CHA P. II. THE BEGINNING OF THE CONTROVERSY CON- OPE Alexander VII., the moft flagitious of POPE men, died in the year 1503. After the short A. D. interval of the dominion of Pius III. who ruled the 1503. church less than a year, Julius II. was elected Pontiff. A circumitance attended this election, which deferves to be recorded* as a memorable indication of thofe times. The cardinals agreed upon oath before the election, and obliged the new pontiff after his election to take the fame oath,-that a general council fhould be called within two years to reform the church. The effect of this measure, which fo ftrongly implied the consent of the Chriftian world to the neceffity of a reformation, was the council of Pifa. But nothing good was to be expected from Julius, a man, in the language of worldly greatness, renowned for military ambition. By his intrigues the council of Pifa was diffolved, and Julius died in 1513, after he had filled the Chriftian world with A. D. blood and confufion by his violence and rapacity. 1513. Leo X. fucceeded,-a man famous for the encouragement of letters and the fine arts; and defervedly Sechendorf, Vol. I. p. 3. This prelate, the fon of Lorenzo the Magnificent, was ordained at the age of feven years, made an abbot before he was eight years old, and at the age of thirteen became a cardinal! Such was the influence of his father in the court of Rome! Lorenzo, in a prudential letter to his fon, tells him, that he had heard with pleasure of his attention to communion and confeffion; and that there was no better way for him to obtain the favour of heaven, than by habituating himself to the performance of fuch duties. Rofcoe's life of Lorenzo de Medici. Lorenzo appears to have known the art of rifing in this world, better than the narrow road to eternal life. defervedly celebrated among the patrons of learned men. But hiftorical veracity can fcarcely admit any further encomium on his character. He was a Florentine of the illuftrious houfe of the Medici, and inherited the elegant taste and munificent spirit. of that family. He was elected pope in the thirtyfeventh year of his age. Though refined and humanized by his love of the liberal arts, and extremely abhorrent from the favage manners of Alexander and of Julius, he poffeffed other qualities, no lefs inconfiftent than theirs with the character of a paftor of the church of Chrift. An exceffive magnificence, a voluptuous indolence, and above all, a total want of religious principle, rendered him perhaps more ftrikingly void of every facerdotal qualification than any pontiffs before him. He has been accused of open infidelity; but the proofs are faid to be only negative; certainly, however, he at no time took the leaft pains to discover to mankind, that he had a fincere reverence for religion. It was during the pontificate of this man, that Providence gave the feverest blow to the authority of the Roman hierarchy, which it had ever received fince the days of Gregory II. Both before his exaltation and after it, he oppofed with dexterity and fuccefs the laudable attempts after a reformation, which have been mentioned. A council called by this pope, and held in the Lateran palace, was directed under his aufpices against the determinations of the council of A. D. Pifa. Afterwards in the year 1517, the university 1517. of Paris, renowned at that time through Europe for learning and knowledge, appealed from its decifions to a future general council. It is not neceffary to enter into the detail of thefe tranfactions. They are here briefly mentioned in a general way for the purpose of fhowing that common fenfe and and the voice of natural confcience had agreed to the neceffity of a reformation, though men knew not the principles on which it ought to proceed. The greatest perfonages of the times had delivered their fentiments to the fame. The existence of the distemper was admitted. The true remedy was unknown: That was to be drawn only from the word of God; and almost all parties were equally ignorant of the contents of the facred volumes. In this fame year, however, 1517, the spirit of Luther A. D. was raised up, to inftruct the ignorant, to roufe the 1517. negligent, and to oppofe the fcandalous practices of interested and ambitious ecclefiaftical rulers. No reformer had ever an opportunity more. favourable to his defigns. Such was the temerity of the exifting hierarchy, that they might feem even to have purpofely afforded to their opponents an advantage for the beginning of a conteft, or rather to have been providentially infatuated. Leo X., after he had prefided almost five years, having reduced himself to ftraits by his prodigal expences of various kinds, and being defirous to complete the erection of St. Peter's Church, begun at Rome by his predeceffor Julius II., after his example had recourse to the fale of indulgences, the general nature of which Maimbourg defcribes much in the fame manner as has been done in the foregoing chapter. These he published throughout the Christian world, granting freely to all, who would pay money for the building of St. Peter's Church, the Seckend. p. 8. Let the reader remember, that this incomparable author, S. gives us all along the very words of his antagonist, whence the Papal as well as the Proteftant materials are continually held up to view. Even Du Pin allows, that Leo was naturally proud and lofty; and he confeffes, that the erection of St. Peter's Church was the occafion of that pope's having recourse to the fale of indulgences. Book II. Chap. 1. the licence of eating eggs and cheese in the time of Lent. This is one of the many ridiculous circumftances which attended Leo's indulgences, and it is gravely related by the papal hiftorians. The promulgation of thefe indulgences in Germany, was committed to a prelate, the brother of the elector of Brandenburg. His name was Albert, a man who at that very time held two arch-bifhoprics, namely, thofe of Mentz and of Magdeburg, and who himfelf received immenfe profits from the fale. Albert delegated the office to John Tetzel, a Dominican inquifitor, well qualified for an employment of this kind. He was a bold and enterprifing monk of uncommon impudence, and had already diftinguifhed himself in a fimilar tranfaction. He had proclaimed indulgences in fupport of the war against the Mufcovites, and by that means had much enriched the Teutonic knights, who had undertaken that war. "This frontless monk," fays a celebrated ecclefiaftical hiftorian*, "executed this iniquitous commiffion not only with matchlefs infolence, indecency, and fraud, but even carried his impiety fo far as to derogate from the all fufficient power and influence of the merits of Chrift." Myconius affures us, that he himself heard Tetzel declaim with incredible effrontery concerning the unlimited power of the pope and the efficacy of indulgences. The people believed, that the moment any perfon had paid the money for the indulgence, he became certain of his falvation, and that the fouls, for whom the indulgences were bought, were inftantly releafed out of purgatory. So Maimbourg allows; and if the people really believed the current doctrine of the times, and looked on the preachers of indulgences as men worthy of credit, they must have believed fo. We have formerly seen * Mofheim. feen popes themselves to hold this confident language. John Tetzel boafted, that he had faved more fouls from hell by his indulgences, than St. Peter had converted to Christianity by his preaching. He affured the purchasers of them, that their crimes, however enormous, would be forgiven; whence it became almoft needlefs for him to bid them difmifs all fears concerning their falvation. For remiffion of fins being fully obtained, what doubt could there be of falvation? In the usual form of abfolution, written by his own hand, he faid, I, by the authority of Jefus Chrift, through the merits of his moft holy paffion, and by the authority of his bleffed Apoftles, Peter and Paul, and of our moft holy pope, delegated to me as commiffioner, do abfolve thee,-first from all ecclefiaftical cenfures however incurred; fecondly, from all fins committed by thee however enormous,- for fo far the keys of the facred church extend:-and, I do this by remitting to thee all the punishments due to thee in purgatory on account of thy crimes, and I restore thee to the innocence and purity in which thou waft when baptized, fo that the gates, of punishment may be fhut to thee when dying, and the gates of paradife be opened." Such was the ftile in which thefe formulas were written. It is impertinent to blame the abufes committed by the officials; it is not to be fuppofed, that these formulas were without papal authority; neither has any thing of that kind ever been afferted. In regard to the effect of indulgences in delivering perfons from the fuppofed torments of purgatory, the grofs declarations of Tetzel in public are well known. "The moment the money tinkles in the cheft, your father's foul mounts up out of purgatory." It does not appear, that the rulers of the hierarchy VOL. IV. * * Seckend. p. 14., T |