An Ecclesiastical History, Ancient and Modern, Tr. by A. MacLaine

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1826 edition. Excerpt: ... 234 SECTION II. PART II. The History Of The Modern Churches. CHAPTER I. The History of the Lutheran Church. Cent DEGREESxvh. DEGREES have already seen4 the calamities and vexa DEGREESchareh" t'ons tnat were entaile DEGREES on tne Lutheran church, by lows ground the persecuting spirit of the Roman pontiffs, and the pu'eTM" intemperate zeal of the house of Austria, which, on TueHes- many occasions, shewed too great a propensity to bnaCfci- second their ambitious and despotic measures; we shall, therefore, at present confine our view to the losses it sustained from other quarters. The cause of Lutheranism suffered considerably by the desertion of Maurice, landgrave of Hesse, a prince of uncommon genius and learning, who not only embraced the doctrine and discipline of the reformed churchb, but also, in 1604, removed the Lutheran professors from their places in the university of Marpurg, and the doctors of that communion from the churches they had in his dominions. After taking this vigorous step, on account of the obstinacy with which the Lutheran clergy opposed his design, he took particular care to have his subjects instructed in the doctrine of the Helvetic church, and introduced into the Hessian churches the form of public worship that was observed at Geneva. This plan was not executed without some difficulty; but it acquired a complete a In the History of the Romish Church.--See above. b The reader must always remember, that the writers of the continent generally use the denomination of reformed in a limited sense, to distinguish the church of England and the Cal* Vmistical churches from those of the Lutheran persuasion. degree of stability and consistence in 1619, when M*v.**i. deputies were sent by this prince to the synod of "* Dordrecht, with