CHA P. XXIX. Digreffion concerning the ecclefiaftical state.- Martin Luther. Henry receives the title of defender of the faith.- Caufes of the progress of the refor mation. War with France. Invafion of -A Parlia ment. Invafion of France.. Italian wars. -The king of France invades Italy. Battle of Pavia and captivity of Francis. D 1521. URING fome years, many parts of Europe CHAP. had been agitated with thofe religious con- XXIX. troverfies, which produced the reformation, one of the greatest events in hiftory: But as it was not till this time, that the king of England publicly took part in the quarrel, we had no occafion to give any account of its rife and progress. It will now be neceffary to explain these theological difputes; or what is more material, to trace from their origin those abuses, which so generally diffufed the opinion, that a reformation of the church or ecclefiaftical order was become highly expedient, if not abfolutely neceffary. We shall be better enabled to comprehend the fubject, if we take the matter a little higher, and reflect a moment on the reasons, why there must be an ecclefiaftical order, and a public establishment of religion in every civilized community. The importance of the prefent occafion will, I hope, excufe this fhort digreffion. C 4 MOST 1521. tical state. CHAP. Most of the arts and profeffions in a state are XXIX. of fuch a nature, that, while they promote the interefts of the fociety, they are alfo useful or Digreffion agreeable to fome individuals; and in that cafe, concern- the conftant rule of the magiftrate, except, ing the perhaps, on the first introduction of any art, is, ecclefiaf- to leave the profeffion to itself, and truft its encouragement to the individuals who reap the benefit of it. The artizans, finding their profits to rife by the favour of their customers, encrease, as much as poffible, their skill and induftry; and as matters are not disturbed by any injudicious tampering, the commodity is always fure to be at all times exactly proportioned to the demand. But there are alfo fome callings which, though useful and even neceffary in a state, bring no advantage nor pleasure to any individual; and the fupreme power is obliged to alter its conduct with regard to the retainers of those profeffions. It muft give them public encouragement in order to their fubfiftence; and it must provide against that negligence, to which they will naturally be subject, either by annexing particular honours to the profeffion, by establishing a long fubordination of ranks and a strict dependance, or by fome other expedient. The perfons, employed in the finances, armies, fleets, and magiftracy, are instances of this order of men. Ir may naturally be thought, at first view, that the ecclefiaftics belong to the first clafs, and that their encouragement, as well as that of lawyers and phyficians, may safely be trufted to the liberality of individuals, who are attached to their doctrines, and who find benefit or confolation from their spiritual ministry and affiftance. Their industry and vigilance will, no doubt, be whetted by fuch an additional motive; and their skill in the the profeffion, as well as their addrefs in govern- CHA P. ing the minds of the people, muft receive daily XXIX. encrease, from their encreasing practice, study, and m 1521. attention. ་ BUT if we confider the matter more clofely, we fhall find, that this interested diligence of the clergy is what every wife legiflator will ftudy to prevent; because in every religion, except the true, it is highly pernicious, and it has even a natural tendency to pervert the true, by infusing into it a ftong mixture of fuperftition, folly and delufion. Each ghoftly practitioner, in order to render himfelf more precious and facred in the eyes of his retainers, must inspire them with the most violent abhorrence against all other fects, and continually endeavour, by fome novelty, to excite the languid devotion of his audience. No regard will be paid to truth, morals, or decency in the doctrines inculcated. Every tenet will be adopted that best fuits the diforderly affections of the human frame. Customers will be drawn to each conventicle by new industry and address in practising on the paffions and credulity of the populace. And in the end, the civil magiftrate will find, that he has paid dearly for his pretended frugality, in faving a fettled foundation for the priests; and that in reality the most decent and advantageous compofition, which he can make with the spiritual guides, is to bribe their indolence, by affixing stated falaries to their profeffion, and rendering it fuperfluous for them to be farther active, than merely to preferve their flock from ftraying in queft of new paftures. And in this manner ecclefiaftical establishments, though commonly they arofe at firft from religious views, prove in the end advantageous to the political interefts of fociety. BUT CHAP. BUT we may obferve, that few ecclefiaftical efXXIX. tablishments have been fixed upon a worse foundation than that of the church of Rome, or have 1521. been attended with circumftances more hurtful to the peace and happiness of mankind. THE large revenues, privileges, immunities, and powers of the clergy rendered them formidable to the civil magiftrate, and armed with too extenfive authority an order of men, who always adhere closely together, and who never want a plaufible pretence for their encroachments and usurpations. The higher dignities of the church ferved, indeed, to the support of gentry and nobility; but by the establishments of monafteries, many of the lowest vulgar were taken from the useful arts, and maintained in thofe receptacles of floth and ignorance. The fupreme head of the church was a foreign potentate, guided by interests, always different, fometimes contrary to those of the community. And as the hierarchy was neceffarily folicitous to preferve an unity of faith, rites and ceremonies, all liberty of thought ran a manifest rifque of being extinguifhed; and violent perfecutions, or what was worse, a ftupid and abject credulity, took place every where. To encrease these evils, the church, though she poffeffed large revenues, was not contented with her acquifitions, but retained a power of practifing farther on the ignorance of mankind. She even bestowed on each individual priest a power of enriching himself by the voluntary oblations of the faithful, and left him ftill a powerful motive for diligence and industry in his calling. And thus, that church, though an expenfive and burthenfome establishment, was liable to many of the inconveniencies, which belong to an order of priests, trufted trufted entirely to their own art and invention for CHAP, attaining a fubfiftence. THE advantages, attending the Romish hierarchy, were but a small compenfation for its inconveniences. The ecclefiaftical privileges, during barbarous times, had ferved as a cheque to the defpotifm of kings. The union of all the western churches under the fupreme pontiff facilitated the intercourfe of nations, and tended to bind all the parts of Europe into a clofe connection with each other. And the pomp and fplendor of worship, which belonged to fo opulent an establishment, contributed in fome refpects, to the encouragement of the fine arts, and began to diffuse a general elegance of tafte, by uniting it with religion. IT will eafily be conceived, that, though the balance of evil prevailed in the Romish church, this was not the chief reason, which produced the reformation. A concurrence of incidents must have contributed to forward that great work. XXIX. 1521. LEO the tenth, by his generous and enterprizing temper, had very much exhaufted his treafury, and was obliged to make ufe of every invention, which might yield money, in order to fupport his projects, pleasures, and liberalities. The fcheme Origin of of felling indulgences was fuggefted to him, as an the refor expedient which had often ferved in former times mation. to draw money from the chriftian world, and make devout people willing contributors to the grandeur and riches of the court of Rome. The church, it was fuppofed, was poffeffed of a great stock of merit, as being entitled to all the good works of the faints, beyond what were employed in their own juftification; and even to the merits of Chrift himself, which were infinite and unbounded: And from this unexhausted treasury, the pope might retail |