HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION

BOOK VI.

1541. THE DIET OF RATISBON

No sooner had Charles reestablished order in the Low-Countries, than he was obliged to turn his attention to the affairs in Germany.

The protestants pressed him earnestly to appoint that conference between a select number of the divines of each party, which had been stipulated in the convention at Frankfort. The pope considered such an attempt to examine into the points in dispute, or to decide concerning them, as derogatory to his right of being the supreme judge in controversy; and being convinced that such a conference would either be ineffectual by determining nothing, or prove dangerous by determining too much, he employed every art to prevent it. The emperor, however, finding it more for his interest to soothe the Germans than to gratify Paul, paid little regard to his remonstrances. In a diet held at Haguenaw [June 25], matters were ripened for the conference. In another diet assembled at Worms [Dec. 6], the conference was begun, Melanchthon on the one side and Eckius on the other sustaining the principal part in the dispute; but after they had made some progress, though without concluding anything, it was suspended by the emperor’s command, that it might be renewed with greater solemnity in his own presence, in a diet summoned to meet at Ratisbon [1541]. This assembly was opened with great pomp, and with a general expectation that its proceedings would be vigorous and decisive.

By the consent of both parties, the emperor was entrusted with the power or nominating the persons who should manage the conference, which it was agreed should be conducted not in the form of a public disputation, but as a friendly scrutiny or examination into the articles which had given rise to the present controversies. He appointed Eckius, Gropper, and Pflug, on the part of the catholics; Melanchthon, Bucer, and Pistorius, on that of the protestants; all men of distinguished reputation among their own adherents, and, except Eckius, all eminent for moderation, as well as desirous of peace.

As they were about to begin their consultations, the emperor put into their hands a book, composed, as he said, by a learned divine in the Low-Countries, with such extraordinary perspicuity and temper, as, in his opinion, might go far to unite and comprehend the two contending parties. Gropper a canon of Cologne, whom he had named among the managers of the conference, a man of address as well as of erudition, was afterwards suspected of being the author of this short treatise. It contained positions with regard to twenty-two of the chief articles in theology, which included most of the questions then agitated in the controversy between the Lutherans and the church of Rome.

By ranging his sentiments in a natural order, and expressing them with great simplicity, by employing often the very words of scripture, or of the primitive fathers; by softening the rigor of some opinions, and explaining away what was absurd in others; by concessions, sometimes on one side, and sometimes on the other; and especially by banishing as much as possible scholastic phrases, those words and terms of arts in controversy, which serve as badges of distinction to different sects, and for which theologians often contend more fiercely than for opinions themselves; he at last framed his work in such a manner, as promised fairer than anything that had hitherto been attempted to compose and to terminate religious dissensions.

But the attention of the age was turned, with such acute observation, towards theological controversies, that it was not easy to impose on it by any gloss, how artful or specious soever. The length and eagerness of the dispute had separated the contending parties so completely, and had set their minds at such variance, that they were not to be reconciled by partial concessions.

All the zealous catholics, particularly the ecclesiastics who had a seat in the diet, joined in condemning Gropper’s treatise as too favorable to the Lutheran opinion, the poison of which heresy it conveyed, as they pretended, with greater danger, because it was in some degree disguised. The rigid protestants, especially Luther himself, and his patron the elector of Saxony, were for rejecting it as an impious compound of error and truth, craftily prepared that it might impose on the weak, the timid, and the unthinking. But the divines, to whom the examination of it was committed, entered upon that business with greater deliberation and temper. As it was more easy in itself, as well as more consistent with the dignity of the church, to make concessions, and even alterations with regard to speculative opinions, the discussion whereof is confined chiefly to schools, and which present nothing to the people that either strikes their imagination or affects their senses, they came to an accommodation about these without much labor, and even defined the great article concerning justification to their mutual satisfaction.

But, when they proceeded to points of jurisdiction, where the interest and authority of the Roman see were concerned, or to the rites and forms of external worship, where every change that could be made must be public, and draw the observation of the people, there the catholics were altogether intractable; nor could the church either with safety or with honor abolish its ancient institutions. All the articles relative to the power of the pope, the authority of councils, the administration of the sacraments, the worship of saints, and many other particulars, did not, in their nature, admit of any temperament; so that after laboring long to bring about an accommodation with respect to these, the emperor found all his endeavors ineffectual. Being impatient, however, to close the diet, he at last prevailed on a majority of the members to approve of the following recess [July 8]; “That the articles concerning which the divines had agreed in the conference, should be held as points decided, and be observed inviolably by all; that the other articles, about which they had differed, should be referred to the determination of a general council, or if that could not be obtained, to a national synod of Germany; and if it should prove impracticable, likewise, to assemble a synod, that a general diet of the empire should be called within eighteen months, in order to give some final judgment upon the whole controversy; that the emperor should use all his interest and authority with the pope, to procure the meeting either of a general council or synod; that, in the mean time, no innovations should be attempted, no endeavors should be employed to gain proselytes; and neither the revenues of the church, nor the rights of monasteries, should be invaded”.

All the proceedings of this diet, as well as the recess in which they terminated, gave great offence to the pope. The power which the Germans had assumed of appointing their own divines to examine and determine matters of controversy, he considered as a very dangerous invasion of his rights; the renewing of their ancient proposal concerning a national synod, which had been so often rejected by him and his predecessors, appeared extremely undutiful; but the bare mention of allowing a diet, composed chiefly of laymen, to pass judgment with respect to articles of faith, was deemed no less criminal and profane than the worst of those heresies which they seemed zealous to suppress. On the other hand, the protestants were no less dissatisfied with a recess, that considerably abridged the liberty which they enjoyed at that time. As they murmured loudly against it, Charles, unwilling to leave any seeds of discontent in the empire, granted them a private declaration in the most ample terms, exempting them from whatever they thought oppressive or injurious in the recess, and ascertaining to them the full possession of all the privileges which they had ever enjoyed.

Extraordinary as these concessions may appear, the situation of the emperor’s affairs at this juncture made it necessary for him to grant them. He foresaw a rupture with France to be not only unavoidable, but near at hand, and durst not give any such cause of disgust or fear to the protestants, as might force them, in self-defence, to court the protection of the French king, from whom, at present, they were much alienated. The rapid progress of the Turks in Hungary was a more powerful and urgent motive to that moderation which Charles discovered. A great revolution had happened in that kingdom...

STATE OF AFFAIRS IN HUNGARY