for the felicity of his genius, and the copiousness of his eloquence, but not for his discernment, was James Benignus Bossuet: who endeavoured to demonstrate from the disagreements among the protestant doctors, and the frequent changes their church and doctrines had undergone, that the church established by Luther was not a true church; and from the perpetual uniformity of the Romish church, that it was the true church and of divine origin. This appears very surprising, as coming from a learned man, who could not be ignorant that the pontiffs are very subservient in times and places, and to the opinions of men; and still more as coming from a Frenchman, whose fellow citizens contend, with so much zeal, that modern Rome differs as much from ancient and primitive Rome as lead does from gold. § 16. So many and various efforts of the patrons of the Romish church, occasioned indeed the protestant doctors not a little labour, but produced very slender effects. Some of the princes and a few learned men were induced to embrace again the Romish religion, which their fathers had renounced: but no one nation or province could be persuaded to follow their example. Of the highest order of persons, Christina, queen of Sweden, a lady of great spirit and genius, but precipitate, and one who preferred her ease, pleasure, and liberty, to all other considerations'; Wolfgang William, count Palatine of His Histoire des Variations des Eglises Protestantes, Paris, 1688. 8vo. is very generally known. To this day, the papists value it very highly, and place it among their strongest bulwarks. And they may continue to exult in this their great champion and defender, if they choose; but if they are not beside themselves, and if they would preserve the head of their church safe, they must exceedingly desire, that Bossuet's great principle, that whatever church frequently modifies and changes its doctrines, has not the holy Spirit, may never be believed true, by one who is acquainted with the course of events at Rome. [Against Bossuet, James Basnage wrote his famous Histoire des Eglises Réformées; Rotterdam, 1690. 2 vols. 8vo. And as Bossuet replied to this, in his Défense de l'Histoire des Variations, Basnage composed his great work, Histoire de l'Eglise depuis J. C. jusqu'à présent; Roterd. 1699. 2 vols. fol. Schl.] 6 Of this queen, and the causes of her defection to the Romish church, there is a very full account in Arkenholz, Mémoires de la Reine Christine; which is a very interesting and useful book. [This vain and rash woman, who probably had no fixed religious principles, became weary of the cares of government; resigned her crown in 1654, and retired to Italy to enjoy the refined society of that country. As a preparatory step to a comfortable residence at Rome, while on her way thither, she changed her religion. Tr.] Now meny vended to Jr. M ant se Slowed his ANSIP. This was a 1634 Blum 36falet 18 pensi c, and at length was mate vice-president of the supreme court of appeals at Prague. See Debiegel's pute here. Tr.] * [He was the elector of Saxony, and to qualify himself for the throne of Poland, made profession of the catholie religion in the year 1697. See Schroeckh's Kirchengesch, 8. d. Reform. vol. vii. p. 74. and Henke's Kirchengeach, vol. iv. p. 559. Tr.] He apostatized to the Romish church in 1653, following the example of Ernest, prince of Hesse; and was a man of great distinction, but rather a man of letters, than a sound reasoner or philosopher. See Gruber's Commrvium Epistol, Leibnitianum, containmg Ais and Conring's Epis'es, tom. i. p. 33. 37. 39, 48, 36, 60, 70. 76. 93, Ulr. Hunnius; Nich. Stenonius, a celebrated Danish physician'; Jo. Phil. Pfeiffer, a professor at Königsberg1; Lucas Holstenius with his kinsman, Peter Lambecius'; Henry Jul. Blum, professor at Helmstadt, a learned but vain man'; Daniel Nessel; Andrew Fromm'; Barthold Nikusius, Christ. gical college of Leyden. Being an Arminian, he was censured by the synod of Dort, and afterwards excommunicated. He retired to France, became a catholic, was a professor at Paris, historiographer to the king, and died in 1629. See Rees's Cyclopædia, article Bertius. Tr.] 7 [Besold was a learned and excellent man, professor of law at Tubingen, and after his conversion to the Romish church in 1635, professor at Ingolstadt. He published his motives; and appears to have been sincere; though the timidity of his character, and the troubled state of the times, seem to have had an influence. His revolt was a serious loss to the protestants. See Henke, Kirchengesch, vol. iii. p. 517. and Schlegel's note here. Tr.] [He was the son of the famous Ægidius Hunnius, and brother to Nicholas. He was professor of law at Giessen and Marpurg, turned catholic in 1631, was made councillor and vicechancellor at Treves, and died in 1636. See Henke and Schlegel, loc. cit. Tr.] * [This celebrated anatomist travelled for improvement as far as Italy. On his return, he was made professor of anatomy at Copenhagen. But preferring Italy, he soon removed to that country. There, at the age of 37, in the year 1675, he became a real catholie, changed his profession, was created a titular bishop, and sent as papal legate into Germany; where he died in 1686. He was first a great anatomist, and then a very sincere catholic, and a man of blameless life. He wrote many tracts in defence of popery. See Jo. Moller's Cimbria Literata, tom. ii. p. 867, &c. Tr.] 1 [See Henke's Kirchengesch, vol. iv. p. 305. He apostatized in 1694; published his apology for it; and died the next year. Tr.] 2 [This distinguished literary man was born at Hamburg in 1596; first studied medicine, but afterwards de voted himself to Latin and Greek literature, and to ecclesiastical antiquities. He early travelled to Italy and Sicily. Returning, he pursued study in Holland. Being denied a scholarship at Leyden, he left that place in disgust, and after travelling a year or two, settled in Paris, A. D. 1624. Here he was promoted, became a catholic, and an author. He next went to Italy, where he was in high esteem; was made librarian to the pope, and came near to being a cardinal. He died 1661, aged 65. He was one of the most learned men of his age, and a sincere catholic, but not bigoted. See Jo. Moller's Cimbria Literata, vol. i. p. 257. and vol. iii. p. 321–342. Tr.] 3 [Lambecius was a countryman and nephew of Holstenius, and a rector at Hamburg. But he had a bad wife, and besides, also fell into ill fame as a teacher of false doctrine. He therefore abandoned his country, office, wife, and religion, and became a Librarian at Vienna. Schl.-This very learned man, and voluminous writer and editor, died in 1680, aged 52. See Jo. Moller, Cimbria Literata, vol. i. p. 323. and vol. iii. p. 391-414. Tr.] * He apostatized in 1654. [See above, p. 84, note (1.) Tr. See Jac. Burchard's Historia Biblioth. Augusta, pt. iii. p. 223. 233. Gruber's Commercium Epistol. Leibnitianum, tom. i. p. 41. 95. 135. 137. 379. 388. 410, &c. In these Epistles he is usually called Florus. [He was the son of Martin Nessel, a rector of Bremen, and studied law. He and his father both turned catholics in 1667. Daniel succeeded Lambecius, as librarian at Vienna, and died A. D. 1700. See Henke's Kirchengesch. vol. iv. p. 302. Tr.] 6 [He was a provost at Berlin, and from the year 1662, laboured much to unite the protestants and catholics. His apostasy took place at Prague, in 1667. See Henke, loc. cit. iv. p. 303: and Schlegel's note here. Tr.] kileg Xuth Freew", and some others of inferior note aut staring pained at the Lomist pary. But if from these you exeer auria we are abundancy assured were led to this Plates in tuer wouesta misi cones, their desire to advance V rank auc go, ther inrinate desire of wealth and wory advantage ther frueness of mind their imbecility of intedøet, and other causes of no better character, you will Hobuse the whole number to a few persons, whom no one will greatly envy the Roman catholics *. $17. The christians of the East. who were not of the Romish communion, opposed the papal envoys no less firmly than the Europeans. Nor do the more ingenuous catholics themselves deny that those who give us splendid accounts of the great extension of the papal authority among the Nestorians and Monophysites, and of the favourable disposition of several of the prelates of these sects towards the Romish church, deceive us with fictitious statements. On the other hand, the sovereign pontiffs suffered two very severe losses in the East during this century; the one was in Japan, the other in Abyssinia. What occurred in Japan has already been stated among the evils which the christian cause in general experienced. It remains, therefore, only to give account of the occurrences in Abyssinia or Ethiopia. In the beginning of the century, the mission to the Abyssinians, which had been interrupted in the preceding century, was renewed by the Portuguese Jesuits with very favourable auspices. Fo the emperor Susneius, who assumed the name of Sitam Segued at his coronation, after his victories over his enemies, influenced partly by the eloquence of the Jesuits, and partly by the hope of confirming his authority by the aid of Portuguese troops, committed the direction of all religious affairs, in the year 1625, to Alphonso Mendez, a missionary from Portugal; or, in other words, created him patriarch of the nation. The next year, he not only himself publicly swore obedience to the authority of the Roman pontiff, but also required all his people to forsake the religion of their fathers, and to embrace that of Rome. But that new prelate, with his associates, by his ill-timed zeal, himself subverted the foundations of the papal authority, which appeared to be so well established. For, in the first place, he resolved to subdue the people, the greatest part of whom, together with their ministers, held their ancient religion more dear than life itself, by means of terror, wars, and very severe punishments, in the manner of the Portuguese Inquisition. In the next place, those who yielded obedience to the commands of the emperor, the prelate ordered to be baptized and consecrated anew, after the Roman form; as if they had previously been entirely without the true christian ordinances which was an injury to the religion of their fathers that the clergy regarded with more horror than they did the tortures and violence inflicted on recusants. And lastly, he did not hesitate to rend the commonwealth into factions, and to encroach even upon the authority and the prerogatives of the emperor. Hence arose, first, civil commotions and formidable insurrections; then, the indignation of the emperor himself, and a general abhorrence of the Jesuits; and finally, a public edict of the emperor, in 1631, which gave the citizens full liberty to embrace which of the two religions they preferred. The son of Seltam, Basilides, who succeeded to the throne on the death of his father in 1632, thought proper to clear the country of these troublesome strangers; and therefore, in the year 1634, he drove Mendez and the whole body of Jesuits and Portuguese from Abyssinia, with no kind of indulgence or tenderness'. From this time onward, such an abhorrence of 1 See Job. Ludolf's Historia Ethiopica, lib. iii. cap. xii. Mich. Geddes, Church History of Ethiopia, p. 233, &c. Matur. Veisse la Croze's Histoire du |