things of the common salvation, were no just causes of disunion.*

HENRY ALTING, professor of divinity at Heidelberg, and afterwards at Groningen, and a distinguished member of the Synod of Dordt,† "assures us, that this was the common opinion of the reformed divines who followed BUCER and CALVIN. For, proposing this question in his problems, whether the orthodox may lawfully communicate in the Lord's supper with the LUTHERANS? he resolves it in the affirmative, upon these four arguments:

"1. Because they all agree in fundamentals. 66 2. Because men ought to preserve unity in the church, and hate schism.

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"3. Because we have the example of the prophets, and of Christ and his apostles, for communicating in more corrupt churches than the Lutherans are.

"4. Because the best divines of the last age,' the Reformation, "have approved it, as CAPITO, BUCER, CALVIN, MARTYR, ZANCHY, URSIN, TOSSANUS, PAREUS, SCULTETUS, and others: some of whom, as they had occasion, DID ACTUALLY COMMUNICATE with them."

* CALV. FARELLO. p. 9.

+ BAYLE, Dict. Crit. Art. ALTING. Tom. I. p. 169,

170.

ALTING. Theol. Problem Par. 2. Probl. 18. p. 331. quoted as above by BINGHAM, Orig. eccles. Vol. II. p. 825. Fol.

PETER MARTYR, a man of high standing among the reformers, went over to England at the invitation of CRANMER by order of EDWARD VI.; and, though far enough from holding the divine right of Episcopacy, scrupled not to join in permanent communion with the church of England, and to accept a theological chair in the university of Oxford; and that he would as freely have communed with the Lutherans, had they been as forbearing as himself, may be gathered from the disapprobation with which he mentions the harsh behaviour of some Lutheran ministers toward one of their brethren, for kindly receiving the English Protestants, when they fled from the persecutions of bloody MARY, and for communicating sometimes with the church of Friezland.*

KNOX, the Scottish ELIJAH, as firm a Presbyterian as CALVIN himself, and still less indulgent to what he considered as reliques of Papal superstition-even KNOX-with all his antiepiscopal feelings, "officiated for a considerable time in the church of England"t-assisted in revising the Book of Common Prayer‡-accepted, at

* See his letter to CALVIN, from Strasburgh, 23d Sept. 1555, at the end of his Loci,communes, p. 770. ed. Genev. 1624. Fol.

+ M'CRIE's life of JOHN KNOX, Vol. I. p. 102. Lond. 1813. 8vo. + IB. p. 87.

Frankfort on the Maine, the charge of a congregation composed of English exiles, differing much in their views of publick worship—and, "when the congregation had agreed to adopt the order of the Genevan church, and requested him to proceed to administer the communion according to it; although he approved of that order, he declined to carry it into practice, until their learned brethren in other places were consulted. At the same time he signified that he had not freedom to administer the sacraments agreeably to the English liturgy."* The difficulty resulted in a compromised "form of worship, in which some things were taken from the English liturgy, and others added which were thought suitable to their circumstances. This was to continue in force until the end of the next April; and if any dispute arose in the interval, it was to be referred to five of the most celebrated foreign divines. The agreement was subscribed by all the members of the congregation; thanks were publickly returned to God for the restoration of harmony; and the communion was received as a pledge of union, and the burial of all past offences."t

It is well known to have been a favourite ob

ject with CALVIN to form a general union of all the Protestant churches. This he never could have proposed without a full conviction that they were sufficiently united in principle to be united in fact; and to reciprocate, by agreement, the most liberal and ample communion in the things of Christ. The idea of reducing them all exactly to his own standard of propriety never entered his mind. He was too much of a Christian to ask for so huge a sacrifice; and too much of a statesman to suppose it possible. His plan, as is clear from the whole drift of his writings and advices, would have been to bind them up in a great confederation; bringing them as near to each other as the state of public habit, under the influence of mutual candour and concession, should permit; fixing them firmly there, and leaving all the rest to evangelical liberty. So that, as in old time, a Christian, passing from his own church and country to another, should be welcomed as a citizen of the kingdom of God, and should conform peaceably to the order of that province of the kingdom which should thus receive him. Could he have succeeded in removing the grosser offences which remained in some of the churches, his wishes had been fulfilled-his holy triumph completed. For as no one more thoroughly detested, or pertinaciously re

sisted, whatever tended, even remotely, to ensnare conscience, or to reconcile the minds of men to the superstitions and idolatry of Rome; so no one ever treated, with more majestic disregard, those unessential peculiarities about which so much heat is kindled by vanity. His critics have set down such things to the score of his pride, mostly if not merely, because they could not rise to the level of his magnanimity: just as they have mistaken for arrogance, that manly and subduing spirit which walks in the upper regions of light and truth. He, in effect, said to the Lutheran and English churches, Keep your "smaller observances;" let us have no discord on their account; but let us march, in one solid column, under the Captain of salvation; and, with undivided counsels, pour in the legions of the cross upon the territory of darkness and death. "I wish," says he, in a letter to CRANMER, "I wish it could be brought about, that men of learning and dignity from the principal churches might have a meeting; and, after a careful discussion of the several points of faith, might hand down to posterity the doctrine of the scripture settled by their common judgment. But among the greatest evils of our age this also is to be reckoned, that our churches are so distracted one from another, that human society scarcely flou