercy of the emperor in the humble posture of supplicants. Hist. of City after city, even those who had been the most Charlev highly distinguished for their zeal in their way of re- 365. formation, now submitted to such conditions as the emperor was pleased to give them.

17. For no sooner was the example set of deserting the common cause, than the rest of the members

vol. in. P.

became impatient to follow it, "and seemed afraid, ibid. p. (says Robertson,) lest others, by getting the start of 363, 304 'them in returning to their duty, should, on that ac'count, obtain more favourable terms.-Thus a confederacy, lately so powerful as to shake the imperial throne, fell to pieces, and was dissolved in the space of a few weeks."

416-421

18. After these things the emperor passes on to ibid. Saxony, and the elector and landgrave, the two most p. 406, powerful protectors of the Protestant cause, are made prisoners, with the most humiliating and aggravating terms of submission; and the perfidious MAU- ibid. RICE becomes elector of Saxony.

p.413,447

ibid.

19. Finally, the emperor entered Augsburg, and with great pomp, re-established the rites of the Ro- P. 431. mish worship. And a creed was drawn up containing the essential doctrines of the Romish church.

20. "The greatest part of those (says Mosheim,) Eccl.His who had the resolution to dispute the authority of tory, iv. p.113. this Imperial Creed, were obliged to submit to it by the force of arms, and hence arose deplorable scenes of violence and bloodshed, which involved the empire in the greatest calamities." Thus the protestant power was reduced to its lowest extremity, while the papal power seemed to recover its usual strength.

and

21. The landgrave of Hesse, through the council ibid. of his treacherous son-in-law Maurice, and under the P.109,110 promise of liberty, had submitted to the unjust de- Note [y] mands of the emperor; but contrary to the most solemn treaty, he was perfidiously imprisoned, and kept for several years in a close and severe confinement; and many entreaties were made for his liberty from time to time, by many European princes, particularly by Maurice, but without effect.

D d

CHAP.

III.

Eccl.His

ory, vol.

22. MAURICE, perceiving at length that he was duped by the emperor, entered secretly into a league with the king of France, and several German princes, for the maintenance of their rights and liberiv. p. 116. ties; and by secret intrigue, marched a powerful ariny against the emperor, and surprised him unawares at Inspruk, where he lay with a handful of troops, and without the least apprehension of danger.

ibid. vol.

iv. p. 117,

23. By this sudden and unforeseen event, was that 1188874. powerful emperor brought to conclude a treaty of peace with the Protestants, which was done at Passau in the year 1552. This they call the Bul-wark of peace and liberty! And thus, by the sword of a traitor and a base usurper, did the beastly power of papal hierarchy receive a deadly wound.

Charles V

24. It was well said, by Dr. Robertson, concerning Maurice and his perfidious treaty with the empe Mist of ror, that "History hardly records any treaty that can 'be considered as a more manifest violation of the 'most powerful principles which ought to influence 'human actions."

vel. ii. p. 353.

ibid. 358.

Eccl. His

tory, vol.

and

25. Yet that same artful dissembler, the treacherous Maurice, who entered into a league with the Papists against the Protestants,-who perfidiously and inhumanly stripped his nearest relation of his honour and dominions and usurped his place,-whom the Protestants branded as an apostate from religion, a betrayer of liberty, a contemner of the most sacred and natural ties;-that same perfidious monster, according to the projects of Luther, must, of necessity, be the supreme head of the church!

26. Maurice, however, did not live to see the effects of all his inglorious and treacherous conduct, for he died the following year, of a wound received, while he was fighting against ALBERT of Brandenburg. Such were the means used in Germany by Luther and his followers, in reforming a corrupt church, and in establishing what they call religious peace.

27. In Switzerland the Reformation was also carriiv.p.353. ed on by means diametrically opposite to the precepts Grounds of the gospel. Zuingle (who was cotemporary with of C.Doc. Luther) fell in a battle, in the year 1530, while he

p. 53.

P. V.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

was defending his reformed gospel, sword in hand, against the Papists.

285

CHAP.

III.

28. The Reformation in England, took its rise from a rupture between the pope and king HENRY VIII. concerning a divorce which the pope refused to grant this licentious monarch. "A prince (says Mosheim) Eccl. His'who in vices and abilities was surpassed by none iv. p. 101. 'who swayed the sceptre in this age."

tory,

ibid.

vol.

29. "The English nation was delivered from the ' tyranny of Rome, by HENRY's renouncing the juris- P. 106. 'diction and supremacy of its imperious pontiff." And what next? "Soon after this, HENRY was de'clared by the parliament and people supreme head, 'on earth, of the church of England, the monasteries 'were suppressed, and their revenues applied to other 'purposes."

P. H

30. But this is not all, he extended his supremacy. as far as his power permitted. In the year 1555, George Brown, a monk of the order of St. Augustin, he created archbishop of Dublin, who caused the king's supremacy to be acknowledged in that nation. " HENRY shewed soon after, that this supremacy was 'not a vain title; for he banished the monks out of 'that kingdom, confiscated their revenues, and de'stroyed their convents."

31. Thus the same means that had been used by the bloody Constantine and his successors, in abolishing Paganism, and in promoting their pretended gospel, were also used by the Reformers, under pretence of abolishing superstition, and restoring pure religion. As their fathers did, so did they.

32. From Diotrephes to Constantine, and from Constantine to Leo, and from Leo to Luther, and so along down through the Reformation, one and the same spirit of antichristian tyranny is manifest from the whole tenor of orthodox history; a sordid thirst for dominion and supremacy, accompanied with a cool barbarity towards all who differ from the ruling party.

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33. To the above words of Dr. Mosheim may be added the following from bishop Challoner, "The 'foundations of the Reformation of England were of C.Doc. laid by manifold sacrileges, in pulling down monasteries, and other houses dedicated to God, [upon

P. 58.

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