For an account of the progress of the Reformation in France, the massacre of St Bartholomew, and that which followed the revocation of the edict of Nantz, ace FRANCE.
The doctrine of the Protestant churches is the next topic which demands our attention. This doctrine, op posed as it is, in many important and prominent par ticulars, to the articles of the Romish faith, is detailed at considerable length, in the creeds and confessions, which have at different times been published by the chief persons and societies of the Reformation. The " Confession of Augsburg," which is understood to re present the Lutheran tenets, has been mentioned above. The doctrine of the English church is contained in her XXXIX Articles ; and that still adhered to in Scotland, is to be found in the Confession of Faith, and in the Larger and Shorter Catechisms of our national church. In the Scottish formularies, the peculiar doctrines of the Holy Scriptures are supposed to be more amply and distinctly set forth. It is worthy of notice, however, that in all the creeds and confessions above alluded to, there is a very remarkable agreement ; a harmony so conspicuous indeed, as well as gratifying, that the reader, by carefully consulting any one out of the whole number. may arrive at a sufficient degree of information, respect ing the doctrine professed and maintained by the reform ed communities. To one or other of these formularies,. therefore, we refer our readers; and shall proceed to offer a short account of the most important controvetsies which have been agitated among the Protestants, since the time of Luther to the present day.
When the leaders of the Reformation withdrew from the communion of Rome, they separated from her by different stages of removal, and with different degrees of aversion. Of all the distinguished individuals among the Protestants, Mclancthon appears to have retained the greatest attachment to the ancient opinions. lle was a person extremely gentle in his dispositions, and he. seems to have thought, that by mutual concessions and approximations, the peace of the church might be re stored and established. In one particular, the doctrine maintained by Luther himself, appears to have been re moved only a short way from the corresponding article of the Romish faith ; and, with regard to this one parti cular, the Father of the Reformation was long engaged in controversy, even with those who agreed with him in the general system of his belief. The particular to which we allude, is that very mysterious one, respecting the body and blood of Christ in the sacrament of the supper. It is true, that Luther denied and rejected, with abhor rence, the doctrine of transubstantiation, and would by no means allow, that the sacramental bread was convert ed into the real body of Christ. But while he denied any conversion of this nature, he strenuously maintained, that though the eucharistic bread continued, after the solemnity of consecration, to be nothing more than bread, the real body of Jesus, distinguished of course, as we should he inclined to think, by the usual material qualities, extended, visible and tangible, was present along with the bread. In one word, he held the doctrine
Of CONSUBSTANTIATION, or what was afterwards descri bed by the still more barbarous term of imnanation. It was the age of minute and evanescent distinctions, and of scholastic refinement ; a taste for subtle discrimina tion among kindred nr similar ideas prevailed ; and nei ther arguments nor illustrations were wanting. " As in red hot iron," said Luther, two distinct substances, viz. iron and fire, are united, so is the body of Christ joined with the bread in the eucharist." To such an argument or illustration, if it deserve the name of either, was a man even of Luther's sagacity reduced, when he set himself to maintain, what he felt to be absurd. But while the Saxon reformer was zealously employed in maintaining the tenet of consubstantia tion, a more plain and accessible doctrine was proposed by Zuinglius, his cotcmporary. We have already men. tioned the name of this distinguished person, as the first reformer of Switzerland ; and have stated, that he com menced his career with an activity equal or superior to that of Luther himself. Zuinglius rejected at once both the doctrine of the Romish church, respecting the eu charist, and the notion of consubstantiation; maintaining, certainly with a greater appearance of reason, " that the body and blood of Christ were not really present in the eucharist; and that the bread and wine were no more than external signs or symbols, intended to excite in the minds of Christians the remembrance of the sufferings and death of the divine Saviour, and or the benefits which result from his heavenly intercession." Besides the names of Luther and Zuinglins, as leaders in this mys tetious controversy, we must not fail to mention that of the celebrated Calvin. This last reformer was not a w hit behind the greatest of his cotemporarics in activity and zeal. lie maintained, however, a doctrine apparent ly intermediate between that of Luther and the opinion of Zuinglius; though it is not to be denied, that, upon this subject, he expressed himself with such an extra ordinary diversity, and even ambiguity of phrase, as renders it difficult or impossible to ascertain what his real sentiments were. Upon the whole, the opinion of Calvin seems to have been, that Christ was 44 spiritually present" in the eucharist; or, in other words, that as our blessed Saviour, according to the promise which he made to his disciples, is present with them, whenever two or three of them aro met together, so he is more immediately and effectually present, when they approach him in the solemn service of the Supper.