The Life of Hugo Grotius Part 19

The const.i.tutions of the Roman Catholic, and Protestant Churches, differ in nothing more, than in the following important points: The Catholic Church, acknowledges the authority of the Scriptures, and, in addition to them, a body of traditionary law. She receives both under the authority, and with the interpretation of the Church, and believes that the authority of the Church in receiving and interpreting them is infallible. The Protestant Churches generally profess to acknowledge no law but the Scriptures, no interpreter of the Scriptures, but the understanding and conscience of the individual who peruses them.

That the Roman Catholic Church should propound a formulary of her faith, enlarge this formulary from time to time, as further interpretation is wanted, and enforce acquiscence in it by spiritual censures, is consistent with _her_ principles. Whether such a pretension can be avowed, without inconsistency, by any Protestant Church, has been a subject of much discussion. In point of fact, however, no Protestant Church is without her formulary, or abstains from enforcing it by temporal provisions and spiritual censures. To enforce their formularies by civil penalties, is inconsistent with the principles, of every christian church. All churches howsoever have so enforced, and have blamed the others, for so enforcing them.

Such formularies, from the circ.u.mstance of their collecting into one instrument, several articles, of religious belief, are generally known on the Continent, by the appellation of SYMBOLIC BOOKS.

I. The symbolic books, received by ALL TRINITARIAN CHRISTIAN CHURCHES,--are,

1. _The Symbol of the Apostles_; and

2. _The Nicene Symbol_.

II. The symbolic books, received by the ROMAN CATHOLIC Church,--are,

1. The General Councils;

2. Among these,--_the Council of Trent_,--as immediately applying to the controversies between the Catholic and Protestant Churches, is particularly regarded;

3. _The Symbol of Pope Pius IV_.;

4. _The Catechism of the Council of Trent_.

III. The symbolic books of the GREEK CHURCH,--are,

1. _The Confession, of her true and sincere faith_, which, on the taking of Constantinople, by Mahomet II, in 1453, Gennadius, its patriarch, presented to the conqueror;

2. _The Orthodox Confession, of the Catholic and Apostolic Greek Church_, published in 1642, by Mogilow, the Metropolitan of Kiow.

IV. The symbolic books of the LUTHERAN CHURCHES, are

1. _The Confession of Augsburgh_;

2. _The Apology of the Confession of Augsburgh_;

3. _The Articles of Smalcald_;

4. _And_, (in the opinion of some Lutheran Churches),--_The Form of Concord_;

5. _The Saxon, Wirtenburgian, Suabian, Pomeranian, Mansfeldian, Antwerpensian, and Copenhagen Confessions_, possess, in particular places, the authority of Symbolic books:--the two first are particularly respected.

V. The symbolic books of the REFORMED CHURCHES. The reformed Church, in the largest extent of that expression, comprises all the religious communities, which have separated from the Church of Rome. In this sense, it is often used by English writers: but, having, soon after the Reformation, been used by the French Protestants to describe their church, which was Calvinistic, it became, insensibly, the appellation of all Calvinistic churches on the Continent. The princ.i.p.al symbolic books of these churches,--are,

1. _The Confession of the Helvetian Churches_;

2. _The Tetrapolitan Confession_,--signed by the four cities of Strasburgh, Constance, Memmingen, and Lindau;

3. _The Catechism of Heidelbergh_;

4. _The Gallic Confession of Faith_;

5. _The Belgic Confession of Faith_;

6. _The Canons of the Council of Dort_.

VI. The symbolic books of the WALDENSES,--are,

_Their original and reformed Creeds_.

VII. The symbolic books of the _Bohemians_,--are,

1. _The Confession of faith of the Calixtines and Taborites_, signed at the Synod of Cuttenburgh in 1541;

2. _The Confession of the faith of the Bohemians_,--inserted in the "Harmony of Confessions," published at Cambridge in 1680.

3. _The Consent of faith at Sendomer_.

VIII. The symbolic book of the ARMINIANS,--is

_The Declaration of the Remonstrants_, drawn up by Episcopius, and signed in 1622.

IX. The symbolic book of the SOCINIANS is _The Catechism of Racow_;--the best edition of it was published in 1609, reprinted at Frankfort, in 1739. An English translation of it has been published by Mr. Rees.

X. The UNITARIANS have no symbolic book. To Doctor Lardner's _Letter on the Logos_ they shew universal respect.

XI. The symbolic books of THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND,--are,

1. _The Theological Oaths_,--containing a Declaration of the belief of the Monarch's spiritual supremacy;--and Declarations against Transubstantiation,--the invocation of Saints,--and the sacrifice of the Ma.s.s;

2. _The Thirty-nine Articles_.

XII. The symbolic book of the ENGLISH AND SCOTTISH PRESBYTERIANS,--is

"_The Articles of Religion_ approved and pa.s.sed by both Houses of Parliament after advice had with an a.s.sembly of divines, called together for that purpose." These were sent into Scotland, and immediately sanctioned by the General a.s.sembly, and Parliament of that kingdom; and thus became a law of the Church and State.

XIII. The symbolic books of the Anabaptists may be said to be,--