PART IV.

WE

E now arrive at that grand period of the Chriftian Church, which I fixed at the glorious æra of the Reformation, about the beginning of the fixteenth century.

This opens to our view a fpacious and fertile field ftored with rich materials, where the greatest difficulty will be, to felect with judgment, and to abridge with propriety.

Notwithstanding the power and prevalence of Popery during many preceeding ages of the Church, notwithstanding the ignorance and fuperftition which had hitherto generally reigned, yet there were, even amidst the darkest times, fome men of brighter parts and of more eminent piety, who often appeared, if not to ftem the torrent of delufion, yet to diffuse fome glimmerings of light, who groaned under the oppreffions, and lamented the errors of the Church of Rome, and who entertained jufter notions of religion.

Befides many who may not have come to our knowledge, befides the long lift of faithful witnesses who bore teftimony to the truth, particularly recorded by fome authors †, we may recollect thofe ·

Flaccius Illyricus, Usher, Spanheim, and others.

whom

whom we have tranfiently mentioned, the Waldenses and Albigenfes, the Wicklifites, the Huffites and Bohemian brethren, who lifted up a standard against Antichrist. Nay, even in the bofom of the Church there were not a few private perfons who loudly complained; and many powerful Princes and States remonftrated against the arrogance, the lordly dominion and tyranny of the Pontifs, the wealth, indolence, and wickedness of the Clergy, who regretted the corruption of religion, and wifhed earnestly for fome reformation. Pope Adrian himself acknowledged the neceffity of this, and feveral councils were conveened under fome specious but elufory pretexts of this nature, whilst nothing effential was effected.

This glorious work was referved for Martin Luther, whom Providence raised up in a remarkable manner, in the year 1517, as an eminent inftrument, in conjunction with other cotemporary reformers, to bring about one of the most fignal and interesting revolutions in human history. The noble and pious enterprize was profpered by Heaven, notwithstanding very formidable oppofition. The great champions who led the way, were infpired with a most ardent zeal for religion, and an invincible force and intrepidity of mind, equal to the arduous undertaking. The feeds of reformation had been formerly fown, which now sprang up to advantage and maturity. The revival of learning, a tafte for the liberal arts and sciences after a long and difmal night of darkness, and a spirit of investigation opened the eyes of mankind, and enabled them to difcern more clearly, and to judge with greater accuracy. The facred books were now happily fpread through most of the states and countries in Europe, tranflated into the vernacular language of each nation, particularly in Italy, Germa

ny,

ny, France and Britain. The Roman Pontifs had rifen to a dangerous fummit of power and dominion, and the Romish religion to an enormous height of fuperftition. The ecclefiaftical Orders wallowed in wealth, luxury, idleness and vice. Their fhare of property and over-grown opulence are almost incredible, and without fome effectual check, they bade fair to have engroffed in process of time all the power and riches of the world. Univerfal monarchy is a formidable monster. But an univerfal empire of Popery, uniting both spirituals and temporals into one fupreme head, would have been a general calamity, a tremendous evil, pregnant with every mifchief, and fatal to the civil and religious interests of mankind. Some ideas of the balance of power may have struck States and Prínces at that time, which now poifes and regulates all the kingdoms of Europe, and is fo grand an object of political attention. Money and property conftitute the strength and finews of a nation. Rank, precedency, dominion and authority follow in a natural train. All these were in a manner monopolized by the Church of Rome. Her Pontifs, Cardinals, Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, and Abbots, were like fo many fovereign princes. Many Ecclefiaftics were employed in the highest offices and negotiations of State. Inferior Orders poffeffed proportionable wealth, and innumerable ftratagems or arguments were devifed to increase it, fetched from this world or from another. Convents, monaftries and nunneries drained the riches of many countries, and what was thus fwallowed up, reverted not again to circulate in trade and commerce, but only ferved to pamper and aggrandize a feparate body of men, disjoined from the rest of the world, by an unnatural subjection to celibacy. Even in Scotland, the riches and privileges of the

I i

Clergy

Clergy were exorbitant. David I. from his exceffive fuperftition and liberality, transferred into their hands most of the crown-lands, which were of vast extent. * They were in use to pay no less than the one half of the land-tax, from which it may be reafonably inferred, that the half of national territory appertained to them. From the earliest times of the Scotish monarchy to the death of Cardinal Beatoun in the year 1546, 54 persons had held the high office of Lord Chancellor, of which number 43 had been Ecclefiaftics. The Lords of Seffion in Scotland conftitute the fupreme Court in civil caufes, of which the one half, befides the President, were made up of church-men; and their feat and influence in Parliament are well known.

In England, the wealth of the Roman Catholic Clergy appears to have been little inferior. When a furvey was made by William the Conqueror, of all the land in England, the whole amounted to 60,215 Knight's fees; of which the Church then poffeffed 28,015. To this,large additions were afterwards made, till the time of Edward I. who enacted the statute of Mortmain, by which it is declared illegal to give any eftate to the Church without the King's exprefs leave.

When Henry VIII. diffolved about 1000 convents, monastries, and abbeys, the annual revenue of these alone was found to amount to L. 2,653000, a great part of which went to Rome, as the Governors and Governeffes of many of these religious houfes were foreigners and refided in Italy.

Among fo many nations and fuch multitudes of people who embraced the Reformation, fome fecular confiderations might, no doubt, operate in part, and they were juftly intitled to a certain degree of attention, in fubordination to religion. But if either

* Dr Robertfon's Hift. of Scotland, vol. I. p, 121. and 123.

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ther too great regard was paid to them, or if in any inftance the Reformation was promoted by wrong methods, or from finister views,-be this to the parties or persons alone; nor can this ferve to invalidate or condemn the Reformation itself, no more than ought the corruptions of Popery to be imputed to Chriftianity. The cause which the reformers efpoused was evidently good, noble, and glorious, which afferted the rights of confcience, and the genuine truth of gofpel-revelation, in oppofition to the most violent encroachments, and to the groffeft adulteration. Its grand defign was to abandon a Church that would not be reformed, which was deeply depraved in doctrine and difcipline, worship and government, which was overrun with superstition, and converted into a fyftem of civil and religious tyranny, which had spread its delufions far and wide through the world, and triumphed for ages together over mankind in the moft lawless manner. It was to ftand up in behalf of God and Christianity, of interefts the most facred and effential to men, to shake off the fhackles of human authority in the important matters of religion, and to reduce every thing relative to it, to the infallible standard of Holy Scripture. Thefe were the worthy principles and views which animated the illustrious band of reformers, which made many of them undergo poverty, disgrace, banishment, long and fevere trials, and even refift unto blood. In many various lights the bleffed Reformation from Popery muft appear to be well warranted, and may be fully defended upon principles of reafon and religion, of liberty and policy.

Luther, in particular, was actuated by great and religious confiderations, to ftand forth as a brazen bulwark against Papal impofitions. It was the force of truth which made him raise his voice and draw

his