History of the Great Reformation Part 4

[63] Nunc c.u.m familiola mea panem manduco et potum capio in mensura.--(Lamberti Commentarii de Sacro Conjugio.)

Lambert, desiring to prepare the reform of Hesse, drew up one hundred and fifty-eight theses, which he ent.i.tled "paradoxes," and posted them, according to the custom of the times, on the church doors.

Friends and enemies immediately crowded round them. Some Roman catholics would have torn them down, but the reformed townspeople kept watch, and holding a synod in the public square, discussed, developed, proved these propositions, and ridiculed the anger of the Papists.

[Sidenote: FRIAR BONIFACE.]

A young priest, Boniface Dornemann, full of self-conceit, whom the bishop, on the day of his consecration, had extolled above Paul for his learning, and above the Virgin for his chast.i.ty, finding himself too short to reach Lambert's placard, had borrowed a stool, and surrounded by a numerous audience, had begun to read the propositions aloud.[64]

[64] c.u.m statura homines hujusmodi esset ut inter Pygmaeos internosci difficulter posset, scabellum sibi dari postulabat, eoque conscenso, cpit, &c.--(Othon. Melandri Jocorum Cent.)

"All that is deformed, ought to be reformed. The Word of G.o.d alone teaches us what ought to be so, and all reform that is effected otherwise is vain."[65]

[65] Vana est omnis Reformatio quae alioqui fit.--(Paradoxa Lamberti: Sculteti Annal.)

This was the first thesis. "Hem!" said the young priest, "I shall not attack that." He continued.

"It belongs to the Church to judge on matters of faith. Now the Church is the congregation of those who are united by the same spirit, the same faith, the same G.o.d, the same Mediator, the same Word, by which alone they are governed, and in which alone they have life."[66]

[66] Ecclesia est congregatio eorum quos unit idem spiritus.--(Paradoxa Lamberti: Sculteti Annal.)

"I cannot attack that proposition," said the priest.[67] He continued reading from his stool.

[67] Hanc equidem haud impugnaverim. Illam ne quidem attigerim.--(Othon. Mel. Joc. Cent.)

"The Word is the true key. The kingdom of heaven is open to him who believes the Word, and shut against him who believes it not. Whoever, therefore, truly possesses the Word of G.o.d, has the power of the keys.

All other keys, all the decrees of the councils and popes, and all the rules of the monks, are valueless."

Friar Boniface shook his head and continued.

[Sidenote: DISPUTATION AT HOMBURG.]

"Since the priesthood of the Law has been abolished, Christ is the only immortal and eternal priest, and he does not, like men, need a successor. Neither the Bishop of Rome nor any other person in the world is his representative here below. But all Christians, since the commencement of the Church, have been and are partic.i.p.ators in his priesthood."

This proposition smelt of heresy. Dornemann, however, was not discouraged; and whether it was from weakness of mind, or from the dawning of light, at each proposition that did not too much shock his prejudices, he failed not to repeat: "Certainly, I shall not attack that one!" The people listened in astonishment, when one of them,--whether he was a fanatical Romanist, a fanatical Reformer, or a mischievous wag, I cannot tell--tired of these continual repet.i.tions, exclaimed: "Get down, you knave, who cannot find a word to impugn."

Then rudely pulling the stool from under him, he threw the unfortunate clerk flat in the mud.[68]

[68] Apagesis, nebulo! qui quod impugnes infirmesque invenire haud possis! hisque dictis scabellum ei mox subtrahit, ut miser ille praeceps in lutum ageretur.--(Oth. Mel. Joc. Cent.)

On the 21st October, at seven in the morning, the gates of the princ.i.p.al church of Homburg were thrown open, and the prelates, abbots, priests, counts, knights, and deputies of the towns, entered in succession, and in the midst of them was Philip, in his quality of first member of the Church.

After Lambert had explained and proved his theses, he added: "Let him stand forth who has anything to say against them." There was at first a profound silence; but at length Nicholas Ferber, superior of the Franciscans of Marburg, who in 1524, applying to Rome's favourite argument, had entreated the Landgrave to employ the sword against the heretics, began to speak with drooping head, and downcast eyes; but as he invoked Augustin, Peter Lombard, and other doctors to his a.s.sistance, the Landgrave observed to him: "Do not put forward the wavering opinions of men, but the Word of G.o.d, which alone fortifies and strengthens our hearts." The Franciscan sat down in confusion, saying: "This is not the place for replying." The disputation, however, recommenced, and Lambert, showing all the fire of the South, so astonished his adversary, that the superior, alarmed at what he called "thunders of blasphemy and lightnings of impiety,"[69] sat down again, observing a second time, "This is not the place for replying."

[69] Fulgura impietatum, tonitrua blasphemiarum.

[Sidenote: TRIUMPH OF THE GOSPEL IN HESSE.]

In vain did the Chancellor Feige declare to him that each man had the right of maintaining his opinion with full liberty; in vain did the Landgrave himself exclaim that the Church was sighing after truth: silence had become Rome's refuge. "I will defend the doctrine of purgatory," a priest had said prior to the discussion; "I will attack the paradoxes under the sixth head (on the true priesthood)," had said another;[70] and a third had exclaimed, "I will overthrow those under the tenth head (on images);" but now they were all dumb.

[70] Erant enim prius qui dicerent: Ego a.s.seram purgatorium; alius, Ego impugnabo paradoxa t.i.tuli s.e.xti, etc.--(Lamberti Epistola ad Colon.)

Upon this Lambert, clasping his hands, exclaimed with Zacharias: _Blessed be the Lord G.o.d of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people_.

After three days of discussion, which had been a continual triumph for the evangelical doctrine, men were selected and commissioned to const.i.tute the churches of Hesse in accordance with the Word of G.o.d.

They were more than three days occupied in the task, and then their new const.i.tution was published in the name of the synod.

The first ecclesiastical const.i.tution produced by the Reformation should have a place in history, so much the more as it was then set forward as a model for the new Churches of Christendom.[71]

[71] This const.i.tution will be found in Schminke, Monumenta Ha.s.siaca, vol. ii. p. 588: "Pro Ha.s.siae Ecclesiis, et si deinde nonnullae _aliae_ ad idem _nostro exemplo_ provocarentur."

[Sidenote: CONSt.i.tUTION OF THE CHURCH.]

The autonomy or self-government of the Church is its fundamental principle: it is from the Church, from its representatives a.s.sembled in the name of the Lord, that this legislation emanates; there is no mention in the prologue either of state or of Landgrave.[72] Philip, content with having broken for himself and for his people the yoke of a foreign priest, had no desire to put himself in his place, and was satisfied with an external superintendence, necessary for the maintenance of order.

[72] Synodus _in nomine Domini congregata_.--(Ibid.)

A second distinctive feature in this const.i.tution is its simplicity both of government and wors.h.i.+p. The a.s.sembly conjures all future synods not to load the Churches with a mult.i.tude of ordinances, "seeing that where orders abound, disorder superabounds." They would not even continue the organs in the churches, because, said they, "men should understand what they hear."[73] The more the human mind has been bent in one direction, the more violent is the reaction in the contrary direction when it is unbent. The Church pa.s.sed at that time from the extreme of symbols to that of simplicity. These are the princ.i.p.al features of this const.i.tution:--

[73] Ne homines non intelligant.--(Ibid. cap. 3.)

"The Church can only be taught and governed by the Word of its Sovereign Pastor. Whoever has recourse to any other word shall be deposed and excommunicated.[74]

[74] Non admittimus verb.u.m aliud quam ipsius pastoris nostri.--(Schminke, Monumenta Ha.s.siaca, cap. 2.)

"Every pious man, learned in the Word of G.o.d, whatever be his condition, may be elected bishop if he desire it, for he is called inwardly of G.o.d.[75]

[75] Si quis pius, in verbo sancto et exercitatus, docere pet.i.t verb.u.m sanctum, non repellatur, a Deo enim interne mitt.i.tur.--(Ibid. cap.

23.)

"Let no one believe that by a bishop we understand anything else than a simple minister of the Word of G.o.d.[76]

[76] Ne quis putet, nos hic per episcopos, alios intelligere, quam ministros Dei verbi.--(Ibid.)

"The ministers are servants, and consequently they ought not to be lords, princes, or governors.

[Sidenote: CONSt.i.tUTION OF THE CHURCH--BISHOPS.]

"Let the faithful a.s.semble and choose their bishops and deacons. Each church should elect its own pastor.[77]

[77] Eligat quaevis ecclesia episcopum suum.--(Ibid. cap. 23.)

"Let those who are elected bishops be consecrated to their office by the imposition of the hands of three bishops; and as for the deacons, if there are no ministers present, let them receive the laying on of hands from the elders of the Church.[78]

[78] Ma.n.u.s imponant duo ex senioribus, nisi alii episcopi intersint.--(Ibid. cap. 21.)

"If a bishop causes any scandal to the Church by his effeminacy, or by the splendour of his garments, or by the levity of his conduct, and if, on being warned, he persists, let him be deposed by the Church.[79]

[79] Deponat ecclesia episcopum suum, quod ad eam spectet judicare de voce pastorum.--(Ibid. cap. 23.)