“I want this history to be truly Christian and to give a proper impulse to the religious spirit.” —J.H. Merle d’Aubigné

J.H. Merle d’Aubigné, D.D. (Read about the Author)

The defining historical event of the last five hundred years was the Reformation. The unsurpassed authority on the history of the Reformation was J.H. Merle d’Aubigné. Best known for his multi-volume history of the Reformation, d’Aubigné’s popularity was without rival in the nineteenth century. Famed church historian Philip Schaff commented that d’Aubigné “had a wider circulation, at least in the English translations, than any other book on church history.” d’Aubigné’s thesis was powerful: The development of liberty in Western Civilization is inextricably linked to Reformation Christianity.

Greenville Seminary Professor of Church History, John Carrick explains: “Merle does not write as a detached, disinterested spectator; he loves the Reformation of the sixteenth century, for he sees in it a mighty movement of the Spirit of God unparalleled since the early days of Christianity. Thus there is a real, unashamed spirituality about Merle’s History of the Reformation.... These volumes,” Carrick wrote, “lay down in the chief and foremost place this simple and pregnant principle: GOD IN HISTORY.”

Throughout his writings, d’Aubigné emphasizes that the Reformation of the sixteenth century constitutes “the beginning of modern times.” In other words, it is the Reformation that constitutes the great watershed that divides the Middle Ages from the Modern Age. It is the Reformation that has determined the destiny and progress of the nations.

Concerning the power of d’Aubigné’s history, another reviewer observed: “[T]here is a charm found in no other works of the kind. He grasps the truths of history and discerns the spirit of the actors, and with a love of the truth in his heart he records historic facts clearly, forcibly, and with the fascination of a romance. Generations of men will come and go, and nations perish; but the life-work of d’Aubigné will continue to be cherished as a truthful insight into this most interesting period of the world’s history.”

D’Aubigné Helps a Student in Need

I remember like yesterday when I received my first copy of d’Aubigné. I was a twenty-year-old university student battling humanist professors and historical revisionists. I needed encouragement and resources. A wise Christian historian came into my life, placed an ancient volume in my hands, and told me that I would find my answers in d’Aubigné. He was right. The gift I received that day was a century-and-a-half old, well-bound edition that carried the scribbled marginal notes of men I assumed had long since departed the earth. The clear writing, the rich theological insights, and the historical perspective of the author made d’Aubigné not only an indispensable resource, but a trusted mentor. Twenty years later, my well-used copies of d’Aubigné remain a much beloved and important part of my library, and my bibliophile benefactor remains one of my dearest friends.

You Cannot Speak to Current Events without a
Theological and Historic Reference Point of Comparison

America’s spiritual Founding Fathers were children of the Reformation. From Pilgrim and Puritan, to the Patriot preachers of Virginia — our Founders’ vision of life, law, and liberty were distinctively derived from the theological premises of the Reformation. The noted German historian Leopold van Ranke has observed that, “John Calvin was the virtual founder of America.”

The Reformers’ view of the “rule of law” was defining in establishing the theological and legal foundation for the American War for Independence. It was our Founders’ commitment to Reformation principles such as (1) the priesthood of all believers; (2) the biblical foundations of civil law; (3) plurality of representative leaders and Republican government; (4) the covenantal nature of society; and (5) God-ordained jurisdictions and separation of powers, which gave rise to our national charter, the Constitution, with its God-proclaiming preamble — the Declaration of Independence.

Few subjects have been as thoroughly discussed, as painstakingly exposited from the scriptures, and as vigorously debated in the history of the West as the question of the role of the citizen, judge, and magistrate to the rule of law. Yet today, most Americans are confused on what the rule of law is, because we have forgotten the Reformation heritage of law and liberty that America’s Founders embraced.

We now find ourselves in a crisis. Because we have ignored the lessons on the rule of law that our Reformation Fathers bequeathed to us, we have been left with a capricious state. The implications of this are far-reaching. The recent battle over the Ten Commandments, the defense of the biblical definition of marriage, and the duty of state officials to defend the life of innocent women like Terri Schiavo against tyrannical judges are a direct result of us rejecting the Reformers’ view of the rule of law. Only by rediscovering the principles of law and liberty carefully delineated by the Reformers — and as powerfully chronicled by such men as d’Aubigné — can we effectively engage the defining political, legal, and philosophical battle of our generation.

Back in Print after 150 Years — Hallelujah!

When I founded Vision Forum nearly nine years ago, one of my goals was to help families do what my father did for me — build multi-generational libraries filled with distinctively Christian, timeless classics. d’Aubigné’s histories have always been on my short list of books which needed to be reprinted and presented to the children of this generation. Thus, it is with great pleasure that we make available the d’Aubigné Reformation Library.

Details on the Books Included

Martin Luther

The History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century deals chiefly with Martin Luther and the countries affected by his work. These three volumes include volumes 1-5 of the original edition, plus The Life and Writings of J.H. Merle d’Aubigné. Contents of volume 1 include the state of Europe before the Reformation, the youth, conversion, and early labors of Luther, the indulgences and the Theses, and Luther before the Legate, May to December 1518. Contents of volume 2 include the Leipsic Disputation, 1519; the Papal Bull, 1520; the Diet of Worms, 1521; the Swiss, 1484-1522; First Reforms, 1521 & 1522; Agitation, Reverses, and Progress, 1522-1526; Divisions, Switzerland-Germany, 1523-1527; the French, 1500-1526. The third volume contains the Protest and the Conference, 1526-1529; the Augsburg Confession, 1530; Switzerland-Conquests, 1526-1530; Switzerland-Catastrophe, 1528-1531; England Before the Reformation; the Revival of the Church; the English New Testament and the Court of Rome; the Two Divorces. Approximately one thousand pages per volume in good readable print.

John Calvin

The History of the Reformation in the Time of Calvin, though a separate work, may be considered as a second part of the History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century (these four volumes include volumes 1-8 of the original edition). Two elements are found combined in this narrative, more intimately than in the events detailed in the preceding work: political liberty and evangelical liberty. Topics covered include Geneva and the First Huguenots; France, Favorable Times; Fall of a Bishop-Prince, and first Evangelical beginnings in Geneva; England Breaks with Rome; Reformation of Geneva by Farel’s Ministry, and arrival of Calvin in that City after his sojourn in Italy; The Reformation in Scotland; Calvin and the Principles of his Reform and the Spanish Martyrs. Approximately one thousand pages per volume in good readable print.