peror, was detained a prifoner by a fcandalous violation of a folemn convention. The Protefters and Reformers with great reluctance, however, acquiefced for a time in a certain formulary, as a rule of faith and worship, called the interim, drawn up by order of the Emperor, as a rule to both the votaries of Rome and the Reformers, until the matter fhould be decided by a general council. Pope Julius III. at the importunate folicitations of the Emperor, confented to the affembling a council at Trent for that purpose. In a diet of the empire, which was held at Augsburg in 1551, the greatest part of the princes gave their confent to the convocation of this council. By acquiefcing in the interim, as a rule of faith and worship, in which none of the errors of Popery were rejected, but fome of them only foftened in the mode of expreffion; and by confenting to have their differences determined by a council called by the Pope, and with himself or his legate at its head; they ceafed to bear witness against the Papal hierarchy.

Now it was that the two witneffes were dead; now, for the first time, like dead perfons, they cease to bear witness to the truth, and to oppose the Papal hierarchy. But these witneffes thus filenced, thus dead as witneffes, rofe to life again, to the great aftonishment and terror of their enemies, at the end of three years and an half, as preVOL. I. 3 D dicted

dicted in verfe 11. That very Maurice, formerly Duke, now Elector of Saxony, who had acted fo perfidious and unjust a part to the proteftant reformers, forry for his former conduct, entered into a confederacy against the emperor, marched a powerful army against him in the year 1552, with fuch astonishing rapidity and valour, that he furprized Charles at Infpruck, where he lay with a handful of troops in the utmoft fecurity. Alarmed and dejected to the highest degree by this fud. den and unforfeen event, the emperor was willing to make peace on almoft any conditions. Thus terrified he, in a little time, not only concluded at Paffau the famous treaty of pacification with the Proteftants, but alfo promifed to affemble, in the space of fix months, a diet in which all the tumults and diffentions, that had been occafioned by a variety of fentiments in religious matters, fhould be removed.

The farther account of this diet cannot be expreffed in better terms than thofe, in which the hiftory of it is given by Mofheim, Hift. vol. ii. pages 66, and 67,-" The troubles of Germany "with feveral other incidents, rendered it impof"fible to affemble the diet, which the emperor "had promised at the pacification of Paffau, so "foon as the period mentioned in the articles of "that treaty. This famous diet met, however, "at Augsburg in the year 1555, was opened by

Ferdinand

"Ferdinand in the name of the emperor, and ter"minated thofe deplorable fcenes of bloodshed,

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defolation, and discord, that had so long afflicted "both church and ftate; by that religious peace, "as it is commonly called, which fecured to the

Proteftants the free exercife of their religion, and "eftablished this ineftimable liberty upon the "firmeft foundations. For after various debates, "the following memorable acts were paffed on "the 25th September: That the proteftants, who "followed the confeffion of Augfburg, fhould be "for the future confidered as entirely exempt "from the jurisdiction of the Roman pontiff, and "from the authority and fuperintendency of the

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bishops; that they were left at perfect liberty "to enact laws for themfelves, relating to their religious fentiments, difcipline and worship; "that all the inhabitants of the German empire "should be allowed to judge for themselves in religious matters, and to join themselves to that

church, whofe doctrine and worship they thought "the pureft, and the moft confonant to the fpirit "of true Chriftianity; and that all thofe who "fhould injure or perfecute any perfon under reli

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gious pretexts, and on account of their opinions," "fhould be declared and proceeded against as pub"lic enemies of the empire, invaders of its liberty and difturbers of its peace. The difficulties "that were to be furmounted, before this equitable 3 D 2 decifion

"decifion could be procured, the tedious delibera"tions, the warm debates, the violent animofities "and bloody wars, that were neceffary to engage "the greatest part of the German ftates, to confent "to conditions fo agreeable to the dictates of right reafon, as well as to the facred injunctions of "the gofpel, fhew us, in a fhocking and glaring

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point of light, the ignorance and fuperftition of "these miferable times, and ftand upon record as "one of the most evident proofs of the neceffity of "the Reformation."

That the time, when the Protestants, after having subscribed the interim, agreed to the convocation of a general council was the year 1551, is evident from Mofheim, Hift. vol. ii. page 64, "The greateft part of the princes gave their con"fent to the convocation of this council, to which "alfo Maurice elector of Saxony fubmitted upon "certain conditions. The emperor then conclud"ed the diet in the year 1551."

From the end of the 1551, to about the middle of the 1555, is just three years and an half. In the 1552, the emperor had promised that the diet at Augfburg fhould be held in fix months, which would have been about two years fooner than the predicted time, for the two witneffes to arife to life and ftand on their feet. But that God who, without human perception or intention, can, and does overrule all circumftances, to accomplish the pur

pofes

poses of his will in the government of the world, fo overruled the disturbances and other circumftances in the empire, that that diet could not be held, and in fact was not held until the year 1555, when the three years and an half, in which the witneffes were filent, were completed.

Now it was that Chriftians ftood upon their feet; now it was that they obtained at once a civil and a religious establishment, independent of Rome. Formerly fcattered individuals, they now appear, fince the diet of Augsburgh in 1555, an established and visible church. In confequence of the many imperfections which then cleaved and ftill cleave to that church, and the many difficulties it has still to encounter, it is faid to be under a cloud. Among all the reformed churches, it will not be easy to find one fo perfectly conformable to the model of Chrift's church as given in facred fcripture, or to that pure form in which it fhall appear at the end of this period, or fo totally free from contempt and injuries that it cannot be faid that a cloud hangs over it. And probably there are few reformed churches in which, notwithfstanding the thicker or thinner cloud which hangs over them, there are not many individual perfons who are real Chriftians, God's fealed ones, whom he knows to be his, who name the name of Chrift and depart from evil.

The