History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, Vol. 7 (of 8)Merle d'Aubigné, J. H. (Jean Henri)
History
History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, Vol. 7 (of 8)
Merle d'Aubigné, J. H. (Jean Henri)
Reformation
The organization of the Evangelical Church was no light task. The king
felt the want of some Protestant theologian who was competent to
undertake it. At Flensborg, in 1529, he had made the acquaintance of
Pomeranus, the friend of Luther, who had organized the churches of
Pomerania, his native country, of Brunswick, Hamburg, and Lübeck.
Pomeranus, whose original name was Bugenhagen, was superintendent at
Wittenberg, and was a man of a conciliatory and disinterested nature. He
could distinguish between things essential and things indifferent; he
attached himself to the spirit still more than to the letter; and on
these grounds seemed to be peculiarly fitted to give a constitution to
the Danish Church. The elector of Saxony consented to give him up, first
for a year, and afterwards for two years. In 1537, therefore, Luther’s
friend arrived at Copenhagen with his family and several students from
Wittenberg. He reorganized the university of Copenhagen, and delivered
their courses of lectures, and diffused instruction and the knowledge of
the Scriptures among the clergy. At the same time, in co-operation with
the reformers of Denmark, Tausen, Wormorsen, Chrysostom, Sadolin, Peter
Larssen and others, he gave a constitution to the renovated Church of
Denmark. On the 12th of May, 1537, the birthday of Christian III., the
king and queen were crowned by the reformer. ‘Pomeranus is in Denmark,’
wrote Luther to Bucer, ‘and all that God does by his hands prospers. He
has crowned the king and the queen as if he were a real bishop.’[366] On
September 2, he consecrated the new evangelical bishops. Wormorsen was
made bishop of the former primatial see of Lund, but its metropolitan
privileges were abolished. Palladius, a disciple of Luther and
Melanchthon, who had spent at Wittenberg almost all the time during
which the Reformation was in progress in Denmark, was appointed,
doubtless on the recommendation of Pomeranus, bishop of Zealand, and he
exercised also a kind of general supervision. Tausen was not at this
time made a bishop. Are we to suppose that he declined the office? Or
were some afraid to raise to a bishopric this bold pioneer who had made
himself enemies by the freedom of his ministry? He was, however,
invested with the office, four years later, as bishop of Ribe.[367]
[Sidenote: Constitution Of The Church.]
The very day on which the bishops were consecrated the constitution of
the Church was promulgated. It treated, in the first place, of pure
evangelical doctrine and of the sacraments; next of the education of the
young and of schools; of ecclesiastical customs and of their uniformity;
of the duties of the superintendents and of provosts; of the revenues of
the Church for the maintenance of ministers and the poor; and of the
books which might be used by the pastors to enlarge their knowledge. The
writings of Luther and Melanchthon were especially recommended.[368]
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