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and the liberal arts the fame eminent fervice that Luther had done to religion, by purging them from the drofs with which they had been corrupted, and by recommending them, in a powerful and perfuafive manner, to the study of the Germans. He had the rare talent of difcerning truth in all its moft intricate connexions and combinations, of comprehending, at once, the moft abstract notions, and expreffing them with the utmost perfpicuity and cafe. And he applied this happy talent in religious difquifitions with fuch unparalleled fuccefs, that it may fafely be af firmed, that the cause of true Chriftianity derived from the learn ing and genius of Melancthon more fignal advantages and a more effectual fupport, than it received from any of the other doctors of the age. His love of peace and concord, which was partly Owing to the sweetness of his natural temper, made him defire, with ardor, that a reformation might be effected without producing a schism in the church, and that the external communion of the contending parties might be preserved uninterrupted and entire. This fpirit of mildness and charity, carried perhaps too far, led him, fometimes, to make conceffions that were neither confiftent with prudence, nor advantageous to the cause in which he was engaged. It is, however, certain, that he gave no quarter to thofe more dangerous and momentous errors that reigned in the church of Rome, but maintained, on the contrary, that their extirpation was effentially neceffary in order to the restoration of true religion. In the natural complexion of this great man there was fomething foft, timorous, and yielding. Hence arofe a certain diffidence of himself, that not only made him examine things with the greatest attention and care before he resolved upon any measure, but also filled him with uneafy apprehenfions where there was no danger, and made him fear even things that, in reality, could never happen. And yet, on the other hand, when the hour of real danger approached, when things bore a formidable aspect, and the cause of religion was in imminent peril, then this timorous man was converted, all at once, into an intrepid hero, looked danger in the face with unfhaken conftancy, and oppofed his adverfaries with invincible fortitude. All this fhews, that the force of truth and the power of principle had diminished the weaknefies and defects of Melancthon's natural character without entirely removing them. Had his fortitude been more uniform and fteddy, his defire of reconciling all interests and pleasing all parties lefs vehement and exceffive, his triumph over the fuperftitions imbibed in his infancy more compleat [g],

[(g) By this no doubt Dr. Mofheim means the credulity this great man diicovered with respect to prodigies and dreams, and his having been fomewhat addicted to the pretended fcience of aftrology.]...

he muft defervedly have been confidered, as one of the greatest among men [b].'

In his general hiftory of the church, during the fixteenth century, Dr. Mofheim gives us the following view of the public advantages arifing from the restoration of letters.

In this century, the arts and sciences were carried to a degree of perfection unknown to preceeding ages; and from this happy renovation of learning the European churches derived the moft fignal and ineftimable advantages, which they also tranfmitted to the most remote and diftant nations. The benign influence of true fcience, and its tendency to improve both the form of religion and the inftitutions of civil policy, were perceived by many of the states and princes of Europe. Hence large fums were expended, and great zeal and induftry employed in promoting the progrefs of knowledge, by founding and encou raging literary focieties, by protecting and exciting a spirit of emulation among men of genius, and by annexing distinguished honours and advantages to the culture of the fciences. And it is particularly worthy of obfervation, that this was the period, when the wife and falutary law, which excludes ignorant and illiterate perfons from the facred functions of the Christian miniftry, acquired, at length, that force which it ftill retains in the greateft part of the Chriftian world. There still remained, however, fome feeds of that ancient difcord between religion and philofophy, that had been fown and fomented by ignorance. and fanaticifm; and there were found, both among the friends and enemies of the reformation, feveral well-meaning, but inconfiderate men, who, in fpite of common fenfe, maintained with more vehemence and animofity than ever, that vital religion and piety could never flourish until it was totally feparated from learning and fcience, and nourished by the holy fimplicity that reigned in the primitive ages of the church.

The first rank in the literary world was now held by thofe, who confecrated their ftudious hours and their critical fagacity to the publication, correction, and illuftration of the most famous Greek and Latin authors of ancient times, to the study of antiquity and the languages, and to the culture of eloquence and poetry. We fee by the productions of this age (that yet remain, and continue to excite the admiration of the learned) that in all the provinces of Europe these branches of literature were cultivated, with a kind of enthufiafm, by fuch as were moft diftin

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[b] We have a Life of Melanthon, written by Joachim Camerarius, which has already gone through feveral editions. But a more accurate account of this illuftrious reformer, compofed by a prudent, impartial, and well-informed biographer, as alfo a complete collection of his Works, would be an inestimable prefent to the republic of letters.'

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guifhed by their taste and genius; nay, what is ftill more extraordinary (and perhaps not a little extravagant) the welfare of the church and the profperity of the state was supposed to depend upon the improvement of thefe branches of erudition, which were confidered as the very effence of true and folid knowledge. If fuch encomiums were fwelled beyond the bounds of truth and wisdom by enthufiaftical philologifts, it is, nevertheless, certain, that the fpecies of learning, here under confideration, was of the highest importance, as it opened the way that led to the treafures of folid wildom, to the improvement of genius, and thus undoubtedly contributed, in a great measure, to deliver both reafon and religion from the prepoffeffion of ignorance and the fervitude of fuperftition. And, therefore, we ought not to be furprized, when we meet with perfons who exaggerate the merit, and dwell beyond measure on the praifes of thofe, who were our first guides from the regions of darkness and error into the fmiling fphere of evidence and truth.

Though the lovers of philology and Belles Lettres were much fuperior in number to those who turned their principal views to the ftudy of philofophy; yet the latter were far from being contemptible either in point of number or capacity. The philofophers were divided into two claffes, of which the one was wholly abforbed in contemplation, while the other was employed in the investigation of truth, and endeavoured by experience, as well as by reafoning, to trace out the laws and operations of nature. The former were fubdivided into two fects, of which the one followed certain leaders, while the other, unrestrained by the dictates of authority, ftruck out a new way for themselves,' following freely their own inventions. Thofe, who fubmitted to the direction of certain philofophical guides, enlifted themfelves under the ftandards of Ariftotle, or thofe of Plato, who continued ftill to have many admirers, especially in Italy. Nor were the followers of Ariftotle agreed among themselves; they all acknowledged the Stagirite as their chief, but they followed him through very different paths. Some were for retaining the ancient method of proceeding in philofophical purfuits, which their doctors, falfely, called the Peripatetic fyftem. Others pleaded for the pure and unmixed philofophy of Aristotle, and recommended the writings of that Grecian fage, as the fource of wisdom, and as the fyftem, which was most adapted, when properly illuftrated and explained, to the inftruction of youth. A third fort of Ariftotelicians, who differed equally from those now mentioned, and of whom the celebrated Melancthon was the chief, purfued another method. They extracted the marrow out of the lucubrations of Ariftotle, illuftrated it by the aids of genuine literature and the rules of good criticifin, and corrected

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It by the dictates of right reafon and the doctrines and principles of true religion.

Of thofe, who Aruck out a path to themselves in the regions of philofophy, without any regard to that which had been opened by ancient fages, and purfued by their followers, Cardan, Telefius, and Campanella hold, defervedly, the firft rank, as they were, undoubtedly, men of fuperior genius, though too much addicted to the fuggeftions and vifions of an irregular fancy. To there may be added Peter Ramus, that fubtile and ingenious French philofopher, who, by attempting to fubftitute in the place of Ariftotle's logic, a method of reafoning more adapted to the use of rhetoric and the improvement of eloquence, excited Tuch a terrible uproar in the Gallic fchools. Nor must we omit here the mention of Theophraftus Paracelfus, who, by an affiduous obfervation of nature, by a great number of experiments indefatigably repeated, and by applying the penetrating force of fire to discover the first principles or elements of bodies, endeavoured to caft new light and evidence on the important fcience of natural philofophy. As the refearches of this induftrious inquirer into nature excited the admiration of all, his example was confequently followed by many; and hence arofe a new fect of philofophers, who affumed the denomination of Theofophifts, and who, placing little confidence in the decifions of human reafon, or the efforts of fpeculation, attributed all to divine illumination, and repeated experience.

This revolution in philofophy and literature, together with the fpirit of emulation that animated the different fects or claffes into which the learned men of this age were divided, produced many happy effects of various kinds. It, in a more particular manner, brought into difrepute, though it could not at once utterly eradicate, that intricate, barbarous, and infipid method of teaching theology, that had univerfally prevailed hitherto in all the fchools and pulpits of Chriftendom. The facred writings, which, in the preceding ages, had been either entirely neglected, or very abfurdly explained, were now much more confulted and refpected in the debates and writings of the Christian doctors than they had formerly been; the fenfe and language of the inspired writers were more carefully ftudied, and more accurately unfolded; the doctrines and precepts of religion taught with more method, connexion, and perfpicuity; and that dry, barren and unaffecting language, which the ancient fchoolmen affected fo much in their theological compofitions, was wholly exploded by the wifer part of the divines of this century. It mult not, however, be imagined, that this reformation of the fchools was fo perfect, as to leave no new improvements to be made by fucceeding ages; this, indeed, was far from being the cafe. Much imperfection yet remained in the method of treating theology, REV. Dec. 1764.

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and many things, which had great need of a correcting hand, were left untouched. It would, nevertheless, be either an instance of ingratitude, or a mark of great ignorance, to deny this age the honour of having begun what was afterwards more happily finished, and of having laid the foundations of that striking fuperiority, which the divines of fucceeding ages obtained over those of ancient times.

Nor did the improvements, which have been now mentioned, as proceeding from the reftoration of letters and philofophy, extend only to the method of conveying theological inftruction, but purified moreover the fcience of theology itself. For the true nature, genius, and defign of the Chriftian religion, which even the most learned and pious doctors of antiquity had but imperfectly comprehended, were now unfolded with evidence and precifion, and drawn, like truth, from an abyfs in which they had hitherto lain too much concealed. 'Tis true, the influence of error was far from being totally fuppreffed, and many falfe and abfurd doctrines are ftill maintained and propagated in the Chriftian world. But it may, nevertheless, be affirmed, that the Chriftian focieties, whofe errors, at this day, are the most numerous and extravagant, have much less abfurd and perverse notions of the nature and defign of the gofpel, and the duties and obligations of those that profefs it, than were entertained by thofe doctors of antiquity, who ruled the church with an abfolute authority, and were confidered as the chief oracles of theology. It may farther be obferved, that the reformation contributed much to soften and civilize the manners of many nations, who, before that happy period, were funk in the most favage ftupidity, and carried the moft rude and unfociable afpect. It muft, indeed, be confeffed, that a variety of circumftances combined to produce that lenity of character, and that milder temperature of manners, maxims, and actions, that discovered themselves gradually, and increased, from day to day, in the greatest part of the European nations after the period that Luther rendered fo famous. It is, nevertheless, evident, beyond all contradiction, that the difputes concerning religion, and the accurate and rational inquiries into the doctrines and duties of Chriflianity, to which thefe difputes gave rife, had a great tendency to eradicate out of the minds of men that ferocity that had been fo long nourished by the barbarous fuggeftions of unmanly fuperftition. It is alfo certain, that at the very dawn of this happy revolution in the state of Chriftianity, and even before its falutary effects were manifefted in all their extent, pure religion had many fincere and fervent votaries, though they were concealed from public view by the multitudes of fanatics, with which they were furrounded on all fides.'

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