then, you will say, did he mean"? First,
this : that if it could be, that the Rornish
church should Le recovered to the state in
which it was in the five first centuries aftel
Christ, the Protestants could then have no
just grounds far refusing communion with
ft : and secondly, this : that among the ad
herents to the Roman pontiff, though as a
body they were polluted with many and in
tolerable errors, those individuals should not
be excluded from all hope of salvation nor be
ranked with heretics, who honestly have im
bibed what their fathers and their teachers
have taught them, and who are prevented
from seeing the truth, either in consequence
of their ignorance or their education or by
their early prepossessions ; provided, they
believe with simplicity whatever is contained
in the Apostles Creed, and study to conform
their lives to the precepts of Christ. As I
have already said, I do not stand forth as the
patron of these opinions : they have patrons
enough, at the present day : but this, I sup
pose, all will concede, that these views are



376 BOOK IV. CENT. XVII. SEC. II. PART II. CHAP. !.

which, in addition to this purpose, were charged upon him as faults, and
amplified in the manner of prosecutors, respected the less clear knowledge
of the doctrine of the Trinity, in the times of the Old Testament ; the
necessity of good works to salvation ; God s being, accidentally, the cause
of sin ; the visible appearances of the Son of God, under the ancient dis.
pensation ; and some few others ; which were such, that if he really held
them, they were of no great consequence, according to the acknowledg.
ment of those whom no one will pronounce unfit judges of such questions :
nor did they vitiate the marrow (so to speak) of divine truth. But in or
der to recommend that harmony among disagreeing Christians which he
had in view, this excellent man had to assume two things, which appeared
even worse than the design which they were intended to subserve. The
first was, that the groundwork of Christianity, or those first and element
ary principles from which all the other truths flow, remained sound and
uncontaminated in all the three denominations of Christians. This ground
work, he supposed, was contained in that ancient formula called the Apos
tle s Creed. The second assumption was, that whatever is supported by
the constant and uniform consent and authority of the ancient Christian
fathers, who were ornaments to the five first centuries, must bo regarded
as equally true and certain, with what we find recorded in the holy scrip
tures. The first of these was the pillar that sustained the whole project he
had in view : the second was of use, to excuse certain papal institutions
and opinions which were very disagreeable to Lutherans, and -to estab
lish harmony among disagreeing Christians.

24. These commotions and contests involved, though in different ways,
the divines of Rinteln, Konigsberg and Jena ; to say nothing of some others.
The divines of Rinteln, especially John Henichius and Peter Mus&us, gave
proof by many things, but most clearly in the conference at Cassel already
mentioned, that they approved of the plan of Calixtus for terminating the
contests among Christians, and especially among Protestants. And hence
they too were attacked in various publications by the Saxon divines and
such as took sides with them. (23) At Konigsberg, Christ. Drcyer- a very
learned man, John Latermann and Michael Behm, all pupils of Calixtus,
signified pretty clearly, that they favoured the opinions of their instructer.
Against them hostility was declared, not only by their colleagues John
Behm and Celestine Mislenta, but likewise by the whole body of ministers
at Konigsberg. And the contest was protracted many years in such a
manner, as brought honour to neither party in the view of posterity. This
intestine war being extinguished, partly by the authority of the supreme
magistrate, and partly by the death of Behm and Mislenta, Dreycr and
his associates had to sustain another and a more permanent one, with those
foreign divines who viewed the Calixtine opinions as pernicious, and the
defenders of them as enemies to the church : nor can this foreign contest
likewise be commended, either for its equity or its moderation. (24)

25. In these commotions, the divines of Jena manifested uncommon

much more tolerable, than those with which Kirchenhistorie, book ii., ch. x., p. 602, &c.,

he is commonly charged. and others. Mailer s Cimbria Litteraia,

(23) See Abrah. Caiovius, Historia Syn- torn, iii ., p. 150, &c. The Acts and Docu-

tretistica, p. 618, &c. Jo. Geo. .Watch, ments are in the Unschuldige Nachrichten,

introduction to the contests in the Lutheran A.D. 1740, p. 144, A.D. 1742, p. 29, A.D

church, [in German], vol. i., p. 286, &c. 1745, p. 91, and elsewhere.

^24) Christopher HartknocVs Prcussische



HISTORY OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH. 377

prudence and moderation. For while they ingenuously confessed, that all
the opinions of Calixtus could not easily be admitted and tplerated, withor.i
injury to the truth ; they judged that most of his doctrines were not so very
bad, as the Saxons supposed them to be ; and that several of them might
be tolerated, without the least hazard. Solomon Glassing, a ma a of great
mildness, by order of Ernesti the Pious, duke of Saxe-Gotha, most equi
tably examined the importance of the several controverted points, in a work
expressly on the subject. (25) John Musccus, a man of superior learning
and uncommon acuteness, first determined that it was allowable to say, with
Calixtus and Horneius, that in a certain sense good works are necessary to
salvation ; afterwards he maintained among his intimate friends, that little
or no importance was attached to some of the other questions. These
therefore, the Calixtine divines would not perhaps have refused as arbiters.
But this moderation was so offensive to the Saxon divines, that they arraigned
the school of Jena on suspicion of many errors, and declared that John Mu-
saus in particular, had departed in not a few things from the sound faith. (25)
26. These contests were succeeded and extinguished, by what are
called the Pietistic controversies. These originated from those who un
doubtedly with the best intentions, undertook to aid the cause of languish
ing piety, and to cure the faults both of the public teachers and of the mul
titude. But as often happens, they were amplified and aggravated by va
rious sorts of persons, whose ill-informed understanding or heated iinagi.
nation or some wrong bias of mind, led them to excite horrible commo
tions in one place and another, by their singular opinions, their pretended
visions, their harsh and unintelligible rules for Christian conduct, and their
very imprudent clamours about a total change of the forms and regulations
of the church. The minds of slumbering Christians and also of such as
bemoaned in secret the progress of irreligion, were first aroused by Philip
James Spener, an excellent minister, and very highly esteemed both for
his great piety and his extensive learning ; when he set up private meet
ings at Frankfort, for the purpose of exhorting and training the people to
piety, and afterwards when he set forth in a special treatise, his Pious De
sires. (Pia Desideria), that is, his views of the evils existing in our chun h,
and their remedies. Both met the approbation of very many, who had
good and upright dispositions. But as many of them did not apply these
remedies for diseased souls with sufficient caution and skill, and as those
religious meetings (or Colleges of Piety, as they were denominated, in terms
borrowed from the Dutch), enkindled in the minds of the multitude in sev
eral places, a wild and enthusiastic spirit, rather than true love to God ;
several complaints were soon heard, that under the pretence of aiding and
advancing piety, solid religious knowledge was neglected, and fomentations
applied to seditious and ill-balanced minds. (27)

(25) This estimate, drawn up in German, chen Theologen ausfiihrliche Erldarung iiber
was first published after the death of Glas- dreyundneunzigvermeynte Religionsfragen,
sius, in 1662 ; and again a few years ago, at Jena, 1677 and 1704, 4to. Add Jo. Geo.
Jena, in 8vo. It is an example of theological Walch s Introduction to the controversies in
moderation, and most worthy of an attentive the Lutheran church, [in German!, vol. i.,
perusal. p. 405, &c.

(26) With what faults the theologians of (27). [On these controversies, it is propel
Jena and especially Musceus, were charged, to go back to the first causes. The long
may be best learned from the grave and solid thirty years war produced, throughout tha
work of Mus&us himself entitled, Der Jenis- whole Lutheran church, a very great prop-

VOL. IIL-BBB



378 BOOK IV. CENT. XVII. SEC. II. PART II. CHAP. i.



27. These first commotions would undoubtedly have gradually subsided,
if still more violent ones had not supervened in 1689, at Leipsic. Certain
pious and learned men, especially Augustus Hermann Francke, John Casper

cnce, he was well versed in history, and the
auxiliary sciences ; and had successively, as
a preacher at Strasburg, an elder at Frank
fort, and first court preacher at Dresden, ob
tained in all these offices, the reputation of
a discreet, modest, and peaceable theologian.
At Dresden he fell under the displeasure of
the electoral prince, John George IV., who
was much addicted to drunkenness, and to
whom Spener, who was his confessor, as he
was going to confession, addressed a very
respectful letter, containing an earnest dis
suasive from this bad habit. Spener next
went to Berlin ; and his migrations spread
wider the Pietistic controversy. If any
things are censurable in Spener, they are
principally two things. First, he was not
much o a philosopher, at Jeast theoretically :
and it .s not much to be wondered at, that
he should have little relish for the dry phi
losophy of those times. Besides, if he had
possessed a taste for it, he would not have
accomplished what he did accomplish. Stil]
this deficiency led him sometimes, to reason
inconclusively, and also not to see clearly
the consequences of his propositions. Sec
ondly, he was by nature too compliant and
yielding. He could not say a hard thing to
any man : and when he saw in a person any
marks of piety, he at once recognised him ai
a brother, although he might hold errone
ous doctrines. And this caused him mucli
trouble, and led him to be often deceived
by hypocrites. This was manifestly a con
sequence of his good-natured character
which judged other men by himself; yet in
some measure it obscured the greatness of
his talents. Still, this weakness will hinder
no impartial man from acknowledging, that
Spener was really a great man ; to whom we
stand indebted, for the improvement of our
mode of preaching, for more freedom in the
manner of handling theological subjects, for
the introduction of toleration towards other
religious sects, and towards individuals who
deviate from the common creed, and for the
advancement of true godliness in our church.
This last object, he endeavoured to effect
especially by his Colleges of Piety: which
he set up by the advice of some friends at
Frankfort in 1670, first in his own house,
and afterwards also in the church ; partly to
produce more cordial friendship, among those
who were seeking to edify their souls ; and
partly to render the public preaching of God s
word more profitable, by explaining the ser
mons delivered, by catechizing, by lectures
on the Holv Scriptures, wr h prayer and



Oration of order, neglect of discipline, and
profligacy : and the preachers were incom
petent to meet this disordered state of things,
which continued to exist after the return of
peace. Some preachers were wholly incom
petent to it : for the people had to choose
such preachers as they could get ; and among
these, many were of indifferent talents and
acquisitions. Others had no lack of native
talent ; but they had been ill instructed.
For education was very differently conducted
in the higher schools, then, from what it is
now. The chief science then taught, was
the dry and cloudy Aristotelian metaphys
ics ; with which were connected scholastic
dogmatics and polemics. Thus our theol
ogy was very dark and intricate, and such as
was unfit for the pulpit and for common life :
the heads of the preachers were full of tech
nical terms and distinctions ; and no one
understood how to make the truths of
Christianity intelligible to the common peo
ple. Besides, systematic and polemic the
ology were pursued; but moral theology,
and biblical interpretation, were almost
wholly laid aside. Of course the preach
ing was very poor ; as Is manifest from the
postills of those times. The clergy preach
ed from the lectures in tb.e schools ; and
therefore, explained and proved the doctrines
of faith, artificially , which the people could
not understand : or they ornamented their
sermons with quotations from the fathers,
and from the heathen philosophers. They
confuted errors and heresies, the very names
of which frequently were unknown to their
nearers ; but they said little or nothing that
was calculated to amend the hearts of their
hearers ; and they could say the less on such
subjects, as they themselves often possessed
unsanctified minds, or hearts in which pride,
contentiousness, obstinacy, and a persecuting
spirit predominated. Other clergymen, who
were competent to instruct the people in
true godliness, had not power to correct the
disorders that had broken in ; because the
bad habits had become too deeply rooted,
end the evil too inveterate. Hence there
were in our church, various devout and up
right persons, who sighed over this state of
the church ; and who wished to see godli
ness more cultivated, and the mode of teach
ing, both in the schools and from the pulpit,
reformed. Among these persons, the first
and most famous was Spener. He miut be
ranked among the most learned and the most
uevout ministers of our church ; and together
with most of the branches of theological act-



HISTORY OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH.



379



Schade, and Paul Antony, who were disciples and friends of Spener, then
sustaining the office of first preacher at the Saxon court, and who were
teachers of philosophy, supposed that candidates for the sacred office might
be, and ought to be better trained for their employment, than the practice
of the universities allowed ; and therefore they undertook, themselves,
to expound in the vernacular language certain books of the Holy Bible,
in such a manner, as at the same time to infuse a spirit of solid piety into
the minds of their hearers. This new and singular course allured great
numbers to their lectures ; many of whom exhibited the benefits they de.
rived from these recitations, in lives and conduct very remote from the
vicious habits of that age. Whether this first fervour of both the teachers
and the learners, laudable and excellent in itself, was always kept within
due bounds, it is not easy for any one to say ; but this is certain, many, and
they men of great authority, maintain that it was not ; and public fame re
ports, that some things were brought forward and transacted, in those Bib.
lical Colleges as they were called, which were in themselves indeed easy
to be excused and borne with, if referred to moderate and candid judges,
yet not a little variant from common usage and the laws of prudence.
When great tumult arose, and the matter was brought to a judicial inves
tigation, the learned men above named were pronounced innocent, or not



singing. The appellation, Colleges of Piety,
was derived from Holland ; where there is a
party, who, from their meetings for worship
which they call Collegia, are denominated
Collegiants. (See below, chap, vii., <J 1.)
From them the name was derived, though
Spcncr s meetings had no resemblance to
the institutions of the Dutch Collegiants.
To the establishment of these meetings,
must be added a circumstance, which caused
Spener much trouble. When Arnd s Pos-
tillswere to be republished, in 1675, Spener
composed a long preface to them ; in which,
together with his favourite doctrines of bet
ter times to come, the previous general con
version of the Jews, and the great downfall
of popery, he also described the defects in
our own church, and proposed some means
for their remedy. Among these were, an
improved mode of teaching in the higher
schools, the better instruction of youth, the
dispensing with metaphysics, and a zealous
application to biblical interpretation and
practical theology. This preface was after
wards printed separately in ] 678, and enti
tled Pia Desideria. [The whole title of the
oook, which was written in German, was :
Pia Desideria, or Earnest Desires for the
Godly improvement of the true Evangelical
church, with some Christian proposals for
that object. TV.] It.was well received by
the majority, and was praised even by some
who afterwards became its enemies. But
after a while propositions were drawn from
it, which were charged upon him as errors.
The first attack was made by Dilfeld, a dea
con at Nordhausen, who assailed the position



that a true theologian must be a regenerate
man. Greater disturbances arose from tho
meetings. Many imitated them ; but they
did not possess Spener s prudence. In
some, there was no preacher to regulate the
meeting ; and there, all sorts of irregularity
took place. In others, every one was allowed
to speak ; and of course speeches were often
made, which contravened the standard evan
gelical doctrines, and ran into enthusiasm :
and now visionaries and enthusiasts actually
connected themselves with the followers of
Spener. In small villages, they went on
tolerably well : but in larger places, as
Hamburg, for example, there were frequent
commotions. And there in particular, Jo.
Fred. Mayer, a Hamburg doctor, distin
guished himself in a very offensive manner,
by his carnal zeal against Spener s brother-
in-law, Jo. Henry Horbius. See Kohler s
Hist. Miinzbelustigungen, vol. xvii., p. 363,
&c. At Erfurt, Dantzic, Wolfenbuttel,
Gotha, and even at Halle in Saxony, there
were great commotions, which the magis
trates had to still. Spener himself, when
he saw the disorders that arose from these
meetings, suppressed those he had set up.
Others followed his example. But in many
places, the people would not give tnem up :
while yet they did not exercise sufficient
prudence. The people frequently, began to
forsake the public worship, and to run only
to the meetings : and the blame was cast
upon Spener; who was entireh innocent in
this matter, and who by his preaching and
his publications, explicitly opposed this
wrong conduct. Schl 1



580 BOOK IV. CENT. XVII. -SEC. II. PART II. CHAP. 1



guilty of the errors alleged against them ; yet they were ordered to desist
from the labours which they had commenced. In these commotions, the
invidious name of Pietists was first heard of, or at least first publicly used.
It was first imposed by some light-minded persons on those who attended
these Biblical Colleges, and whose lives accorded with the precepts there
inculcated : afterwards it was extended to all those who were supposed
either to profess too rigid and austere principles of morals, or neglecting
doctrinal truth, to refer all religion to mere piety. But as it is apt to be
the fortune of names which designate particular sects, this name was not
unfrequently applied in familiar discourse, to the very best of men, to those
who were as careful to advance doctrinal truth, as piety : and on the other
hand, it was very often applied to those who might more correctly be de
nominated the flagitious, the delirious, and fanatical. (28)

(28) [When Spener was called from nullity of the criminal process commenced
Frankfort to Dresden, he had constantly with against them; and they were acquitted of
him a number of theological students, some
his house, and others



ony,
Jo.



of whom lodged in
boarded at his table, and whom he instructed
how to discharge profitably the duties of
preachers. Some of these went to Leipsic,
to teach theology there, in accordance with
Spcncr^s prescriptions. Among these were
Aug. Herm. Franckc, and Paul Anton
both professors afterwards at Halle,
Casp. Schade, afterwards a famous preacher
at Berlin, and Herm. van der Hart, after
wards professor at Helmstadt. These com
menced the Biblical Lectures. In these
there was something new ; for the lectures
were given in German, Luther s translation
was here and there amended, and the expla
nation of the Holy Scriptures was followed
by religious exhortations. Concerning these
Biblical Lectures, especially as the religious
lectures of some of the professors were now
more thinly attended, all sorts of rumours
F.oon spread abroad, some of which were
groundless, and others perhaps had some
foundation. It was said, that not only stu
dents, but also labouring men and women,
were admitted to them ; and that every one
present, was allowed to teach and to explain
the Scriptures. Those who attended these
lectures changed their manners and their
dress, refrained from the customary amuse
ments, and obtained the name of Pietists;
(to which a severe funeral discourse of Dr.
Carpzov, at the interment of a hearer of Mr.
Franckc, and the funeral Ode of Lie. Feller
ja the same occasion, wherein the import of
the wcrd and the characteristics of a Pietist
were explained, are supposed principally to
have contributed). In the year 1689, the
court of Dresden appointed a commission to
investigate this affair : but the accused mas
ters, (especially Francke}, obtained the fa
mous Christ. Thomasius for their counsel
lor ; who we ll defended them in a published
/udicial argument, and showed palpably, the



all criminality ; though, at the same time,
their biblical lectures were prohibited. But
the thing shot like lightning, from Leipsic
through the whole church. All who loved
holiness, must have also such Collegia [or
Lectures : for the Germans use the word
Collegia in Latin, and Collcgien in German,
both for the lectures of professors in a uni
versity, and for associate bodies of learned
men : so that Collegia Biblica may here
be best translated Biblical Lectures. TV.]
Thus the learned and the unlearned held
meetings, which were called seasons for
prayer and for devotion. Into these meet
ings, fantastical persons and enthusiasts insin
uated themselves and talked of the millenial
kingdom and the downfall of Babylon ; rail
ed against the clergy, and brought forward
prophecies, and dreams, and visions. Hence
there arose, in almost all places, Pietistic
commotions ; which the magistrates endeav
oured to still, by severe laws. During these
transactions, Spener was called from Dres
den to Berlin ; and Thomasius, of whom the
Leipsic divines complained as being a heretic
and a teacher of error, was obliged to flee to
Halle. He it was, projected the establishment
of the university of Halle ; and Spener sup
ported him. The university was established ;
and the very masters who had held the biblical
lectures at Leipsic, were in part appointed the
professors of theology in this new university.
These commenced reading, according to
Spencr s views ; and abolished the old scho
lastic method of teaching. They spoke dis
paragingly of philosophy ; and said, that po
lemics made the people too disputatious,
that the greatest heretic was, the old Adam ,
and that he especially must be combated.
In place of polemic theology, they recom
mended mystic : and nearly all the mystical
writings of the French and Italians, were
translated and printed at the Orphan House
in Halle Persons who on account of their



HISTORY OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH. 381

5> 28. From Lcipsic, this controversy spread with incredible rapidity,
throughout Lutheran Germany, nay, through our whole church. For
from this time onward, every where, in cities, villages, and hamlets, peo
pie suddenly started up, of all orders and classes, learned and illiterate,
males and females ; who pretended to be called by some divine impulse,
to eradicate wickedness, to encourage and to propagate neglected piety,
to regulate and govern the church of Christ more wisely ; and who showed,
partly by oral declarations, partly by their writings, and partly by their
institutions, what should be done in order to effect the great object. Nearly
all who were animated with this zeal, agreed, that there was no more pow*.