" even in that remote, inaccessible corner*. Similar was the fear which likewise fell upon the other enemies of the protestants. It was no

❝ sooner known at Trent that Maurice had taken arms, than a general consternation seized the "fathers of the council. The German prelates "immediately returned home, that they might provide for the safety of their respective ter"ritories: the rest were extremely impatient to "be gone": and the legate dismissed the assembly †.

The witnesses however were not only to stand again upon their feet, but afterwards to ascend into heaven in the very sight of their enemies. This heaven is doubtless only a symbolical heaven ; and the ascension of the witnesses into it denotes simply their formal recognition as an ecclesiastical body, Hitherto they had only stood upon their feet; but now they were to ascend triumphantly into heaven: they were firmly to establish themselves, as an acknowledged church, in direct opposition to their enemies who beheld them, the first beast and his instigator the second beast.

After the flight of the Emperor from Inspruck, as there now remained only three days to the "commencement of the truce (with such nicety "had Maurice calculated his operations), he set, ❝out for Passau, that he might meet Ferdinand

66

on the day appointed. *" Here, in the presence of the Imperial ambassadors, the Duke of Bavaria, the Bishops of Saltzburgh and Aichstadt, the ministers of all the Electors, and the deputies from most of the considerable princes and free cities, he opened the negociation. After a long discourse in which he explained the motives of his own conduct, he limited his demands, in the name of his associates, to three articles, agreeably to the manifesto which he had published when he took up arms: that the Landgrave of Hesse should immediately be set at liberty; that the grievances in the civil government of the Empire should be redressed; and that the Protestants should be allowed the public exercise of their religion without molestation, Firm and haughty as Charles was by nature, he found it necessary to bend; and signified his willingness to make concessions on his part, if Maurice, in return, would abate somewhat of the rigour of his de mands. That prince, unwilling again to commit all to the doubtful issue of war, repaired forthwith to Passau, and signed the treaty of peace. Its chief articles were, that the Landgrave should be set at liberty; that a diet should be held within six months, in order to deliberate con cerning the most proper and effectual method of preventing for the future all disputes about religion; that, in the mean time, neither the

* Hist. of Charles V. vol. iii. p. 233.

་

Emperor

Emperor nor any other prince should, upon any pretext whatever, offer injury or violence to such as adhered to the confession of Augsburg, but allow them to enjoy the free and undisturbed exercise of their religion; that the Imperial chamber should administer justice impartially to persons of both parties, and Protestants be admitted indiscriminately with Papists to sit as judges in that court; and that, if the next diet should not be able to terminate the disputes with regard to religion, the stipulations in the present treaty in behalf of the Protestants should continue for ever in full force and vigour *. Afterwards, for the yet further security of the reformed religion, a diet was held at Augsburg; in which, on the 25th of September 1555, a recess was framed, approved of, and published with the usual formalities. The following are the chief articles, which it contained that such princes and cities, as have declared their approbation of the confession of Augsburg, shall be permitted to profess the doctrine and exercise the worship which it authorises, without interruption or molestation from the Emperor, the King of the Romans, or any power or person whatsoever; that for the future no attempt shall be made towards terminating religious differences, but by the gentle and pacific methods of persuasion and conference; that the Popish ecclesiastics shall claim no spiritual jurisdiction

* Hist. of Charles V. vol. iii. p. 247.

in such states as receive the confession of Augsburg; and that the supreme civil power in every state shall have right to establish what form of doctrine and worship it shall deem proper, and, any of its subjects refuse to conform to these, shall permit them to remove with all their effects whithersoever they shall please *.

if

"Such," to adopt the words of the historian, was the memorable treaty of Passau, that over"turned the vast fabric, in erecting which Charles

had employed so many years and had exerted "the utmost efforts of his power and policy; "that annulled all his regulations with regard to

66

religion; defeated all his hopes of rendering "the imperial authority absolute and hereditary "in his family; and established the Protestant church, which had hitherto subsited precariously in Germany through connivance or by "expedients, upon a firm and secure basis†.” The various other interpretations, which have been given of this remarkable prophecy, appear to me to have failed, partly from the paying too exclusive an attention to the allotted period of three days and a half; partly from not taking into the account those other parts of the prediction, which point out both the time when, the place where, and the imperial head under which, it was to receive its completion; and almost univer

*Hist. Charles V. vol. iii. p. 314.

+ Ibid. p. 247.

sally

sally* from not stating rightly the peculiar nature of the death of the witnesses. This last I hold to be of the very first importance, because it seems necessarily to fix the application of the prophecy to the history of the Smalcaldic league. The slaying of the witnesses is not merely a religious persecution, but the causing them to cease to be witnesses, the compelling them to lay aside their distinguishing character of witnesses. In all other persecutions they still continued to exist, they lost not their character of witnesses, they ceased not to prophesy although it might be secretly and in sackcloth; but by receiving the Interim they became prophetically dead, they no longer bore their testimony, they ceased to be what they had formerly been.

Several of these interpretations are mentioned

* I ought to observe, that, although Mr. Mede does not attempt to explain the death of the witnesses, believing it to be yet future; his idea of their death, if not perfectly accurate, is at least very nearly so. He supposes it to denote the silencing of protestant ministers, the causing them to cease to be public. witnesses of the truth. "Testium in bello occubitus videbitur

esse illorum ab officio et statione, quam in ecclesia vi præ"dicationis suæ reformata aliquantisper consecuti sunt, de"turbatio et dejectio; sive ea cum morti corporali conjuncta

sit, sive secus: adeo ut vitam, qualem tum vixerant, propheticam deinceps non vivant, muniave ejus. exerceant "amplius." Bp. Newton nearly follows Mr. Mede; and, like him, esteems the prophecy yet unaccomplished. Their view of the death of the witnesses scems to me defective, as not including the idea of apostasy. Mr. Butt's idea of that death is strictly accurate.

by