IlEFORMATION. 



•:he iiiafs, and tlie Other fuperftitious rites of Popery. The 

 eleftor of Brandenburgh, Saxony, tlie marquis of the land- 

 grave of Hefle, tlic dukes of Bninfwick and Lunenburgh, 

 and prince of Anhalt, became avowed patrons of Luther's 

 opinions, and countenanced the preaching of them among 

 their fubjefts. The reformers derived great advantage from 

 the tranfaftions of the diet at Nuremberg, which prefented 

 to the pope a catalogue of a hundred grievances, which the 

 empire imputed to the iniquitous dominion of the papal fee. 

 The progrels of the reformation m Germany was likcwife 

 promoted by the proceedings of the diet held at Spire in 

 the years 1526 and 1529. See Luther and Protestants. 



During thefe tranfaftions in Germany, the dawn of trutii 

 arofe upon other nations. The light of the reformation 

 fpread itfelf far and wide ; and almoll all the European Hates 

 welcomed its falutary beams, and exulted in the profpedt of 

 an approaching deliverance from the yoke of fuperftition and 

 Ipiritual deipotifm. Some of the moil confiderable pro- 

 vinces of Europe had already broke their chains, and openly 

 withdrawn themlelves from the difciphne of Rome and the 

 juriidiftion of its pontiff. The reformed religion was pro- 

 pagated in Sweden, foon after Luther's rupture with Rome, 

 by Olaus Petri, one of his difciples, who was countenanced 

 and encouraged by the valiant and public-fpirited prince Guf- 

 tavus Vafa Ericfon, to whofe firmnefs and magnanimity 

 it was owing, that from the year 1527 the papal em- 

 pire in Sweden wai entirely overturned, and Guftavus 

 declared head of the church. The light of the reformation 

 was alio received in Denmark fo early as the year 1521, in 

 conlequence of the ardent deiire difcovered by Chriilian or 

 Chriftiern IL, for purpofes of mere ambition, of having his 

 difciples inilrafted in the doftrines of Luther. His luc- 

 ceiTor Frederic, duke of Holilein and Silefia, contributed 

 greatly to the progrels of the reformation, by his fuccefsful 

 attempts in favour of religious liberty, at the aflembly of 

 dates that was held at Odenfee, in the year 1527, when he 

 procured the publication of the famous edift which declared 

 every fubjedt of Denmark free, either to adhere to the tenets 

 of the church of Rome, or to embrace the doftrine of Lu- 

 ther ; that no perfon fliould be molelled on account of his 

 religion ; that a royal prote&ioii Ihould be granted to the 

 Lutherans ; and that ecclefialtics of every order ihould be 

 allowed to marry. But the honour of accomplifhing this 

 glorious work was referved for Chrirtiern IIL a prince 

 equally diftinguifhed by his piety and prudence. The reli- 

 gious doftrine, difcipline, and worfhip of this kingdom, 

 were fettled according to a plan laid down by Bugenhagius. 

 And the aflembly of the dates at Odenfee, in 1539, gave a 

 folemn fanclion to all thefe tranfaftions, and thus the work 

 of reformation was brought to pertefkion in Denmark. 



In the fame year the reformation was eftabliihed in every 

 part of Saxony. Upon thedeathof George, duke of Saxony, 

 who was an inveterate enemy to the reformation, the fuc- 

 ceflion fell to his brother Henry, whofe attachment to the 

 Froteftant religion furpafled, if polTible, that of his prede- 

 celTor to Popery. Henry invited fome Protelfant divines, 

 and among them Luther himfelf, to Leipfic ; and by their 

 advice and affiltance, he learned, in a few weeks, the whole 

 fyftem of ancient rites, eftabhihing the full exercife of the 

 Proteftant religion, with the univerfal applaule of his fub- 

 jefts, who had long wifhed for this change, which the oblli- 

 nacy of their former duke had alone prevented. This revo- 

 lution delivered the Proteftanta from the danger to which 

 they were expofed by having an inveterate enemy fettled in 

 the middle of their territories ; and their dominions now 

 extended in a great and almoft unbroken line from the Shore 

 of the Baltic to the banks^of the Rhine 



In France, the aufpicious patronage of Margaret, queen 

 of Navarre, filler to Francis 1., encouraged leveral pious 

 and learned men, whofe religious fentiments were the fame 

 with her own, to propagate the principles of the reforma- 

 tion, and even to creiit feveral Protellant churches in that 

 kingdom. It appears, that, in early as the year 1523, 

 there were many, and even pcrlons of rank, and fome of 

 the cpifcopal order, who had conceived the utmoll averfion 

 both againfl the doftrine and tyranny of Rome. But the 

 wavering and inconliltent condudt ol Francis I. rendered the 

 fituation of the Proteflants in this country always precarious, 

 often dilt relied. Upon the whole, we may obfcrve, that, 

 before the diet of Auglburg, the doflrine of Luther had 

 made confiderable, though perhaps a fecrct, progrefs in 

 Spain, Hungary, Bohemia, Britain, Poland, and the Ne- 

 therlands, and had, in all thefe countries, many friends, 

 of wiiom feveral repaired to Wittemberg to improve their 

 knowledge, and enlarge their views under fuch an eminent 

 mailer. At this diet, held in 1530, the Auglburg or 

 Auguftine confefTion was prefented to the emperor Charles V. 

 and after many debates between the friends of liberty 

 and the votaries of Rome, the latter prevailed ; and the 

 diet, in compliance with the opinion and remondrances of 

 Campeggio, the papal nuncio, idued a decree, condemning 

 mod of the pecuhar tenets held by the Protedants ; for- 

 bidding any perfon to proteft or tolerate thofe who taught 

 them ; enjoining a drift obfervance of tlie edabliflied rites ; 

 and prohibiting any farther innovation, under fevcre penalties. 

 Thofe who retufed to obey this decree were declared inca- 

 pable of afting as judges, or of appearing as parties in the 

 imperial chamber, the fupreme court of judicature in the 

 empire. The Protedants, alarmed at the feverity of the 

 decree, affembled at Smalcald, and concluded a league of 

 mutual defence againd all aggreflors, by which they formed 

 the Protedant dates of the empire into one regular body : 

 and they refolved to apply to the kings of England, France, 

 and Denmark, to implore them to affid and patronize this 

 new confederacy. After various negociations between the 

 emperor and the Protedant princes, terms of pacification 

 were agreed upon at Nuremberg, and ratified folemnly in 

 the diet of Ratifbon, in the year 1532. In this treaty it 

 was diputated, that univerfal peace be edablifhed in Ger- 

 many, until the meeting of a general council, tiie convocation 

 of which, within fix months, the emperor fhall endeavour 

 to procure ; that no perfon be moleded on account of re. 

 ligion ; that a ftop be put to all proceffes begun by the 

 imperial chamber againd Protedants ; and the fentences al- 

 ready paffed to their detriment be declared void. On their 

 part, the Protedants engaged to afTid the emperor with all 

 their forces in refiding the invafion of the Turks. Thus the 

 Protedants, by their firmnefs, unanimity, and dexterity in 

 availing themfelves of the emperor's fituation, obtained 

 terms which amounted almod to a toleration of their religion. 

 But neither the emperor nor the pope were difpofed to abide 

 by the unbiaded fenfe of a general council, affembled, as the 

 Protedants wifhed, within the limit of the empire, but de- 

 termined to decide their religious debates by the force of 

 arms. After many evafions and delays, it was propofed, in 

 the year 1545, to ad'emble a council at Trent, which was 

 vigoroully oppofed by the Protedants. The emperor and 

 the pope had mutually agreed to detlroy all who fnould dare 

 to oppofe this council. The meeting of that aflembly was 

 to ferve as a fignal for their taking arms ; and accordingly 

 its dehberations were fcarcely begun, in the year 1546, when 

 the Protedants perceived undoubted marks of a formidable 

 union to overwhelm and crufh them by one blow. The 

 father*) affemblpd in the council of Trent, promulgated 

 4 D 3 their 



