lår, and an immense body, under arms, filled Germany with terror; but they were routed in a pitched battle with the emperor's troops, and Muncer was taken and put to death.

This war of the peasants, which cost Germany more than 50,000 men, was unfavourable to the cause of the reformation; for it gave the Papists occasion to accuse the reformers of the wildest fanaticism, and led the civil powers to connect a revolution in politics with a change of religion.

On the fifth of May, 1525, Luther lost his patron, Frederick the Wise. He had been a very zealous Papist; but his mind had gradually opened to the reception of divine truth; and though he had never formally broken off from the Roman church, yet he was, for many years, the protector and shield of the reformers. He was succeeded by his brother John, who at once took a decided stand in favour of the reformation; placed himself at the head of the Lutheran church; provided a new order of public worship, and placed over every congregation well qualified pastors; had the sacrament administered to the laity in the German language, and caused his new regulations to be proclaimed by heralds throughout his dominions. Such decision and boldness brought out other princes and states of Germany in favour of the same worship, discipline, and government; and also drove back all who were not heartily engaged in the cause, or who had not boldness to wage open war with the Pope, into the bosom of the church. The line was now clearly drawn, and it was known by all parties, who belonged to the reformed, and who to the papal cause. The increase of evangelical light was great. The call for preachers of the truth was unexpected from every part of Germany, and from distant places in Europe.

But a reformation was not to be effected, without the shedding of blood. James Pavan was burnt alive at Paris, in 1525, for his profession of pure Christianity. A German, named Wolfangus Schuch, was condemned to the same dreadful death. One Bernard also, and John De Becker, obtained the crown of martyrdom from the hands of the papists. An open rupture seemed unavoidable. In 1526 the diet assembled at Spire; and the papal party endeavoured to have the sentence of Worms against Luther and his adherents rigorously executed. But the German princes refused to act; declaring that points of doctrine ought to be summitted to a general council; and it was finally agreed that the Emperor should be requested to assemble a general council without delay, and that in the meantime. the princes and states of the empire should be suffered to manage ecclesias

tical affairs in their own dominions, as they should think most expedient, yet so as to be able to give to God and the Emperor, an account of their administration, when it should be demanded of them.

This was probably the most happy termination of the Diet, for the Lutherans, that could have taken place. For it at once put it out of the power of the Papists to persecute farther the reformers, and gave the princes who favoured the reformation, an opportunity to extend their patronage to the utmost, until Charles V. should be ready to convene, a general council period evidently far distant, for the troubled state of his immense dominions engrossed all his attention; and the Pope, Clement VII. had entered into confederacy with Francis I. and the Venetians against that prince, and inflamed his resentment and indignation, to such a degree, that Charles felt very little disposition to do any thing which would injure the Lutherans, and favour the papal cause.

Soon after the death of his patron, Frederic, Luther was married to Catharine Bore, a virtuous nun, of noble parentage The papists reviled him for this, as a sensualist, and some of his friends thought the time for such a procedure improper; but Luther had openly opposed the celibacy of the clergy, and he said, he judged it right to confirm, by his own example, the doctrine he had taught; for he observed many were still pusillanimous, notwithstanding the great light of the Gospel.'

6

Being anxious, if possible, to gain his adversaries, or at least soften their asperities, Luther wrote two submissive letters, one to Henry VIII. King of England, and the other, to George, duke of Saxony, but they both replied with virulence; whereupon Luther laid down these regulations for his future conduct. "1st. In all matters where the ministry of the word of God was not concerned, he would not only subunit to his superiors, but was ready to beg pardon even of children. As a private man, he merited nothing but eternal destruction at the divine tribunal. But 2dly. In regard to the ministry for which he considered himself as having a commission from heaven, there was so much dignity in it, that no man, especially a tyrant, should ever find him give way, submit, or flatter. Lastly, he besought his heavenly Father to enable him to keep his resolution.

Luther was both a musician and a poet; and he circulated a small volume of hymns, containing the main points of Christian doctrine, set to music, which had great effect.

An attempt was made by a Polish Jew, to poison him, but, through the kind care of an overruling Providence, it entirely failed.

For a long time, Luther was engaged in a contest with Erasmus. The Papists had been severely lashed by him, but viewing him as still on their side, and the most able critic in Europe, both the Pope and the king of England importuned him to attack the German Reforiner. Flattered by the great, Erasmus became the opponent of Luther, on the doctrines of grace; and the breach between them was very wide.

But the controversy with Zuinglius and Carolstadt, on the Sacrament, which raged with considerable violence in 1526-27, was far more lamentable.

In the favourable period that succeeded the diet of Spire, the great reformer was very active, in company with his fellowlabourers, in fixing the principles of the reformation; correcting abuses; inspiring the timid with fortitude; and extending far and wide the light of truth, the knowledge of salvation through faith in Christ.

The councils of

But this period was to have a termination. princes change. The Emperor and the Pope became friends. The commotions and troubles of Europe were terminated; and the Emperor had leisure, and alas! the disposition also to lay a heavy hand upon the reformers. He assembled another diet at Spire, in 1529; and caused the former decree to be repealed, and every change in the doctrine, discipline or worship of the established religion, before the determination of the general council should be known, to be declared unlawful.

Such a proceeding on the part of the Emperor and his Diet, was viewed by the Protestants as iniquitous and intolerable, and designed, if not to crush the infant churches, at least to prevent their increase; and the elector of Saxony, the marquis of Brandenburgh, the landgrave of Hesse, the dukes of Lunenburgh, the prince of Anhalt, with the deputies of fourteen Imperial or free cities, solemnly protested against it, on the 19th of April, as unjust and impious. On this account they were, and from that time to this, their followers have been denominated PROTESTANTS.

The legates who had the boldness to present this protest to Charles, were put under arrest. A dark cloud seemed to hang over the affairs of the Protestants. The Emperor and Pope, had many interviews at Bologna, to devise measures for the extirpation of heresy. Fortunately, Charles was not disposed to accede to the violent proceedings of the Pope. He hoped to

reconcile the Protestants by means of a general council. But the Pope dreaded such an assembly. General councils the Pope found factious, ungovernable, presumptuous, and promoters of free inquiry, and civil liberty. Charles, therefore, could not move him, and he proceeded to Augsburg, June, 1530, to the general Diet, resolved there to bring, if possible, all disputes to a termination. But as he could not examine, and decide without knowing the exact sentiments of the Protestants, Charles required Luther to commit to writing, the chief points of his religious system. Luther presented seventeen articles of faith, formerly agreed upon at Torgaw, which were called the articles of Torgaw. These at the request of the princes assembled at Augsburg, were enlarged by Melanchton, a man of the greatest learning, and most pacific spirit among the reformers. The creed thus completed, formed the famous confession of Augsburg.

This confession did great honour to the pen of Melanchton. It contained twenty-eight chapters, and was a fair expose of the religious opinions of the protestants, and of the errors and abuses of the church of Rome. It was read publicly in the diet.

Another confession was presented to the diet, by those who adopted the opinions of Zuinglius, in relation to the eucharist.

But a decree was passed against the Lutherans, more violent than that of the diet of Worms. It condemned their tenets, forbade any person to protect or tolerate such as taught them, enjoined a strict observance of established rites, and prohibited any further innovation, under severe penalties. All orders of men were required to assist in carrying the decree into execution.

This oppressed the feeble spirit of Melanchton, and threw him into a state of deep melancholy. But Luther was never dismayed; and he exhorted the Protestant princes, with great boldness, to unite in defence of the truths which God had revealed. His counsels were obeyed, and they assembled at Smalkalde, December 16th, 1530, and formed a league of mutual defence against all aggressors, and resolved to apply for protection to the kings of France, England, and Denmark.

These kings, from enmity to Charles V. favoured the Protestants, and Charles finding trouble accumulating upon him, concluded a peace with the Protestants in 1532, at Nuremberg, which amounted almost to a complete toleration of their religion. This event inspired the friends of the reformation throughout Europe, with new vigour and resolution, and excited them to press forward, with great boldness, in the work of liberating mankind from spiritual despotism.

But it is an evil, with which the reformers had to contend, that the human mind once roused by grand objects, especially if uninformed, is apt to become wild and irregular. The peasants who, at the beginning of the reformation, had run into such extravagances for religious liberty, were indeed subdued; but their spirit lived and raged tremendously in 1533, in Westphalia and the Netherlands. A furious rabble came to the city of Munster, pretending to a commission from heaven to destroy and overturn all civil institutions, and to establish a new republic, and committed the most horrible excesses. Their principal leaders were John Mathias, a baker, and John Boccold, a journeyman failor. Their chief tenets were, that the office of magistracy is unnecessary; that all distinctions among men are contrary to the Gospel; that property should be held in common, and that a plurality of wives is commendable. But their more peculiar doctrine, from which they were named, related to the sacrament of baptism. They declared that it should be administered only to persons grown up to years of understanding, and should be performed not by sprinkling with water, but by immer sion. Hence, as the subjects had been once baptized, they were called ANABAPTISTS.

But their reign at Munster was short. The bishop of Munster, assisted by some German princes, came against them with an armed force. In the conflict, Mathias was at first successful; and so elated was he, that he sallied forth with thirty men, declaring that he would go like Gideon, and smite the host of the un godly. In an instant, they were all destroyed. Boccold then assumed the chief command; pretended to extraordinary reve. lations; marched through the streets naked, crying with a loud voice, That the kingdom of Zion was at hand;' took to himself burteen wives; levelled to the ground the loftiest buildings; de posed senators, and raised his officers from the lowest ranks. The blood of suspected persons flowed freely. One of his wives, expressing a doubt of his divine mission, had her head cut off with his own hands. But he was not able to maintain his dominion. On the 24th of June, 1535, the royal forces took the city, and slew most of the fanatics. Boccold was taken prisoner, and shown through the cities of Germany. He was then brought back to Munster, and put to death in the most cruel manner. Thus ended the kingdom of the Anabaptists in Germany; but their principles relating to baptism took deep root in the Low Countries, and were carried into England.

These scenes were deeply painful to Luther. "Satan," said he, "rages; we have need of your prayers. The new sectarians