same time having the notes of M. Goulart, on the said Harmony, translated, in order to print the whole together . . .

"The name of Salvart is given in this last article to the author of this Harmony, who is called Salnar in the fourteenth article of the Synod of Virtré: and we are there informed that M. Goulart is the author of the Notes on the said Harmony, which I reckon to be nothing more than the Brief Observations to be found at the end of the Latin edition.”—tom. vii. pp. 259,260.

Among more recent authorities, that of Augusti claims precedence. "The literary history of this work," he says, "seems hitherto obscure; and in no writer except Hospinian (Concordia Discors, Tigur: 1607, p. 92.) have I been able to discover a single trace of it. He gives the following statement. That, in the year 1579, the Ministers of the Church of Zurich, having received proposals from the assembly of Frankfort, held in 1577, under the sanction of Jo. Casimir, Count-Palatine, for a new Confession of Faith, answered in these words:That it would be a safer plan, if they could apprize the whole world of their agreement in the doctrine of faith by some other means, without having recourse to a new Confession. . . That the Confessions already extant could be distributed under certain heads, without the alteration of a single word, and so reduced into a HARMONY; with nothing but a brief explanation added to each chapter, denoting the agreement that subsisted between all the Confessions, and removing any such shew of difference as sometimes arises merely from diversity of language. That this book, published in the name of all the Churches in concert, and approved by the suffrages of the Princes and Magistrates, would prove a most brilliant testimony to the agreement prevailing among so many and so famous Churches of nations unconnected with each other, and at the same time a firm and durable bond for its continuance ... That they had understood that the Ministers of the Genevan Church had just the same opinion on the subject, and that Master Beza would not refuse them his assistance in the preparation of the HARMONY. Nor was it long after the inhabitants of

Zurich had proceeded thus far, when they of Geneva met their recommendations and desires, by publishing, in 1581, the HARMONIA CONFESSIONUM.. The author has not acknowledged his name; but that he was no other than Theodore Beza,* the character and style of the work evince.”– Dissertatio Historica et Litteraria in Libros Symbolicos, pp. 606-609.

The remarks of Niemeyer are generally to the same effect. "At the time when the Lutheran divines, at the command of Augustus, Elector of Saxony, had just collected their symbolical books, and were beginning to publish their collection under the title of Concordia; there were also certain in the Reformed Church, men of the greatest influence, who must needs compose a HARMONY OF CONFESSIONS OF FAITH, in the name of the French and Belgian Churches. And this for two reasons: of which the one lay in the reproaches urged (and lately repeated with wrath and vehemence) by the Roman-Catholics, about the multitude and discordancy of these Confessions; the other in the hope (vain and deceitful as it proved, yet sincerely entertained by those who suggested the expedient) that they might succeed in reconciling the minds of dissentients, and uniting all the Churches, distracted and separated as they were, in one common bond... Nor need we doubt who were the authors of the HARMONY. For the circumstances stated by Hospinian, in his Concordia Tigurina, p. 92; by Koecher, in his Bibliotheca Theologia Symbolicæ, pp. 320, 321; and by D. Clement, in his Bibliotheque Historique et Critique, vol. vii. p. 257; Lückius has satisfactorily established in his Annales Gottingenses, p. 1, and (with the concurrence of Beckius also, in his German translation of the Libri Symbolici, Præf. p. xxi.) has conjectured, with all probability, that the origin of the HAR

* Leigh, in his Treatise of Religion and Learning, Lond. 1656, fol. after remarking, "The Confessions of Faith, &c. are now of late very profitably published to the just conviction of all such as slander the Reformed Churches to be variably distracted and rent in sunder with infinite differences of faith;" adds, "Beza hath put out the Harmony of Confessions with Notes upon it."-ch. xiii. p. 169.

MONY was this. The assembly held at Frankfort, in the year 1577, under the auspices of Joh. Casimir, the Count-Palatine, entertained the thought of receiving a new Confession of Faith, if not from all, at least from many parts of the Evangelical Church. Such a project found acceptance chiefly with a number of French divines: for the Synods which met in France, in the years 1578 and 1579, fell into the sentiments of that assembly, and consulted diligently how a new Confession might be composed. But the churches of Zurich and Geneva, fearing lest a new Confession might but give occasion to new disturbances, instead of following their opinion, obtained a respite; and at length entered into a most seasonable arrangement with Salvart (or Salnar) for the construction of a HARMONY. The work was accordingly undertaken, in the year 1581, by the principal divines, (among whom Salvart, and Beza, and Daleau are mentioned,) in the name of the French and Belgian Churches; and was so accomplished as to issue from the press with public authority, accruing yet further to the French from the Synod of Vitré in 1583. Even the English were so far from disallowing the HARMONY,* * Nowhere are the love and liberality of the Christian more beautifully displayed in the character of Archbishop Cranmer, than when he appears, amidst difficulties abroad and dissentions at home, the peacemaker of the European churches. "In the year 1548," says his biographer Strype, "Cranmer propounded a great and weighty business to Melancthon; and a matter that was likely to prove highly useful to all the churches of the evangelic profession. It was this: the Archbishop was now driving on a design for the better uniting of all the Protestant churches, viz. by having one common Confession and Harmony of faith and doctrine drawn up out of the pure word of God, which they might all own and agree in. He had observed what differences there arose among Protestants in the doctrine of the sacrament, and divine decrees, in the government of the church, and some other things. These disagreements had rendered the professors of the gospel contemptible to those of the Roman communion; which caused no small grief to the heart of this good man, nearly touched for the honour of Christ his Master, and His true church which suffered hereby: and, like a person of a truly public and large spirit, as his function was, seriously debated and deliberated with himself for the remedying this evil. This made him judge it very advisable to procure such a Confession. And in order to this, he thought it necessary for the chief and most learned divines of the several churches to meet together, and with all freedom and friendship to debate the points of controversy according to the rule of scripture :

that they ordered it to be rendered into their own tongue."Præfatio in Collectionem Confessionum, pp. v; viii, ix.

Who may have been the translator of the HARMONY OF CONFESSIONS into English, is a question which the Editor regrets that, after all his enquiries, he is still unable to solve.* He proceeds therefore at once to state what has been subse

and, after mature deliberation, by agreement of all parties, draw up a book of articles and heads of Christian faith and practice, which should serve for the standing doctrine of Protestants.

As for the place of this assembly, he thought England the fittest in respect of safety, as the affairs of Christendom then stood; and, communicating this his purpose to the king, that religious prince was very ready to grant his allowance and protection. And as Helvetia, France, and Germany were the chief countries abroad where the gospel was professed, so he sent his letters to the most eminent ministers of each; namely, to Bullinger, Calvin, and Melancthon: disclosing this his pious design to them, and requiring their counsel and furtherance." Memorials of Archbishop Cranmer. Oxf: 1812, 8vo. vol. i. bk. iii. ch. xxiv. pp. 584, 585. -"But the troubles at home and abroad frustrated this excellent purpose, which for two years he had been labouring to bring to some good issue."ch. xxv. p. 588.

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In later times J. A. Turretin published a volume of testimonials from a host of writers, English as well as continental, recommending the adoption of a HARMONY OF CONFESSIONS: the title is, Nubes Testium Moderato et Pacifico de Rebus Theologicis Judicio, et Instituendá inter Protestantes Concordiá. Francof: 1720, 4to. It is a performance of great interest, and seldom met with. The latter portion consists of extracts from the various Colloquia, Concordiæ, and Consensus, in which the Protestant churches of Europe have united for the defence of their common faith.

* An instance may be here mentioned, however, of the way in which a mistake, once committed, quietly passes into the annals of history. In a bookseller's catalogue, issued in London two or three years ago, appeared a copy of the Harmonia Confessionum, with a note taken from a MS. inscription on the fly-leaf, "Theophilus Sincerus, i. e. M. George Jacob, recensuit Harm. Conf. 1581." The annotation is transferred into Lowndes's British Librarian, (a really valuable work, part iv. col. 450.) as denoting the authorship of the volume. The fact is, that Theophilus Sincerus was the appellation assumed by a German divine of the middle of the 18th century, named George Jacob Schwindel; who published two bibliographical volumes, viz. Bibliotheca Historico-Critica Librorum Opusculorumque Variorum et Rariorum. Nurnb: 1736, 12mo. and Notitia Historico-Critica Librorum Veterum Variorum. Frankof: 1753, 4to. In the former of these (p. 327.) occurs a loose and inaccurate allusion to the HARMONIA: and the achievement thus commemorated by his own pen, was probably neither more nor less than that he had read (and possibly corrected as he read) the volume so distinguished. b

quently accomplished towards supplying a general and collective view of the Confessions of the Protestant Churches.

First in order stands, Corpus et Syntagma Confessionum Fidei, quæ, in diversis Regnis et Nationibus, Ecclesiarum nomine fuerunt authenticè editæ, in celeberrimis Conventibus exhibitæ, publicâque Auctoritate comprobate. Aurel: Allobr: 1612, 4to. The contents are these:-1. Confessiones Fidei edita ex Symbolo Apostolico, in Concilio Ecumenico: (1.) Nicœno; (2.) Constantinopolitano Primo; (3.) Ephesino; (4.) Chalcedonensi. 2. Confessiones Fidei publicâ authoritate comprobatæ Ecclesiarum, quæ doctrinam Evangelicam sunt complexæ (1.) Helvetica; (2.) Gallica; (3.) Anglicana; (4.) Scoticana; (5.) Belgica; (6.) Polonica; (7.) Argentinensis, sive Quatuor Civitatum Imperii; (8.) Augustana; (9.) Saxonica, seu Misnica; (10.) Wirtemburgensis; (11.) Illustrissimi Electoris Palatini; (12.) Bohemica ; (13.) Consensus Ecclesiarum Majoris et Minoris Poloniæ, Lithuaniæ, &c. 3. Catholicus Consensus Veterum qui Patres vocantur, Græci, Latini, Africani, in omnibus Fidei Articulis, ex ipsorum expressis sententiis copiosè depromptus." The editor, as appears from the dedication to the Catholicus Consensus compared with the beginning of the Preface, was Gaspar Laurentius; and the volume is highly creditable to his judgment and industry.

Next came a new edition of the same work, but with considerable alterations: Corpus et Syntagma, &c. Genev: 1654, 4to. In this edition the Confession of Helvetia is printed from the edition of Zurich, 1651; and the Confession of Belgia, as it was revised, corrected, and approved by the Synod of Dort, in 1619. At the end are also given (1.) the Confession of Basle; (2.) the Judgment of the Synod of Dort; (3) the Confession of Cyril, Patriarch of Constantinople; and (4.) the General Confession of Reformed Churches. in Polonia, Lithuania, and the provinces annexed, according to the assembly of Thorn. This is a volume of much rarer occurrence than the preceding.* In each of them is in

* Kempius says (Bibliotheca Anglorum Theologica, Regiomont: 1677, 4to. p. 271.) that each of the English Confessions (viz. Jewell's Apology, and the Thirty-nine Articles) may be seen in the Harmonia Confessionum: he evidently confounds the Harmonia with the Corpus et Syntagma. An