The Reformation was brought about by wars, in which many thousands of the votaries of Rome were flain, and by which the Pope and his adherents were intimidated. At the Reformation, so many kingdoms fhook off their fubjection to Rome, that a tenth part of the Roman empire rebelled. For instance, England, Scotland, Ireland, many German principalities, Switzerland, Holland, and many other parts of the western world, at this time fhook off their fubjection to Rome, both in civil and religious matters. Thus a great revolu

tion took place. In confenting to allow the Protestants a civil and a religious establishment independent of Papal Rome, that hierarchy declared how much it was afraid, and it gave glory to that God who by fuch weak and unlikely inftruments, and in spite of fuch powerful and keen enemies, had restored, established, and fupported his church in the world.

From the Reformation to the present day, the Chriftians have appeared in the form of eftablished churches, but churches neither fo pure nor fo profperous that it can be faid that no cloud hangs ,over them. From that day to this, there have been witneffes for the truth as it is in Jefus, whom neither favours nor frowns have been able to pervert or filence.

Thefe facts are all recorded by Mofheim in his history, Dupin in his hiftory on thefe centuries, Jean Paul Perrin in his hiftory of the Waldenfes,

the

the illuftrious hiftorian of our own country, Dr Robertfon, in his hiftory of Charles the Fifth, Emperor of Germany, and Sleidan's hiftory of the Reformation. The accounts of them given by these hiftorians are too long to be transcribed into this commentary; to thefe hiftories I must therefore refer my readers. But for the information of thofe who have not accefs to them, I fhall transcribe a very few of these paffages from Mofheim's Church Hiftory.

Mofheim, Hift. vol. i. cent. xi. page 525. “Notwithstanding all this, we find from the time of Gregory VII. feveral proofs of the zealous ef "forts of thofe, who are generally called by the

66

Proteftants, the Witnesses of the Truth, by whom "are meant, fuch pious and judicious Christians as "adhered to the pure religion of the gospel, and "remained uncorrupted amidst the growth of fu

66

perftition, who deplored the miferable ftate to which Chriftianity was reduced by the altera"tion of its divine doctrines, and the vices of its

66

66

66

66

profligate ministers, who opposed with vigour the tyrranic ambition both of the lordly pontiff and afpiring bishops; and in fome provinces privately, in others openly, attempted the reforma"tion of a corrupt and idolatrous church, and of "a barbarous and fuperftitious age. This was in"deed bearing witness to the truth in the nobleft "manner, and it was principally in Italy and France

"France that the marks of this heroic piety were "exhibited."

Vol. i. page 615. cent. xii. "Of all the fects "that were in this century, none was more dif

tinguished by the reputation it acquired by the. "multitude of its votaries, and the teftimony "which its bittereft enemies bore to the probity "and innocence of its members, than that of the "Waldenfes, fo called from their parent and foun"der Peter Waldus.-The origin of this famous "fect was as follows. Peter an opulent merchant "of Lyons, furnamed Valdenfis or Validifius from Vaux or Waldum, a town in the marquifate of Lyons, being extremely zealous for the advance"ment of true piety and Chriftian knowledge, employed a certain priest about the year 1160 "in tranflating from Latin into French the four Gospels, with other books of holy fcripture, and "the most remarkable fentences of the antient "doctors, which were fo highly efteemed in this

66

66

66

century. But no fooner had he perused these "facred books with a proper degree of attention, “than he perceived that the religion which was "now taught in the Roman church differed totally "from that which was originally inculcated by "Chrift and his apoftles. Struck with this glaring "contradiction between the doctrines of the pontiffs "and the truths of the gofpel, and animated with "a pious zeal for promoting his own falvation

and

"and that of others, he abandoned his mercantile "vocation, diftributed his riches among the poor; forming an affociation with other pious men who had adopted his fentiments and his turn of "devotion, he began in the year 1180 to affume "the character of a public teacher, and to inftruct "the multitude in the doctrines and precepts of "Christianity. The archbishop of Lyons, and the "other rulers of the church in that province oppofed with vigour this new doctor in the exer"cife of his miniftry. But their oppofition was "unfuccefsful; for the purity and fimplicity of "that religion which thefe good men taught, the fpotlefs innocence that fhone forth in their lives "and actions, and the noble contempt of riches "and honours which was confpicuous in the whole "of their conduct and converfation, appeared fo "engaging to all fuch as had any sense of true piety, that the number of their disciples and "followers increafed from day to day. They ac

cordingly formed religious affemblies, firft in "France, and afterwards in Lombardy; from "whence they propagated their fect throughout "the other provinces of Europe with an incredi"ble rapidity, and with fuch invincible fortitude, "that neither fire nor fword, nor the most cruel "inventions of mercilefs perfecution could damp "their zeal or entirely ruin their caufe. The at"tempts of Peter Waldus and his followers were VOL. I.

3 E

neither

"neither employed nor defigned to introduce "new doctrines into the church, nor to propofe "new articles of faith to Chriftians. All they aim"ed at, was to reduce the form of ecclefiaftical go"vernment, and the lives and manners both of the

clergy and people, to that amiable fimplicity "and that primitive fanctity that characterised "the apoftolic age, and which appear fo ftrongly "recommended in the precepts and injunctions of "the divine Author of our holy religion."

Vol. i page 794, cent. xv. "In England and "Scotland, the difciples of Wickliffe, whom the "multitude had ftigmatifed with the odious title "of Lollards, continued to inveigh against the defpotic laws of the pontiffs, and the licentious manners of the clergy. The Waldenfes, though perfecuted and oppreffed on all fides, and from

66

66

66

every quarter, raised their voices, even in the "remote vallies and lurking places, whither they "were driven by the violence of their enemies, "and called aloud for fuccour to the expiring "caufe of religion and virtue."

From the present day to the year 1999, the end of this period, the church of Chrift fhall continue not merely as fcatered individuals, but alfo as a conftituted and vifible church. Its imperfections and troubles, during that time, fhall fhew that a cloud hangs over it. Since the reformation in the fixteenth century, all things fhall go on fo

much