LIFE OF MELANCTHON. his blood.' Consequently this application cannot | traditions, 'Do not ye understand that whatsoever be through or by the merit of any other work. 6. "The institution of the Sacrament is diametrically opposed to this abuse of it, for while there is no command respecting any offering for the sins of the living or the dead, we are enjoined to partake of the body and blood of Christ and for the express purpose of remembering him. The great design of the institution is to exercise and excite our faith in receiving this pledge of love. Besides, the communion of saints was intended that the ministers of the church might impart the body and blood of Christ to others. That this was the primitive purpose of the institution we learn from Paul, 'the wine, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ, and the bread, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?' CONFESSION." This practice is not abolished amongst us, but the people are instructed, that a particular enumeration of all their delinquencies is 'Who,' not necessary, for in fact it is impossible. 'The can understand his errors?' says David, heart of man,' says Jeremiah, 'is deceitful and desperately wicked.' But if no sins could be remitted unless they were distinctly mentioned, a tender conscience could never be at rest, because the greatest number of our sins are perhaps neither observed nor can they be remembered. The fathers also We do not therefore bursanction this omission. den the conscience, but this we teach, that men must bring forth the fruits of genuine repentance, obedience, the fear of God, faith, holy joy, purity and a universal 'newness of mind.' We retain and enforce contrition, faith, remission and forgiveness of sin, reformation of life, and mitigation of present punishments. DISTINCTION OF MEATS AND OTHER TRADITIONS."It has been commonly believed by ecclesiastics as well as the vulgar, that a regard to the distinction of meats and drinks and other human traditions Hence an may conduce to the remission of sins. innumerable multitude of ceremonies, fasts and observances, have been appointed. Many evils have resulted from this idea of traditions: as 1. "Such an opinion obscures the doctrine of grace and justification by faith, which is an essential part of the gospel, and ought to be clearly stated The in all the public assemblies of the church. merit of Christ alone, as the cause of justification, is stated by Paul, but this reliance on human tradition annuls it. 2. "It operates further to abrogate the divine precepts, because tradition is more consulted than the authority of God, and the whole of Christianity is represented as consisting in the observance of certain days, rites, fasts and clothing. These observances are dignified by the name of a spiritual and but the commands of God to attend to perfect way, our duties, the education of our children, and to obey our rulers are deemed worldly and imperfect, and far inferior to these other splendid services. 3. "Tender consciences have been exceedingly disturbed by this doctrine of human traditions, from the conviction that they could not keep them all, though they have been represented as necessary to acceptable worship. Gerson mentions many who have fallen into absolute despair, and some who have even committed suicide, because they found it utterly impossible to observe the traditions, and could not be consoled by the doctrine of grace and justification by faith. "We teach that none can obtain the forgiveness entereth in at the mouth,' &c. Mat. xv. 17--20. "To this our adversaries object that we prohibit discipline and the mortification of the flesh, but this is incorrect, for we always teach that Christians ought to bear afflictions; and to be exercised with various afflictions, and to be crucified with Christ, is true and not pretended mortification. "At the same time we do observe some traditions, but the people are admonished against trusting in them for justification before God, or supposing they commit sin by an omission of them. MONASTIC VOWs.-"Our opinions on this subject will be best understood by considering that such was formerly the state of the monasteries, that every day many things were done in violation of canonical authority. In the time of Augustine, the colleges were free colleges, and after discipline became lax, vows were every where made that it should be restored, and with these vows for the restoration of good order were connected many new observances, which were imposed, contrary to the canon, upon many at an improper age. Multitudes of both sexes were allured into these establishments and subjected to the severest discipline. "To these evils others were added, especially such a persuasion of the efficacy of vows, that they were even represented as meriting the remission of sins and justification before God, and a monastic life was not only extolled above every secular duty and every religious office, but made to supersede the precepts of the gospel itself. Formerly, there were schools attached to the monasteries, for the purpose of communicating instruction in sacred and secular literature; very important they were, and serviceable in supplying the church with pastors and bishops. How different the case is now, it is needless to state. Instead of being appropriated to learning, now a monastic life is pretended to be a life of perfection, conducive to justification, and far preferable to any other vocation, to which even God himself has appointed men by his providence. "These are not exaggerated statements for the purpose of rendering the monks odious, but simple facts adduced to illustrate the nature of our doctrines. First, in reference to matrimony; we admit all to marry who are not disposed to celibacy, because vows cannot annul the divine appointment and command. 'Let every one have his own wife.' It was declared at the creation of the human race, 'it is not good for man to be alone.' What can be said in reply to this?-let the obligation of a vow be asserted as firmly as you please, it cannot be maintained that it discharges a man from his duty to obey God. The canons expressly teach, that in every vow the command of a superior is to be obeyed, how much more then is the authority of God to be regarded! If no reasons can exist for changing the obligation of vows, the Roman Pontiff himself cannot supersede them, for surely it is not lawful for a man to rescind an obligation which is purely divine. But the Popes very wisely judge, that the claims of equity are to be observed in enforcing this obligation, and consequently, we often read of their exercising a dispensing power in reference to vows. Many of the canons rescind vows which have been made previous to the age of fifteen, and one of them states eighteen, because it is presumed that at so early a period, a youth is incapable of forming a proper judgment on a subject which is to influence the whole of his future life; hence a great number are furnished with an excuse to desert the monasteries, because they made their vow previous to the required age. After all, were it conceded that the violation of a vow is reprehensible, it does not follow that marriage ought to be dissolved, which as Augustine observes, is a serious obligation, whatever some may after contracting it suppose. the sword, and showing how each ought to be revered as appointed by God for the welfare of mankind. "The power of bishops we apprehend to be a power or authority from God to preach the gospel, to remit and retain sins, and to administer the ordinances. The commission of Christ to his disciples, is thus expressed, 'As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. Receive the Holy Ghost-whosoever sins ye remit, they shall be remitted, and whosoever sins ye retain, they shall be retained.''Go and preach my gospel to every creature,' &c. "This power is to be exercised only in teaching and preaching the gospel, and in administering the ordinances or services of their proper calling, because they are not entrusted with the temporal but spiritual concerns of men and whatever relates We plead also another reason to prove that vows to an eternal life. These things belong to the miare not obligatory, namely, that all religious ser-nistry, and the gospel is 'the power of God unto salvices which are merely of human appointment, vation to every one that believeth.' Ecclesiastical having no authority from God, and represented as power, therefore, is to be exercised in the preaching essential to forgiveness and justification, are im- of the gospel and in reference to eternal things, but pious, because 'in vain,' says Christ, 'do they wor- not to impede or control the political administraship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments tion of empires. Nor is it the business of the maof men and Paul plainly states that remission and gistrate to legislate for the conscience, but for the justification are obtained by the propitiatory sacri- temporal interests of men to protect them from infice of Christ, and through faith in his name. The juries, to coerce them by the sword, to inflict cormonks teach that these blessings are procurable by poreal punishments, to administer civil justice and those observances which are of human invention, to maintain social order and peace. The ecclesiand what is this but detracting from the honor of astical must not therefore be confounded with the Christ, obscuring his glory and denying the Scrip- civil power. The former is to teach and to admiture doctrine of justification by faith? Vows are nister the ordinances, but ought not to interfere therefore both impious and vain; opposed to the with another office, to aim at secular dominion, to gospel, and a shameful substitution of a man's own abrogate the law of the civil magistrate, to prevent works for the propitiation of Christ. Whoever due subordination, or to obstruct the course of orof you,' says Paul, are justified by works are fallen dinary justice. 'My kingdom,' exclaimed the Safrom grace.' viour, is not of this world.' Again, who constituted me a judge or a divider amongst you?' And the apostle intimates, that 'the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds and casting down every imagination that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God.' "Moreover, the monks represent their mode of life as the state of perfection, because they obey both the precepts of the gospel and the appointments of councils. This is a most awful error; for they boast of the meritorious works of supererogation and conceive they not only obey the precepts themselves, but possess a superabundant righteousness to satisfy for the sins of others. "When the people are assured that the monkish is the only perfect life, the precepts and the whole service of God are undervalued, because Christian perfection is to live in the habitual fear of God, to confide in his favor through faith in Christ, to seek and to depend on his help in all the various duties which devolve upon us in our respective situations, to be holy in our conduct and to be devoted to our proper callings. Christian perfection consists not in celibacy, nor in mendicity and mean attire. "The examples are sufficiently numerous of persons, who deserting their families and offices in civil life, have withdrawn into monasteries; and this they call flying from the world and pursuing a kind of life more acceptable to God; but surely to keep his commandments and not the traditions of men, is alone deserving the name of a good and perfect kind of life. ECCLESIASTICAL POWER. "This subject has proved a fertile source of the most violent contentions, while the ecclesiastical and civil power have been united in the same ruler. The Roman Pontiffs relying on their influence and authority, have not only oppressed the consciences of men with violent excommunications and appointed new modes of worship, but have even aimed to seize and appropriate imperial sceptres and gain the dominion of the world. This conduct has been long and often condemned by learned and pious men in our churches, and we have endeavored to console afflicted consciences by pointing out the distinction between the power of the church and the power of "If bishops possess the power of the sword, it is given them not by the authority of Scripture, but by the command of kings and princes. "Considerable disputes have been agitated, whether bishops or pastors possess an authority to institute ceremonies in the church, and to prescribe feasts, fasts and other observances. They who assign this right to bishops, allege this sentence, 'I have many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear it now, but when he, the Spirit of truth, shall come, he will lead you into all truth:' and they plead the example of apostolic injunctions which prohibited the use of blood and things strangled-which changed the day of the Sabbath contrary as it appears to the original appointment of the law. But we reply, that the bishops have no authority to introduce another gospel. Besides, to establish traditions, is contrary to the Scripture, and the glory of Christ is tarnished when we expect by such observances to merit remission of sins and justification before God. This vain hope has occasioned an almost infinite number of traditions to creep into the church. "If the bishops are endowed with authority to load the churches with endless traditions and thus to ensnare tender consciences, why does Scripture so frequently prohibit the multiplication of traditionary services? Why does it denominate them doctrines of devils? "It may be inquired, what then is to become of our dominical days, and similar institutions? The reply is, that bishops or pastors may make appointments for the ordinary regulation of the churches, but not represent these services as necessary to the LIFE OF MELANCTHON. remission of sins, or in any degree so obligatory on | ment was read, he declared that he was resolved to "God's word," says Luther, "is powerful; the more it is persecuted, the more and further it spreadeth itself abroad. Behold the Imperial Diet at Augsburg, which doubtless is the last trumpet before the dreadful day of judgment-how raged the world there against the word." Though many articles of the confession were approved; others, especially the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, twentieth and twenty-first were totally rejected. The second respecting original sin, they admitted, excepting the definition which appeared to them more descriptive of actual than original sin; the eleventh was only objected to in reference to what was said of confession; and the several anti-Catholic intimations in the twelfth and fifteenth were of course the subjects of animadversion. They affirm in contradiction to the second part of the Augsburg confession, that communion in one kind, the celibacy of priests, the mass, monastic vows, and the other subjects of objection introduced by the Protestants, are not abuses, but religious and holy usages commanded by Scripture and confirmed by tradition. At the same time, they admit that some degree of reformation in the practice of them was requisite, to which the Emperor would pay due attention. They finished by expressing a hope that the Protestants would return to the communion of the church. To the concluding intimation, the Elector of Saxony, who spoke in the name of the Protestants, replied, that they were ready to do any thing which conscience would allow for the sake of promoting union in religion, that if the Catholics could prove from Scripture that they had advanced any error, it should be recanted, that they were ready to furnish any explanation that might be demanded, and that they wished to have a copy of the refutation of their articles. This request the Emperor refused, but two days afterwards, offered it upon condition of its not being published. This was not agreed to, but seventeen persons were nominated by the Catholics to discuss religious differences, whose conferences were however of no avail. The Elector of Brandenburg pressed the necessity of satisfying the Emperor, by uniting in matters of faith with the princes and members of the empire, otherwise they might incur the reproach of involving Germany in war and tumult. After due deliberation, they communicated their answer by their deputy George Brucke to this purpose, "that they took it ill to be threatened, that the Emperor would not give them a sufficient hearing, and that they were not allowed but upon a severe condition, a copy of the refuta tion of their articles. It was expected they should | faith, for according to Paul, 'In Christ Jesus, neiassent to it without examination, which their consciences disallowed, and notwithstanding the promises of a general council in the last Diet at Spires, it had not been convened." To this the Roman deputies replied in a defensive and explanatory paper, and finally it was agreed at the suggestion of the Protestants, that a smaller number should be appointed for the determination of the present controversy. Two princes, two lawyers, and three divines were selected on each side conformably with this resolution. The Catholics were, the bishop of Augsburg, Henry, duke of Brunswick, the chancellor of the archbishop of Cologne, and the chancellor of the marquis of Baden, John Eckius, Conrad Wimpina and John Cochlæus: the Protestants were, John Frederic, son of the Elector of Saxony, George, marquis of Brandenburg; the lawyers, Gregory Pontanus and Heller; and the divines, Melancthon, Brentius and Schnepfius. ther circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith which worketh by love.' But we do not admit that the remission of sins and reconciliation with God, are obtained for the sake of love as a meritorious act, or for any other kind of work, but by faith only, or faith properly so called, because the promise of forgiveness respects the exercise of faith. It is faith which assents to the promise, and is every where referred to in Scripture. "In our churches the members are instructed into the true purpose of the sacrament as a sign and testimony of the free forgiveness of sin, a doctrine highly consolatory to trembling spirits, and in which they ought to be admonished to place their confidence. The preaching of the gospel and the legitimate use of the sacraments constitute with us a perpetual sacrifice, and the resort to our services is far more numerous than to those of our adversaries, because they are more useful and intelligible. After conferring together they managed a mode But their doctrines, neither the learned nor the igof expression, in which fifteen articles of the Augs-norant, can comprehend. Truth, holy doctrine, the burg confession were mutually subscribed and only proper use of the sacraments, affectionate discourses, six remained; of these, three were only in part dis- constitute the proper ornaments of churches, but puted, and the rest remitted to the second division wax tapers, golden vases and other things of a siof the confession, upon which they still continued milar nature, though ornamental in themselves, do and were likely to remain disunited. not constitute the glory of the Christian church: and if our adversaries mistake these for worship, instead of the preaching of the gospel and the exercises of faith, they must be numbered amongst those whom Daniel describes, as 'honoring their own God with gold and silver, and with precious stones and pleasant things.' Dan. xi. 38. The state of the question being reported to the Diet, it was resolved that a smaller committee consisting of three on each side, two lawyers and one divine would be more available. Melancthon was nominated for the Protestants, and Eckius for the Catholics. The principal points of debate were the mass, vows, and the celibacy of priests. The Catholics agreed that the priests who were married, might live with their wives, but they would make no concessions respecting the mass and vows. The Emperor was extremely anxious to reconcile contending parties, and endeavored to win over the Protestant princes by the most attentive behavior and the most alluring promises. In particular he urged the Elector of Saxony and the landgrave of Hesse; but to their immortal honor be it recorded, they were neither to be allured nor alarmed into a dereliction of the noble but too often persecuted cause of Christian liberty. All hopes of an accommodation being now at an end, the worst was anticipated. "We expect," says Melancthon, "violent measures, for no moderation can satisfy the Popish faction. They, in fact, seek our destruction. Pray that God may preserve us." "An apology for the Augsburg confession," drawn up by Melancthon, was on the twenty-second of September, presented by the Protestant princes to the Emperor, who declined receiving it. Though not published till the following year, the insertion of a few short extracts in this place seems appropriate and will be acceptable. "To represent justification as by faith only, has been considered objectionable, though Paul concludes that a 'man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law;' that we are 'justified freely by his grace,' (Rom. iii. 24, 28,) and that it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast.' Eph. ii. 8, 9. If the use of the exclusive term only be deemed inadmissible, let them expunge from the writings of the apostle the exclusive phrases by grace, not of works, the gift of God, and others of similar import. We exclude all notions of human merit, but not as our adversaries calumniously insinuate, the use of sacraments and means. It has been already stated that faith cometh by hearing, and we most highly estimate the ministry of the word. Love and obedience must be connected with faith, so that they are only excluded as the meritorious source of justification. "We state that love is essentially connected with "We are not fond of invidious comparisons, but as our adversaries are perpetually urging them, we cannot omit mentioning some of their evil practices. What mischief is done by the profanation of the mass! What evils result from their law of celibacy! What a manifest piece of idolary is the worship of saints! Then will it be affirmed there is nothing reprehensible in the ambition of their pontiffs, who for upwards of four hundred years, have waged an incessant war with our Emperors in Italy, and sometimes even in Germany itself, arming sons and fathers, relatives and citizens against each other? And if the records of history be searched to ascertain the true causes of such hostilities, I use the most moderate terms when I say, no cause, worthy of the station and character of these dignitaries, can be found. What mischief ensues from the delegation of unfit persons to the sacerdotal office and from trafficing in benefices! And is there no fault in the dangerous disputes that are prevalent, which indeed might be pardoned if the purity of doctrine were preserved in the churches? But, what impious opinions and traditions are introduced and practised, let the writings of canonists and divines testify, which abound in discussions, some useless, and some opposed to the gospel of Christ. Then, in interpreting Scripture, they trifle and take the most unwarrantable liberties." On the subject of ecclesiastical jurisdiction and the power of bishops, Melancthon had conceded in his conferences with the Papist committee more than many of his own party thoroughly approved, and yet Luther himself in his admonition to the princes of the empire, allowed that the bishops might retain their authority both civil and ecclesiastical, if they would employ it to the glory of God and not support the Pope's supremacy. The fact was, that Melancthon entertained a hope of an essential reformation in the spirit and conduct of the bishops, while Luther despaired of the possibility of effecting it, and was therefore extremely cautious of any concession to their authority. In all doctrinal points Melancthon proved himself a firm, enlightened, inflexible Protestant. The testimony LIFE OF MELANCTHON. of a good conscience supported him amidst the per- of high authority, asserting the Catholic doctrines are the wives of our parishioners and their little chil powerful heroes?""Oh!" said Melancthon, "they dren, whose prayers I have just witnessed-prayers which I am satisfied our God will hear: for as our heavenly Father and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has never despised nor rejected our supplications, we have reason to trust that he will not in the present alarming crisis." During the Imperial Diet at Augsburg, Albert, Archbishop of Mentz, had by some means obtained one of his council suddenly entering his chamber, a Bible, and read it attentively for four hours, when asked with much astonishment what his Highness was doing with that book? To which he replied, |