VIII. CHAP. sins, faith, good works, and other topics connected with them. In these I clearly perceived that many things, which Augustine maintained in opposition to those heretics, are now condemned by the monks and their adherents; while those very fundamental principles of the heretical doctrines are asserted, which Augustine most zealously opposed.—But Almighty God, of his infinite mercy, ever kept alive in my heart that spark of divine light, kindled by himself, which led me to acknowledge that our salvation is by his grace, and not for our merits. I also frequently recalled to mind the discourse on the subject of salvation, which, with great pleasure, I had heard from my dear uncle, the bishop Adolphus,' a little before his death. A licensed preacher having said much of human merits, and extolled them highly, the good bishop severely reproved him, citing the words of the psalmist, In thy sight shall no man living be justified. Thrice he repeated and urged the exclusive terms, no man-no man living. And he himself at length departed this life in peace, in this very confidence in the divine mercy, and not in any merits of his own.-In like manner, I remembered that my much loved mother held fast this article with an unwavering faith; of which I not only have the testimony in her own hand-writing, but I could myself give evidence to the fact, from having been present with her to the time that she drew her last breath. "The consequence of all this was, that, when I found that the persons on whom I had unduly relied, and who hesitated not to pass off all their own notions as the decisions of the church, 1 Bishop of Mersburg. A. D. 1545. had erred so widely from the truth of the scriptures, the sentiments of the fathers, and the determinations of the holy catholic church in this article, which is the very basis of all Christian doctrine, I was not a little disturbed and terrified.'"-He then goes on to state some further considerations which shook his confidence in these teachers, particularly their making so light of the holy scriptures. But yet, he confesses, he was strongly prejudiced against the Lutherans, from the persuasion that their doctrine was subversive of all good works and good order, and from the number of sects to which they seemed to give occasion. He calls God to witness, how many sleepless nights he had passed, and what anguish he had suffered, while his mind was held in suspense. Still, however, he adhered to his principle, that our dependence must be upon grace, and not on our own merits: other points he was willing to refer to the decision of a council.-This was about the period of the dict of Augsburg. But, f Augswhen he had read the confession of the pro- burg on his testants there presented, and saw that the mind; representations which had been made to him of their religion did not correspond with it, he thought that they must have corrected some of their errors, and be meditating a return to the church. At the same time he was much pleased with what he found taught in the confession, from S. Augustine, concerning free will and some other points. When afterwards he had read the apology for the confession, and had seen the decree of Augsburg, in which all the old abuses were sanctioned, and the errors of the various sects confounded with the doctrine of the protestants, and the whole condemned together, he became more and more 1530. Effect of the Confession CHAP. convinced that the course adopted was unjustifiable.'-He now had recourse to the and of the writings of Luther; and he found that that writings of reformer had only met with the same treat Luther. ment that the ancient prophets had done, who always had the assertors of human merits for their enemies. He does not deny that he was offended at the harshness and acerbity of Luther's manner of writing; yet he could not but admit the truth of his sentiments. He also called to mind another observation of his mother's, That she was surprised that the teachers, to whom she had been accustomed, spoke in no such impressive manner concerning the grace of Christ as the new preachers did she confessed that she had become better instructed upon this subject from the writings of the latter than she had before been, and she hoped that the 1 Scultetus says of him, "When the controversies were raised about religion, though he concurred in many pious sentiments of the reformers, yet he would not hastily pronounce on their doctrine at large, but implored, with ardent prayers, that his mind might submissively receive the truth; often with tears repeating the words, Deal with thy servant according to thy mercy, and teach me thy righteousness!” The same faithful annalist speaks, in the strongest terms, of the high veneration which George's exemplary life and conversation procured him. He has also preserved a long and curious letter written by the bigoted Cochlæus, warning George against the danger, to which he seemed to be exposed, of listening to the Lutherans; pointing out the consequences which must follow, not only to the prejudice of his soul's salvation, but to the hinderance of his advancement in the church; and finally telling him, that, if he listened to the suggestions of heretics rather than to this admonition, he might expect it to be denounced to him, as it had been to the idolatrous king of Israel," Because thou hast sent to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, as if there were no God in Israel, therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thon art gone up, but shalt surely die."-Scult. 178, 184-186. former would be brought to teach in the same manner, in this respect.-It was a stumbling block indeed to him, that so complete a reformation of manners did not follow, as he should have hoped but then he clearly saw that this was not the fault either of the teachers or of the instruction given. With respect to the sects that arose after Luther's reformation, he reflected, that Luther could not be answerable for all which rash and heady spirits among his followers might advance: that the reformer had opposed such persons to the utmost of his ability that it had been the reproach cast upon Christianity itself in the early ages, that it caused divisions and disturbances: that the boasted harmony, prior to the reformation, either did not exist, (for the discords of the monks had produced many tragic scenes,) or it was founded in ignorance and the toleration of all sorts of abuses; in short, it amounted only to this, that Satan had universal possession and his goods were in peace.-As to the argument from the necessity of obeying the church, he considered, that the church was the spouse of Christ, and had not authority to enjoin any thing but from the word of her Lord; and therefore that due obedience was not violated by resistance to abuses. Nor was he moved by the reasoning, that, if those were indeed errors which Luther assailed, then God must have deserted his church for ages past: for he perceived that, notwithstanding these errors and evils, God had still had a church, and persons who were members of it, as in the corrupt times of Israel: that he had, indeed, by a righteous but inscrutable judgment, for the punishment of the people's sins, permitted great darkness and corruption to prevail; but A. D. 1545. CHAP. His letters that they might expect still worse things to come upon them, if they should now shut their eyes against the light which had visited them. He reprobates the rejection of the truth, from mere prejudice against the person of Luther: nor would he, he says, allow himself to be influenced by the consideration, that the professors of the new doctrine might subject themselves to the loss of rank and wealth; for that things of that kind were not promised to Christians, and ought not to be desired by them: and, with respect to the hatred of men, he remembered the apostle's saying, If I were a man-pleaser, I should not be the servant of Jesus Christ. He trusts in God, however, to make even his enemies to be at peace with him."1 At the close of his correspondence with George of Saxony, he observes, that "he would not further harass a person who was now grown old, was one to whom he owed obligations, and whom on many accounts he highly respected; but that daily, as often as he repeated the words of the Lord's prayer, Thy will be done, he prayed and would not cease to pray for him." 2-This was in the year 1538, only one year before the death of George. The careful consideration of the statements now before us cannot but be both impressive and useful. Not only do they evince the integrity of George's mind; they shew also what would be the result of a candid examination to many others besides Roman catholics, who now proceed very confidently under the influence of early prejudices, or in blind reliance upon what they esteem great authorities. In the year 1541, at the time of the diet of |