History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin, Vol. 4 of 8
PREFACE.
This volume narrates the events of an importantepoch in the Reformation of England, Switzerland,France, Germany, and Italy. From the first the authorpurposed to write a History of the Reformation inEurope, which he indicated in the title of his work.Some persons, misled by the last words of that title,have supposed that he intended to give a mere biographyof Calvin: such was not his idea. That greatdivine must have his place in this history, but, howeverinteresting the life of a man may be, and especiallythe life of so great a servant of God, the history of thework of God in the various parts of Christendom possessesin our opinion a greater and more permanentinterest.
In the year 1853, in the fifth volume of his Historyof the Reformation of the Sixteenth Century, the authordescribed the commencement of the reform in England.He now resumes the subject where he had left off,namely, after the fall and death of Wolsey. Thefollowing pages were written thirteen years ago, immediatelyvisubsequent to the publication of the fifth volume;they have since then been revised and extended.
The most important fact of that epoch in GreatBritain is the act by which the English Church resumedits independence. It was attended by a peculiarcircumstance. When Henry VIII. emancipatedhis people from the papal supremacy, he proclaimedhimself head of the Church. And hence, of all Protestantcountries, England is the one in which Churchand State are most closely united. The legislators ofthe Anglican Church understood afterwards the dangerpresented by this union, and consequently declared,in the Thirty-seventh Article (Of the Civil Magistrates),that, ‘where they attributed to the King’sMajesty the chief government, they gave not to theirprinces the ministering of God’s word.’ This did notmean that the king should not preach; such an ideadid not occur to any one; but that the civil powershould not take upon itself to determine the doctrinesof the divine Word.
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