"The Polish Reformation went steadily forward in spite of all the opposition of Rome and its emissaries. In Lithuania particularly it received a strong impure from the influence exerted in its favor by prince Radziwill, who had been intrusted by the monarch with almost the sole government of that province. Taking advantage of the facilities which he thus possessed for advancing the good work, he succeeded in establishing the Reformed worship both in the rural districts and in many towns. He built also a splendid church and college in Vilna, the capital of Lithuania. To this enlightened and pious no- bleman, besides, is due the merit of having caused to be translated and printed, at his own expense, the first Prot- estant Bible in the Polish language. It was published in 1564, and is usually known bv the name of the Radzi- willian Bible. The death of Radziwill the Black, as he was termed, which happened in 1565, was a severe loss to the Protestant cause in Lithuania; but happily his cousin and successor, Radziwill the Red, was also a'zeal- ous promoter of the Reformed religion, and founded a number of Protestant churches and schools, which he en- dowed with landed property for their permanent support. The king of Poland was strongly urged, by a portion of the clergy, to reform the Church by means of a national synod, but he was of too irresolute" a character to take a step so decided. He adopted, however, a middle course, and addressed a letter to pope Paul IV, at the Council of Trent, demanding the concession of the five following points: (1) The performance of the mass in the national language; (-2) The dispensation of the communion in both kinds; (.°.) The toleration of the marriage of priests;
(4) The abolition of the annates or first-fruits of benefices ;
(5) The convocation of a national council for the reform of abuses, and the union of different sects. These de- mands, of course, were rejected by his holiness. But the Protestants in Poland, far from being discouraged by the conduct of the pope, became bolder every day iii their opposition to the Romanists. At the diet of 1559 a pro- posal was made to deprive the bishops of all participation in the affairs of the government, on the ground that they were the sworn servants of a foreign potentate. This motion, though strenuously urged upon the acceptance of the diet, was not carried : but a few years later, in 1563, the diet agreed to convoke a general national synod, composed of representatives of all the religious parties in Poland — a measure which would, in all probability, have been carried into effect, had it not been prevented by the dexterity and diplomatic craft of cardinal Com- mendoni, who succeeded in dissuading the king from as- sembling a national council.
"The establishment of a Reformed Polish Church was much impeded by the dissensions which divided the Protestants among themselves. At that time in fact, no less than three parties existed in Poland, each adhering to its own separate confession. Thus the Bohemian or W'aldensian Confession had its own ardent admirers, chiefly in Gre.it Poland ; the Genevese or Calvinistic Con- fession in Lithuania and Southern Poland; and the Lu- theran or AuL'sbnrg Confession in towns inhabited by burghers of German origin. Of these the Bohemian and the Genevese Confessions were so completely agreed on almost all points, that their respective supporters found
POLAND
POLAND
own eepa-
hich took
irmation,
different parts
shed i" ni-
■ ,"" 'll'- doctrine
,.,oii. tilt;
v tiurches. An at-
i desirable an ob-
. of the Bohemian Bud
At thie synod overtnres nns to join the union, but to no i tinned to accuse the Bohemian obstacles thus thrown in
ictively for
i . , : yarded copies of their Confes-
Gen iany, and
•Hi of that country and ofSwitz-
mg testimonials of approval— so
the Lutherans, Shortly, however, the g 1 uuderstnud-
eguu was interrupted by the nnreason-
lands of -nun' Polish Lutheran divines that the
■ denominations Bhonld subscribe the
Vngsbnrg. The Bohemians, thi
. their confession to the University of
irned body a strong
bation, which so operated upon
,,t from that time they B hemian Chnrch with heresy. "Tin- lon-.'-dc-iroil union was al length effei ted in 1570. having assembled in the town of Sandomir, in April of that year, dually concluded and signed the terms of union under the name of the Consensus of Sandomir (q. v. . This important Btep excited the utmost alarm among the Romanists, who endeavored to bring it into Bnt the union itself was essentially hollow and imperfect. The confessions, between whicn a dog- matic union bad been effi ou n point of vital e of Christ in the Eucharist. The ccordiugly. was rather nominal than real; and
I their whole efforts towards
: the alliance which had ib ished at Sandomir. This hostility of the Ln-
iOllfeSSionS was very in-
i ,1 Protestantism in general, and a number of nob iwed by thousands of the
common bitter contentions
which raged among the I d fferent denomi-
- of the Reformation, and to the Chnrch ol Rome. Another circumstance i ded to weaken the Protestant Church of Po- land was the rise and rapid spread ofa party who denied
i arned di- - omb ited t hese Antiti iu- itaiian doctrines, and at length, in 1565, the i