XIX. the science is not only neceffary to protect ingenuity LETTER against force, but intimately connected with feveral others conducive to the happiness of mankind. All the powers of the foul were roufed, and all the emotions of the heart called forth. Courage ceafed to be an enthusiastic energy or rapacious impulfe: it became a steady effort in vindication of the dearest interefts of fociety. No longer the flaves of fuperftition, of blind belief, or blind opinion, determined and intelligent men firmly afferted their civil and religious rights. And Germany produced confummate generals, found politicians, deep divines, and even acute philofophers, before he made any advances in the Belles Lettres. The reason is obvious. THE revival of learning in Europe had prepared the minds of men for receiving the doctrines of the Refor. mation, as foon as they were promulgated; and instead of being startled when the daring hand of Luther drew afide, or rather rent the veil that covered established errors, the genius of the age, which had encouraged the attempt, applauded its fuccefs. Even before the appearance of Luther, Erafmus had confuted, with great eloquence and force of reasoning, several tenets of the Romish church (though it does not appear that he had any intention of overturning the established system of religion), and expofed others, as well as the learning of the schools, with much wit and pleafantry, to all the fcorn of ridicule. Luther himfelf, though a ftranger to elegance or taste in compofition, zealously promoted the ftudy of ancient literature, as neceffary to a right understanding of the fcriptures, which he held up as the standard of religious truth. A knowledge of the Greek and Latin languages became common among the reformers: and though in general little capable of relishing the beauties of the claffics, they PART II. infenbly acquired, by perufing 'them, a clearness of reasoning and a freedom of thinking, which not only enabled them to triumph over their antagonists, but to investigate with accuracy feveral moral and political fubjects. THESE, instead of polite literature, employed the thoughts of thofe, who were not altogether immersed in theological controverfy; and the names of Grotius and Puffendorf are still mentioned with refpect. They delineated, with no fmall degree of exactness, the great outlines of the human character, and the laws of civil fociety it was referved for later writers, for Smith and Ferguson, Montefquieu and Helvetius, to complete the picture. Their principles they derived partly from general reasoning, and partly from the Folitical fituation of Europe in that age. In Germany and the United Provinces, Proteftants and Catholics were every where blended; and the fatal experience of the deftructive effects of perfecution, not any profound investigation, feemis firft to have fuggefted the idea of mutual toleration, the most important principle established by the political and controverfial writers of the feventeenth century. This fubject demands particular attention. In the prefent age it may feem incredible, and more elpecially in England, where the idea of toleration is become familiar, and where its beneficial effects are felt, that men fhould ever have been perfecuted for their speculative opinions; or that a method of terminating their differences, fo agreeable to the mild and charitable fpirit of Chriftianity, did not immediately occur to the contending parties. But in order to be able to judge properly of this matter, we must transport tranfport ourselves back to the fixteenth century, when the facred rights of confcience and of private judgment, obvious as they now appear, were little understood; and when not only the idea of toleration, but even the word itself in the sense now affixed to it, was unknown among Chriftians. The cause of such fingularity deferves to be traced. AMONG the ancient Heathens, whofe deities were all local and tutelary, diversity of sentiments concerning the object or rites of religious worship seems to have been no fource of animofity; because the acknowledging of veneration to be due to any one God, did not imply a denial of the existence or power of any other God. Nor were the modes and rites of worship eftablished in one country, incompatible with those of other nations. Therefore the errors in their theological fyftem were of fuch a nature as to be confiftent with concord; and notwithstanding the amazing number of their divinities, as well as the infinite variety of their ceremonies, a fociable and tolerating spirit fubfifted almoft univerfally in the Pagan world. But when the preachers of the Gospel declared ONE Supreme Being to be the fole object of religious veneration, and prescribed the form of worship most acceptable to him, whofoever admitted the truth of it, confequently held every other mode of religion to be abfurd and impious. Hence the zeal of the first converts to the Chrif tian faith, in propagating its doctrines, and the ardour with which they endeavoured to overturn all other forms of worship. That ardour, and not, as commonly supposed, their religious system, drew upon them the indignation of the civil power. At length, as formerly obferved, Christianity afcended the throne of the Cæfars, and the Crofs was exalted in LETTER XIX. PART II. the Capitol. But although numbers, imitating the example of the court (which confined its favours chiefly to the followers of the new religion), crowded into the church, many ftill adhered to the ancient worship. Enraged at fuch obftinacy, the minifters of Jefus forgot fo far the nature of their own miffion, and the means which they ought to have employed for making profelytes, that they armed the imperial power against thofe unhappy men; and as they could not perfuade, they endeavoured to compel them to believe". In the mean time, controverfies, concerning articles of faith, multiplied among the Chriftians themselves; and the fame compulfive measures, the fame punishments, and the fame threatenings, which had been directed against infidels and idolaters, were also made ufe of against heretics, or thofe who differed from the established church in matters of worship or doctrine. Every zealous difputant endeavoured to intereft the civil magiftrate in his cause, and several employed, in their turn, the fecular arm to crush or extirpate their opponents. In order to terminate thefe diffenfions, which every where defolated the Chriftian world, as well as to exalt their own confequence, the bishops of Rome put in their claim to infallibility in explaining articles of faith, and deciding finally on all points of controversy: and, bold as the pretension was, they fo far impofed on the credulity of mankind, as to get it recognised. Perhaps a latent fenfe of the neceffity of univerfal freedom, or of fome fixed ftandard, in matters of religion, might affift the deceit. But however that may have been, it is certain that the remedy was 7. Mofheim, Hift. Ecclef. vol. i. Robert 6. Part I. Lett. i. 8. Id. ibid. worfe XIX. worfe than the difeafe. If wars and bloodshed were LETTER the too common effects of the diverfity of opinions arifing from different interpretations of fcripture, and of hereditary princes fometimes embracing one opinion, fometimes another, a total extinction of knowledge and inquiry, and of every noble virtue, was the confequence of the papal fupremacy. It was held not only a refifting of truth, but an act of rebellion against the facred authority of that unerring tribunal, to deny any doctrine to which it had given the fanction of its approbation; and the fecular power, of which, by various arts, the popes had acquired the abfolute direction in every country, was inftantly exerted to avenge both crimes. A defpotifm more complete was established than that of the Romish dominion, and more debafing, as we have feen, than any fpecies of civil tyranny. To this fpiritual defpotifm had Europe been fubjected for feveral centuries, before any one ventured to call in queftion the authority on which it was founded. Even after the æra of the Reformation, a right to extirpat error by force was univerfally allowed to be the privilege of those who poffeffed the knowledge of TRUTH; and as every fect of Chriftians believed that was their peculiar gift, they all claimed and exercifed, as far as they were able, the prerogatives which it was fuppofed to convey. The Roman Catholics, as their fyftem rested on the decifions of an infallible judge, never doubted but truth was on their fide, and openly called on the civil power to repel the impious and heretical innovators, who had rifen up against it. The Proteftants, no lefs confident that that doctrine was well founded, required, with equal zeal, the princes of their party, to crufh fuch as prefumed to difcredit or oppofe it; and Luther, S 4 Calvin, |