Page:English Historical Review Volume 35.djvu/27

 1920 ERASMUS 19 for controversy, the importance of which was to be shown by the future history of reformed doctrine. Free-will was to play a more important part in later days than was as yet foreseen. Calvin had not arisen although Luther had long been active. But Erasmus was gifted with a further vision. A letter to Fisher of Rochester (4 September 1524), after incidentally urging upon him the evils of glass and bricks and mortar compared to wooden floors and walls, summarized the theological situation as Erasmus saw it. You congratulate me upon my triumph. How I triumph I do not know, for of a surety I am maintaining a three-fold war, with these Roman pagans who are jealous of me, with certain theologians and monks who are turning every stone to destroy me, and with some rabid Lutherans who roar at me because it is I alone, they say, who stay their victory. I do so because I do not choose at risk of hfe to swallow the whole creed of Luther, in which there is much I do not understand, much that I am doubtful of, much that even if it were safe, I should not care for con- science' sake to profess.^ So far the theological side of Erasmus's activity has only been dealt with incidentally. From first to last he took his stand upon ' sound letters '. Here he used the vast stores of primitive and patristic learning, thus laying a sure foundation for future ages ; but he also made full use of the new learning and new ways of study, linguistic and educational, which had lately come into play. Two tendencies of thought and work are always to be found, and there are always men who give them- selves over solely to one of them. If they are content merely to keep what has been handed down, they fail to be in touch with their own day : they are not only branded as reactionary but tend to become so in reality. If, on the other hand, they look solely at their own day and give themselves up to its tendencies they miss that continuity of thought and work with the past which is necessary for permanent progress. The ' spirit of the day ' too often gives such a man a delusive impression of influence, while all the time he runs the risk of dissipating his power and losing his control of the future. Both these dangers were escaped by Erasmus. He was reviled alike by reactionaries and revolu- tionaries. But the lines of educational work laid down by him were followed in the next century by the best teachers in both theological camps, and exactly the same was the case with his theology. The ' mediating theologians ', Contarini, Pflug, Gropper, and among rather later Lutherans, Cassander, may be held his real successors so far as the doctrine of divine grace is concerned. Luther under-estimated the value of good works : 1 See Ep. 698. C 2