the lapfed, fome bemoaned their fall, and recovered by repentance. Gregory himself, on another occafion, underwent with patience the tortures of the rack. In the extremity of his fuffering he fell into a fwoon, and was believed to have expired *. His uncle Rokyzan hafted to the prifon at the news, and lamented over him in these words, "My dear Gregory, I would to God I were where thou art." So ftrong was the power of confcience ftill in this unhappy archbishop! But Gregory recovered, and was preferved by providence to be a nurfing father to the church to a very advanced

age.

The brethren, hearing of the fenfibility difco. vered by Rokyzan, addreffed themfelves to him again; but his anfwers were of the fame kind as formerly. He was determined not to fuffer perfecution; and they, in their farewel letter, faid to him, with more zeal than difcretion "Thou art of the world, and wilt perish with the world." The perfecution now took a different turn; the Huffites were no longer tortured, but were driven out of the country; whence they were obliged to hide themselves in mountains and woods, and to live in the wilderness. In this fituation in the year 1467 they came to a A D. refolution to form a church among themselves, and 1467. to appoint their own minifters. In 1480 they a. D. received a great increase of their numbers from the 1480. acceffion of Waldenfian refugees, who escaped out of Auftria, where Stephen, the last bishop of the Waldenfes in that province, was burnt alive, and where the vehemence of perfecution no longer allowed this people to live in fecurity. An union was eafily formed between the Waldenfes and the Huffites, on account of the fimilarity of their fentiments

* Camerarius, p. 8o.

timents and manners. The refugees, however, found their fituation but little meliorated by a junction with a people, who were obliged to conceal themselves in thickets and in clefts of rocks; and who, to escape detection by the fmoke, made no fires except in the night, when they read the word of God and prayed. What they must have fuffered in thefe circumstances, may be eafily A. D. conceived. The death of king Podiebrad, in 1471, had afforded them, indeed, fome relief; and about 1471. the fame time had died alfo the unhappy Rokyzan, who, in his latter days, promoted the perfecutions against them, and who expired in despair.

A. D.

In 1481 the Huffites were banifhed Moravia; 1481. but returned into that country fix years afterwards. In the beginning of the fixteenth century, they counted two hundred congregations in Bohemia and Moravia. Their moft violent perfecutors were the Calixtines, who certainly for the most part refembled the papifts in all things except in the particularity, from which their name was derived,

And here I clofe, for the prefent, the hiftory of the Huffites, who doubtlefs as a body of men feared God and ferved him in the gofpel of his Son. They alfo maintained a degree of difcipline among themfelves vaftly fuperior to that of any others of the chriftian name, unless we except the churches of the Waldenfes. Both of thefe however were defective in evangelical LIGHT. There wanted an exhibition of the pure doctrines of Chrift, Juminous, attractive, and powerful, which fhould publish peace and falvation to mankind through the cross of Chrift, and engage the attention of the ferious and thoughtful, who knew not the way of peace. Thefe could find little inftruction or confolation in the view of a fociety of

well

well difciplined chriftians, whofe manners indeed were pure and holy, but in the eyes of the ignorant forbidding and auftere. God in his mercy was now haftening this exhibition by the light of the reformation, which, after we have very briefly furveyed the fifteenth century in GENERAL, must engage our attention.

СНАР.

CHA P. IV.

A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE FIFTEENTH

CENTURY.

TH

HE most remárkable events, which distinguish this period in general hiftory, appear to have been directed by Divine Providence with a particular fubferviency to the reformation. Only in this view they will deferve the notice of the hiftorian of A. D. the church of Chrift. In the year 1453 Conftan1453. tinople was taken by the Turkish emperor Ma

homet II. From the year 1299 when the four angels were loofed, which had been bound in the river Euphrates*, that is to fay, when four Turkish Sultanies were established in the east, the Turks had gradually increased their power, and filled the world with carnage and confufion. In the mean time the princes of Europe, abforbed in the vortex of narrow and contracted politics, indolently beheld these ferocious barbarians advancing further and further to the weft, and formed no generous plan of defenfive combination. It was in vain that the diftreffed emperors of the eaft implored the aid of the western princes. The common enemy overFLOWED AND PASSED OVER,-to use the prophetic language of Daniel,-and having once gained a footing in Europe, he continued to domineer over a large part of Christendom, and to defolate the nations. The fame unerring spirit of prophecy which

* Rev. ix. 14.

which foretold thefe amazing scenes by St John, foretold alfo the continued obduracy and impenitence of the nominal chriftians. They repented not of their idolatry and practical wickednels *.

There cannot be a more melancholy contemplation, than to obferve the infatuation of nations, who have provoked God to forfake them. Though the voice of providence is addreffed to their fenfes, they confider not the works of the Lord, and at the fame time feem to be as deftitute of political fagacity, as they are of religious principle. This fifteenth century affords an awful inftance of these things. The Turks oppreffed Europe with perfevering cruelty; but Europe neither humbled itself before God, nor took any measures to check the ambition of the Mahometans. The fovereign of the universe, however, was bringing order out of confufion, and light out of darkness. The learned men, who emigrated from Greece, revived the ftudy of letters in Europe, and paved the way for that light of claffical erudition, which was one of the most powerful of all thofe fubordinate means, which were employed in the demolition of idolatry and superstition. By a furprifing concurrence of circumftances, the noble art of printing was invented about the year 1440. Learning was A.D. cultivated with incredible ardour: the family of 1440. the Medici was raised up to patronize science; and toward the end of this fame century, Erafmus arose, whofe good fenfe, taste and industry, were uncommonly ferviceable to the reformation. By his labours, monaftic fuperftition received a wound which has never fince been healed; and learned men were furnished with critical skill and ingenuity, of which they failed not to avail themselves in the inftruction

* Rev. ix. 21.

+ Mofheim, Vol. I. p. 764.