Religious Freedom.
[by J. C. W. Lindemann] (cont'd from Part 10)
In 1626 the dominion of Schmalkalden came for a short time to the princely house of Hesse-Darmstadt, which was Lutheran. It had been agreed: "that the state of the church and the practice of religion should remain and that nothing should be forgiven to the church law of Landgrave Moritz"; but still at the end of the year it was announced to all preachers and school teachers that the forthcoming feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary (February 2, 1627) was also intended for the purification of the church, — that all those who would persist in the Reformed confession had to expect dismissal from service, — that, however, with good conduct, they would be allowed to keep their salaries until Easter. When the Reformed church servants replied that the freedom of the previous religious practice was assured, the Chancellor Crysheim replied: that it depended only on the well-being of Landgrave George to tolerate Calvinism or not. The city and the country were now suddenly made Lutheran again; all Reformed pastors and school teachers were deposed. — It is true that this was a retraction of what had previously been forcibly stolen by the Reformed, but it is still a crying injustice that Lutheranism was reintroduced in this way. It could not possibly have won the hearts!
Already in 1648 Schmalkalden fell again to Hesse-Cassel, and now the Reformed again came to rule. The Lutherans only had the pious Bet-Ernst, the Duke of Saxony-Weimar, to thank for the fact that they were not completely driven out and exterminated, as he asserted his intercession and objection with the reigning Landgravine Amalie Elisabeth. She decreed, then, as Madam Superior Bishop, that the Reformed service should be restored in Schmalkalden, — that in all places where two churches existed, one should be given to the Reformed and that the parish revenues should be divided, — but that where only one church existed, the members of both confessions had to hold their services one after the other.
In many places, especially in Schmalkalden, these decrees met with the most vehement opposition. The Superintendent Prätorius steadfastly refused to hand over the keys to the former Lutheran deacon's apartment, which was now to be given to the Reformed. However, the door was opened by a locksmith. — Furthermore, the Lutheran pastors did not want to enter the pulpit in the "dead Church" because it was also open to the Reformed; indeed, the Lutherans declared that they would rather hold their services in the open air than use a church with the Reformed.
At the beginning of the year 1651, Landgrave Wilhelm VI personally came to Schmalkalden to settle the turmoil. By his order, Reformed services were to be held in the Lutheran town church on February 2. The Lutherans, however, had locked it, and the order to the sexton to open it and to the cantor to lead the singing at the service remained unheeded. A locksmith finally had to open the church doors, and now the Landgrave could have a morning and afternoon service held.
Also in other ways the Reformed government allowed itself the most violent acts against the Lutheran congregation. Thus, the salary of the Lutheran Rector was withdrawn and given to the Reformed Rector. The same happened with the salary of the Lutheran deacon, which was assigned to the Reformed second preacher, who also had to be granted the parsonage apartment. Yes, by sovereign order the Lutheran senior pastor and superintendent was deprived of his former official residence and given to the Reformed inspector. The Lutheran congregation had to purchase a new parsonage apartment from its own resources.
Later, the widow of Wilhelm VI and sister of Friedrich Wilhelm, the great Elector of Brandenburg, the Landgravine Hedwig Sophie, did even worse. She had been residing in Schmalkalden since 1680 and made every effort to spread her allegedly "true religion" there and to bring it to honor. She commanded that of the twelve members of the town council, seven must be Reformed. She gave no public office, even the most minor, to anyone who did not profess the Reformed confession. [Page 26] In order to obtain the position of a tax inspector, a begging bailiff, a thürmer, a gravedigger, a brewer's servant, one had first to be reformed. Whoever wished to escape public punishment could save himself by denying the Lutheran doctrine and becoming a Calvinist. She founded Reformed parishes and forced the Lutherans to maintain them. Yes, this woman even paid 10, 15, 20 florins for conversion to the Reformed Church. 11)
11) ^ Everything concerning the church relations of Schmalkalden is taken from the following work: Geschichte der Stadt und Herrschaft Schmalkalden. By Dr. J. G. Wagner. Marburg and Leipzig. Elwert'scher Verlag. 1849.
Thus the doctrine of Zwingli and Calvin has spread and taken root more and more in Germany; the princes, who were averse to the Lutheran doctrine, which was so inconvenient to the old Adam, and who, quite contrary to God's order, arrogated to themselves the office of "chief bishops of the land," have imposed it on their subjects, have introduced and maintained it by force and cunning, by the use of carnal means! —
- - - - - - - - - - - - Continued in Part 12 - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
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