INTRODUCTION,

CONTENTS.

Pp. 1-9

CHAPTER FIRST.

ON THE EFFECT OF THE REFORMATION ON CIVIL LIBERTY.

Importance of Liberty to Human Happiness....Not really enjoyed in the

...

States of Europe before the Sixteenth Century....They would proba

bly have remained strangers to it but for the Reformation. . . .Papal

Rome....Spiritual Supremacy of the Popes....Their temporal domi.

nion. .Ignorance the source of Papal Domination. . . .Means em-

ployed by the Pontiffs for the establishment of their power....The

Papal system was protected by religious belief....The Church was

the protectress of civil tyranny....Luther....His opposition to the

Court of Rome. . . .Tetzel. . . .Sale of Indulgences....Luther de-

nounces them....Is anathematized....His magnanimous conduct

..The translation of the Holy Scriptures forwarded the Reforma.

tion. .Hostility of the Church of Rome to the reading of the Scrip-

tures. .Rapid spread of the Reformation. . . .It partially overthrew

the spiritual supremacy of the Pontiffs....Destroyed their secular

domination....This the case even in Catholic countries....The

overthrow given to the power of Rome soon affected the civil

governments of Europe....Writings of the Reformers....They were,

1. Advocates for the rights of the people; Sentiments of Luther;

Melancthon; Zuinglius; Knox; Calvin-2. The Reformers advo-

cated the rights of Princes; Unjustly accused of hostility to govern-

ment..

...View of the change produced by the Reformation on the

liberties of the states of Europe. . . .England. . . .Her condition be

fore the Reformation....Her condition posterior to it... .Scotland

....The Reformation in her the dawn of genuine liberty. . . .Knox

....The Covenanters. . . .Our obligations to them. . . .Consolidation

of British liberty in 1688. . . . .Holland. . . . .Sweden. . . . .Denmark

....Germany. . . .Switzerland. . . .Geneva. . . .Condition of the Ca-

tholic states.

Pp. 10-109

.Italy. . . .France. . . .Spain.

CHAPTER SECOND.

ON THE EFFECT OF THE REFORMATION ON THE INTERNAL

SECURITY AND PROSPERITY OF THE KINGDOMS OF EU-

ROPE, AND ON THEIR INTERCOURSE WITH EACH OTHER.

...

The Reformation has impressed the minds of the people with the duties

which they owe to their rulers....The Papal system entwined with

the affairs of Government. . . .The interest of the Church deemed of

paramount importance. . . .Vengeance of the Popes against the

princes and nations by whom they were offended. . . .Excommunica-

tion....Interdict. . . .Nations thrown into confusion by these instru-

ments of Papal wrath. . . .Principle which lay at the foundation of all

this preposterous. . . .Abolished by the Reformation. . . .All interfer-

ence of a foreign power with the internal affairs of States excluded

.The Reformation has impressed on the minds of Rulers the du-

ties which they owe to their subjects. . . .Coronation oath, to be

faithful to Rome, led to persecution. . . .Happier system introduced

by the Reformation. . . .Princes raised above the control of Rome....

Harmony of feeling, and of interest produced between Protestant

princes and their people. . . .Charles IX....Elizabeth....Bartholo

mew massacre... .The Reformation abolished many customs and in-

stitutions, which corrupted the morals, and impoverished the re-

sources of the states of Europe. . . .Monachism....Diminution of the

number of festivals and holidays....The Reformation imposed a

powerful check on the perpetration of crime....Doctrine of indul-

gences....Doctrine of the right of sanctuary... .Abolished in Pro-

testant lands. . . .Beneficial effect of the Reformation on the inter-

course of states with each other,

Pp. 110-187

CHAPTER THIRD.

ON THE EFFECT OF THE REFORMATION ON DOMESTIC HAP-
PINESS, AND, IN GENERAL, ON THE HAPPINESS OF SO-
CIAL LIFE.

This subject partly anticipated...Social morality promoted by the Refor-
mation...Morality essential to happiness...Superstition its enemy...

The Popish superstition...Corruption of manners...The progress of

literature would have furnished no remedy for the prevailing evils...

The Reformation a recurrence to Christian principles and Christian

purity...A revolution in point of social morality forced upon Catholics

The Reformation gave security to the intercourse of social life...

...Principles of Popery opposed to it...The virtue and peace of domes-

tic life in the power of the Clergy...Auricular confession...Abomina-

tions practised under shelter of this doctrine...Abolished in Protes-

tant lands... The Reformation effected an auspicious change in the

whole character of the people...Tendency of the Catholic system to

destroy generous feeling...Awfully intolerant... The temper of popery

the reverse of that by which domestic society can be rendered happy

...Charity the peculiar spirit of the Reformation,

Pp. 188-207

CHAPTER FOURTH.

ON THE EFFECT OF THE REFORMATION ON THE PROGRESS

OF KNOWLEDGE.

Value of knowledge to man...Its importance to national dignity and vir-

tue...Melancholy state of knowledge before the 16th century...The

papal system hostile to learning...Bacon...Galileo...A happier age

was approaching...Principles by which men were influenced before

and since the Reformation widely different...The latter naturally

tended to stimulate knowledge... The Protestant Reformers were

men of learning...Desired its advancement...Discussions originated

by the Reformation promoted knowledge...Noblest works of genius

were produced by Protestants...Study of literature forced upon the

Catholics... Knowledge cannot be encouraged by the church of Rome

...Protestant States most eminent for literature...Progress of know-

ledge since the Reformation...Liberal sentiments of the Scottish Re-

formers....Their enlightened designs....Greatly unsuccessful....One

noble achievement of theirs...Establishment of Parochial Schools...

Their value to Scotland...Great efforts in the present age to promote

improvement...The Church of Rome is opposing the progress of

knowledge... Her efforts will be finally unsuccessful...Universal spread

of knowledge anticipated,
Pp. 208-228

CHAPTER FIFTH.

ON THE EVIL CONSEQUENCES OF THE REFORMATION.

The most auspicious events attended with some evils... Illustration of this

in the history of Christianity... The Reformation occasioned various

disastrous wars... Has been charged with injuring Literature and the

Arts...This charge considered... The Reformation originated a vast

multiplicity of sects... Has awakened the strife of controversy...Reca-

pitulation,
Pp. 229-253

APPENDIX.

I. Of the Inquisition...II. Bull of Pius VII. against Bible Societies...En-

cyclical Letter of Leo XII....III. Doctrine of the Protestant Churches

respecting the duty which subjects owe to their rulers...IV. Forms

of Papal Excommunication... Princes excommunicated...V. Monas-

teries in Scotland... VI. Protestation of Innocent X. against the

Peace of Westphalia... VII. Triumph of Popish principle over the

obligations of friendship... VIII. Intolerance of the Papal church...

Bull in Cana Domini... Persecutions in France during last century...

IX. Abjuration of Galileo...X. Of the Index Expurgatorius...XI. Ro-

man Catholics in Ireland plead for permission to their children to

learn to read the Scriptures...XII. Bull of Pope Innocent VIII.

against the Waldenses,
Pp. 255-320

INTRODUCTION.

It is not, for the most part, by those who are contemporaneous with great events, that a proper estimate can be formed of their importance. The wisdom of that Providence which governs the world, has chosen, in the accomplishment of its purposes, to pursue a course altogether different from that which would have been adopted by the wisdom of man; educing from occurrences, apparently so trivial as to be greatly unnoticed by the men among whom they took place, a succession of most interesting and splendid consequences, and confounding human calculation by the momentous light in which those scarcely heeded occurrences come to be regarded by the people of succeeding generations. Among the multitude of illustrations which history furnishes of the truth of this remark, the event concerning which it is proposed to treat in the sequel of this essay, is one of the most interesting and memorable.

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