THE CHRISTIAN GUARDIAN, AND Church of England Magazine. DECEMBER 1824. MEMOIRS OF THE REFORMERS. MARTIN BUCER. [Concluded from page 407.] BUCER disputed with the Papists, successively, at Hagenau, Spires, Worms, and Ratisbon, constraining his enemies as well as friends to bear honourable testimony to his suavity and discretion. It is remarkable, that one of them, named Gropper, commended him to Herman of Wida, Archbishop of Cologne, as a fit person to be consulted on the reformation of religion; and that prelate, who had some previous knowledge of his talents and piety, requested his assistance for this purpose. He went to Co logne accordingly, and made so favourable an impression on Her Melancthon, in a letter to Camerarius, "had finished our work for the regulation of the churches, the aged Bishop, sending for his coadjutor and dean, Count Stokberg, a man of sense, and some other leading persons, desired me to read through the whole book in their presence, to which he paid the greatest attention, remarking: upon many passages, or suggesting very proper alterations; sometimes, however, preferring our opinion to his own. To this labour, he allotted four hours every morning for six days. I could not but admire the assiduity and diligence of the old man, and perceived how earnestly he managed the whole affair. He decides controversies> that he enjoined him to de- in the most skilful manner. The liver a course of lectures at the book contains in the beginning the neighbouring Church of Bonn, on sum of doctrine. Afterwards it the Rhine. The good Archbishop treats of the collegiate bodies, requested the Elector of Saxony to allowing the retention of dignities, permit Melancthon also to visit but recommending the reform of him, which led to a correspondence ceremonies. The Bishop called an between that Prelate, and the assembly to consider its contents. Elector and Landgrave, both of The counts, knights, and deputies whom, at the instance of Bucer, of cities, approved them, and enencouraged the venerable but timo- gaged to commence a suitable rerous dignitary in the work of regulation in their churches. In the form. Their exhortations had the happiest effect; and when Bucer and Melancthon had fortified him with arguments, he prosecuted the work with conscientious persever, ance, notwithstanding the violent opposition of his clergy. man, "After Bucer and myself," says DEC. 1824, chapter of Cologne, though some of the superiors thought rightly, yet there were many bad fellows. The other orders entreated them not to take any measures against their Prince*." They required, however, the Archbishop to send Bucer and his friends out of the city, while they examined the work; but he refused, unless they could be convicted of false doctrine or immoral conduct. Gropper, who had been the eulogist of Bucer, was now his principal antagonist. He and his party sent out an acrimonious publication, entitled, "the Judgment of the Deputies of the University and Inferior Clergy of Cologne, on the doctrine and vocation of Martin Bucer."-" This book," says Melancthon, writing to Cruciger," is "is not so much against Bucer, as against the doctrine of our churches, and against our princes. They had called it, The Judgment of the Clergy and University;' but when some of the more sane members of the college saw it, and perceived it was much more worthy of buffoons than of clergymen, they insisted on a change of title, and as a body protested against it." Bucer declared that he was ready to defend the part he had acted; and his friend answered this pamphlet by another, in which he exhorted the clergy to modesty and the study of truth. The result was, that the Prelate was excommunicated by the Pope, and deprived of his temporalities by the Emperor, and the Romish religion was retained in his electorate. In 1546 the reformer of Strasburg was conspicuous among his brethren for maintaining the Protestant sentiment on the merit of good works. In January, a grand conference was holden at Ratisbon for the second time, which was at tended on the part of the Romanists by Pedro Malvenda, the Spanish Jesuit; Everard Billick, a Carmelite (author of the Cologne libel); John Hofmeister, an Augustine; and Cochlæus, a noted divine of Nuremberg. Bucer appeared in behalf of the Protestants, accompanied by Brent, Major, and Snep fius. Some time having elapsed in the settlement of preliminaries, on the fifth of February, Malvenda opened the batteries on the point of justification; affirming, that man is not justified by faith alone, but by hope and charity also; endeavouring by much scholastic sophistry to conceal the fallacy of his argument. Bucer showed, that man is not justified before God through his own works, but freely through Christ by faith, believing, that he is received into grace, and that his sins are pardoned through the Redeemer; that Christ by his death made satisfaction for our sins; and that God doth impute faith for righteousness. His adversary then insisted, that works dispose and prepare for justification; that charity is the form of righteousness; that the works of men justified consummate justification, and deserve eternal life. The debate was interrupted by a message from the Emperor, appointing the Bishop of Hamburg joint president with the Bishop of Aichstadt, and the Count of Furstemberg. This leading to much unprofitable discussion, and the Protestants conceiving themselves unfairly handled, the Duke of Saxony recalled his deputies, and Bucer departed on the twentieth of March, to make his report to the Landgrave, publishing afterwards an account of the conference, in answer to the misrepresentations of the Papists, and handling at large the doctrine of Justification. It was said, that a curious contrast was exhibited between the two chief disputants. Malvenda in stating his points used so much unnecessary declamation, that Bucer amused himself with writing letters while he was speaking. When he drew towards a conclusion, Bucer wrote down a short sentence or two, and handing it over to the pompous Jesuit, coolly inquired, "if that was not his argument;" which being allowed, he proceeded to answer by a brief and pithy refutation *. Some theologians have nevertheless considered Bucer as defective in his views; but Mr. Toplady has taken pains to defend him from this imputation. "It has been affirmed, that Bucer held the doctrine of justification by works, and believed human obedience to be meritorious in the sight of God. That he was once of this opinion, is not at all wonderful, when we consider that he was born and educated in the bosom of the Romish church, with whom the tenet of legal justification is a fundamental principle. And, for a considerable time after God had called him out of papal darkness, his improvements in divine knowledge were progressive. His spiritual growth resembled the gradual vegetation of an oak; not the rapid proficiency of a mushroom. Bucer seems to have expressed himself the most incautiously in the disputation at Leipsic, A. D. 1539; yet even then he roundly declared, that those good works, to which so great a reward is given, are themselves the gift of God." "As Bucer advanced in years ánd experience, he learned to express his idea of justification with still greater clearness and precision, than he had done on some past occasions. Finding that the enemies of grace had greedily laid hold of some inadvertent phrases, and taken ungenerous advantage of some well-meant concessions, which he had made before his evangelical light was at the full; he deemed it necessary to retract such of his positions as countenanced the merit of works; and to place justification on the scriptural basis of the Father's gratuitous goodness, and the Son's imputed righteousness; still, however, taking care to inculcate, that the faith by which we receive the grace of God and the righteousness of Christ, is the certain source of all good works. For being thus honest to his convictions, he was loaded by his adversaries with accumulated slander and reproach. How modestly, and forcibly, he vindicated his conduct, may be judged from the following passage. The Lord (says Bucer) has given me to understand some places of Scripture more fully than I formerly did : which, as it is so bountifully given to me, why should I not impart it liberally to my brethren, and ingenuously declare the goodness of the Lord? What inconsistency is there, in profiting in the work of salvation? And who, in this age, or in the last, has treated of the Scripture, and has not experienced, that even in this study, one day is the scholar of another." "Indeed, no stronger proof need be given of Bucer's soundness in the article of justification, than the rapture and admiration with which he mentions the English Book of Homilies." No sooner," says Mr. Strype, were the Homilies composed, and sent abroad, but the news thereof (and the book itself, as it seemed, already translated into Latin) came to Strasburg among the Protestants there; where it caused great rejoicing. And Bucer, one of the chief ministers there, wrote a congratulatory epistle hereupon to the Church of England, in November 1547, which was printed in the year after. Therein, that learned and moderate man showed, How these pious. sermons were come among them, wherein the people were so godlily and effectually exhorted to the reading of the Holy Scriptures; and faith was so well explained, whereby we become Christians; justification, whereby we are saved; and the other chief heads of the Christian religion are soundly handled. And, therefore (as he added), these foundations being rightly laid, there could be nothing wanting in our churches, requisite towards the building hereupon sound doctrine and discipline." He commended much the Homilies on Faith, the nature and force of which was so clearly discussed; and wherein it was so well distinguished from the faith that was dead, He much approved of the manner of treating concerning the misery and death we are all lapsed into, by the sin of our first parent; and how we are rescued from this perdition, only by the grace of God, and by the merit and resurrection of his Son *." On the mysterious subject of Predestination, this Reformer expresses himself in strong and decided language, and advances positions, which few, in the present day, are prepared altogether to maintain. His opinion on the following, among other topics, will be found more generally acceptable. We teach that the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Faith, worketh in all those who are regenerated by him, with and by this faith of the Gospel, through which they really and truly believe on our Lord Jesus Christ, a full confidence towards God, whereby they embrace him as their Father, who loves them infinitely more than any earthly father does his dearest children: and towards Christ our Lord as their only Saviour, who ever intercedes for them with the Father, and who will de liver them from every evil, and lead them to every good, till he brings them there, where he himself is. Hence, also, this Spirit, in like manner, works in all who are of this description, a firm hope of all grace and assistance from God, and of eternal life. We teach again, that this Holy Spirit, from and with this true faith, con Historic Proof of Doct. Calv. of Ch. of England, p. 363. fidence, and hope in God, and Christ our Lord, does also produce in the sons of God true love to him, bold confession, and sanctification of his name, in all their words and, actions, and even in courageously sustaining all those things which are to be suffered on that account, even in every kind of punishment, and, finally, in death itself, "We confess and teach, that although true faith, as has been said, always and necessarily is, through love, studious of all good works, (for by faith we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,) yet nevertheless sin, which, from the innate corruption of our nature, dwells in us as long as we live here, is so strong, that we neither have faith, hope, nor charity, so complete, or do any good works so perfectly, as the Almighty God justly requires them from us in his law: so that all the saints, how great progress soever they may have made in piety, while they live on the earth, are yet obliged daily to pray to God through our Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of their debts; because they have never yet paid what they owe to God, and likewise for the pardon of many sins, which moreover they have committed; so that they esteem as nothing, and as dung, whatever good they have at any time performed: and finally place all their comfort, and all their hope of salvation, only and exclusively on our Lord Jesus Christ, who alone is the propitiation for our sins, and who of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." On the publication of the "Interim" in 1548, Bueer maintained his integrity, in spite of intreaties or menaces, and could not be brought to countenance a measure, which, though sanctioned by Melancthon and some other Protestants for the sake of peace, made |