MUCH CORRECTED, ENLARGED, AND IMPROVED FROM THE BY JOHN LAWRENCE VON MOSHEIM, D.D., CHANCELLOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GOTTINGEN. A NEW AND LITERAL TRANSLATION, FROM THE ORIGINAL LATIN, W TH BY JAMES MURDOCK, D.D. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. I. FOURTH EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGE). NEW YORK: STANFORD AND SWORDS, 137, BROADWAY. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1889, by JAMES MURDOCK, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Connecticut District. To produce a general history of the Christian church, adapted especially to the wants of the younger clergy, but suitable for intelligent readers of all classes, a history so comprehensive as to touch on all the more important facts, briefly indeed, but distinctly, with suitable enlargement on the points of peculiar interest, and a constant reference to authorities and to the writers who give more full information, so that the work, while itself affording a good general knowledge of the whole subject, might serve as a guide to more thorough investigations; such was the design of Dr. Mosheim in the following work, and such has been the aim of the present translator. The great need of such a work at the present day, when every other branch of theology is much cultivated, is so generally felt, that it is unnecessary to say anything to evince its importance or to excite an interest on the subject. The only things, therefore, which here claim attention, are the character and history of Dr. Mosheim, the reasons for giving a new translation of his work, and the additions made to it by way of notes. John Lawrence von Mosheim was nobly born at Lubec, October 9, 1694. His education was completed at the university of Kiel, where, at an early age, he became professor of philosophy. In his youth he cultivated a taste for poetry; and he actually published criticisms on that subject. But pulpit eloquence, biblical and historical theology, and practical religion, were his favourite pursuits. He published seven volumes of sermons, and left a valuable treatise on preaching, which was printed after his death. The English and French preachers, particularly Tillotson and Watts, Saurin, Massillon, and Flechier, were his models. The Germans admit that he contributed much to improve the style and manner of preaching in their country. While a professor at Kiel, he gained such reputation that the King of Denmark invited him to a professorship at Copenhagen. But the Duke of Brunswick soon after, in the year 1725, called him to the divinity chair at Helmstadt, which he filled with great applause for twenty-two years. In 1747, when George II. king of England, the founder of the university of Gottingen, wished to place over that institution men of the highest rank in the literary world, Dr. Mosheim was deemed worthy to be its chancellor, and the head of the department of theology. In this honourable station he remained eight years, or till his death, September 9, 1755. His works were very numerous; consisting of translations into Latin or German of various foreign works, Italian, French, Eng 776697 |