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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49486	The prophecyes of the incomparable Dr. Martin Luther concerning the downfall of the Pope of Rome, and the subversion of the German Empire, to be over-run by the armies of the Turks, together with the many reasons that he giveth for it : as also, the remarkable prophecy of the learned and reverend Mvscvlvs, to the same effect / collected by R.C. M.A.	R. C., M.A.; Luther, Martin, 1483-1546.	1664 (1664)	Wing L3513; ESTC R23003	35,433	50

this for it is nothing else to be Justified but to be Redeemed from our Sins Goods works do follow our Faith as the Effects and Fruits thereof This Doctrine do I Teach in this will I persist Amen Amen Not long before Luther confuted Nicholas Storke Thomas Muncer and other Phanatick persons who called themselves Prophets and broaching new Doctrines pretended Evangelical Revelations and Conferences with God himself These were they who denyed the Baptisme of Infants and thereby sowed the seed of Anabaptisme and were powerfully and Victoriously opposed by Luther Some few years afterwards the Anabaptists finding Wittenbergh too hot for them did spread themselves over all Helvetia and other parts of Germany and began to broach their Fancies at Antwerp whereupon Luther by an Epistle full of Christian Direction did Advertise the Reformed Church at Antwerp to take heed of such Erronious Spirits Luther Tom. 4. Jen. p. 461. who had very much afflicted him In the same Letter he recited the Impostures of false Spirits in Popery and of other seducing Spirits of the present times And in another Letter he again described the Erronious Articles of the Tumultuous Spirits at Antwerp and clearly opened the Inconstancy boldness and secret Pride lurking in that profession and intreating them to abandon the Question concerning Gods Hidden Will he desired them to attend unto and to follow the necessary precepts set before them by GOD himself in his own word The Articles of the Anabaptists were these 1. That every Man hath the Spririt 2. That the Spirit was nothing else but our Reason and Understanding 3. That every man believeth 4. That there was no place of Torment for men soules but that the Body onely was condemned 5. That every Soul should be saved 6. But even by the Law of Nature we are taught to do good to our Neighbors as we would they should do unto us and that this Will in us was Faith 7. That we sin not against the Law by desiring any thing if our Will consent not to our Desires and Lusts 8. That he who hath not the Spirit hath not Sin because he wanteth Reason which Reason these Anabaptists do call the Holy Ghost Luther wrote a Letter of Consolation to John Hessius of Breshaw to vindicate himself from the Scandal raised by the Heretick and the Sectaries and they fighting against the Articles of the True Faith Hitherto saith Luther The Dispute hath been about the Pope and Purgatory and the like being all about differences not grounded on the Scriptures but now we come to more serious matters now we shall see the Draggon fighting or rather we shall combate with the Draggon Michael being our Captain in these Heavenly Fights Now when the Draggon doth endeavour to pull down the third part of the starrs with his Tayle to the Earth now the Cause will call for our strength in Christ now you shall see what manner of a Warrier and how strong a Champion Satan is whom yet we have not tryed nor have had sufficient Evidence of him but the Foundation of God standeth firm having this Seal that God knoweth who are his and in this let us be confident to prevaile against the Gates of Hell The wicked desires of some of the Reformed Ministers in Germany and others who rather then endure the Papists desired the yoak of the Turk declared against by Luther Tom. 4. Epist Jon. It is very Remarkable that some Preachers of the Reformed Churches in the difficulty of their times proceeded to that height of Folly that they desired that the Turk might come and lay his yoak upon them which they conceived would be more easie then the Burden of the Pope and other Pastors vainly perswading the People that Warr was not to be Weighed against the Turk Luther at the same time did put forth a Book against the Turk in the German Tongue the Turks being then with a great Army before Vienna the chief City of the Empire In this Book Luther spake words of Consolation to the Emperour and by way of Prophecy did assure him That the Turk should not at that time prevaile against that great City which shortly after to the great improvement of the Estimation of Luther did come to pisse In the Year One thousand five hundred and thirty there was held a Solemn and a Numerous Assemby before the Emperour and the States of the Empire at which Melancihon knowing the Rage of the Papists and the Threats of the Emperour did seem to be very Solicitous Luther having notice of it desired him to be Resolute and Secure for the Protestant Cause because he was assured that it was Just and True and that it was the Cause of God and Christ and not stained with the least Sin If we fall saith Luther Christ the Lord and the Ruler of the World falleth with us and suppose the Cause of Christ doth fall I had rather saith Luther fall with Christ Psal 55. Psal 27. then stand with Caesar I intreat you therefore not to forget Gods promises Cast thy Care upon the LORD Have thy Fyes fixed on him play the Man let thy Heart be Comforted and in the Gospel of St. John Be of good Comfort for I have overcome the World if Christ be the Conquerer of the World why should we fear it ar if it would overcome us I extreamly dislike your excessive cares with which you say you are consumed that these Sorrows prevaile so much upon you is not from the Weaknesse of our Cause but from the Greatnesse of your Incredulity for there were more grounds of Fear and of Trepidation in John Hus his time then ours But grant that there be a great cause of Doubt God who is the Agent and the chief mover in it is of greater power for it is not our cause but his Why then do you afflict your self If the cause be faulty let us revoke it but if it be good why do we make God a Lyer who hath made us so great promises saying Cast thy Care upon the Lord the Lord is near unto all who being of a troubled Heart do call upon him Is it possible for you to effect any thing with your unprofitable Fears and Jeloufies I pray you tell me What can the Devill do more unto us then kill us I beseech you seeing in all other things you are a good Christian Souldier The Christian Resolution of Luther that you would endeavour to overcome your self as being your self your Greatest Enemy nor proside any Armour to arme Satan againg your self Christ dyed once for sin but for a Just and true Cause he shall never dye but live and reign in triumph Tell me then what fear is there for the truth if Christ reign if it be cast down by the wrath of God let us be cast down with it but let it not be done by our selves He who is become our father will become the father of all those that put their trust in him God

Designs when the Spaniards shall come to defend the Germans The Greatest part of the Spaniards and their Neighbours Adjacent to them are Moorans Luthers Colloq p. 521. Baptized Jews that believe in nothing at all Hereupon Luther wrote a Letter to the Generalissimo of the Emperours Army at that time in Hungaria diligently admonishing him to consider that he had four Great Enemies to Encounter with The first was with the Devil The second with the Turk The third with Gods Wrath And the fourth with the Sins of that Nation He told him that all the Kingdomes of the Earth had Fallen and been Destroyed by Home-bred Dissentions So fell the Empires of the Medes and Persians So fell the Empires of the Greeks and Romans and so likewise will it go with Germany said Luther For the Princes of the Empire will not Agree amongst Themselves And so at last will it go with the Turk himself for the Higher he climbeth he is in the greater Danger to Fall When his Time commeth then it will be done in a Moment and the Lord God will lay his Kingdome in the Ashes I made mention in the Life of Luther that some Eminent Persons presaged of his Birth and what a Scourge he should prove to the Licentious Discipline of the Church of Rome In the Year one thousand five hundred and eleven a Capuchin Friar in the presence of Doctor Staupits and divers others at Rome related a Dream which on the night before he had Dreamed which was That a Hermite should arise under Pope Leo the tenth and should be a bitter Enemy to tho Church of Rome Whereupon Melancthou said This Hermite is Luther for the Austine Friars were called Hermites When many years afterwards I was at Rome said Luther they shewed me for a precious Relique the Halter wherewith Judas hanged himself which ought not by me said he to be forgotten to shew in what a thick darknesse of Ignorance our Fore-Fathers lived Rome was once a Holy City but now she is the Spouse of the Devil and the Enemy of Christ Luther Discoursing of the Fathers of the Church Ambrose said he was the Chiefest and the Eldest after him St. Jerome next unto him St. Augustine and after him Gregory the Fourth I have seen St. Augustine said Luther painted in some Books like a Friar with a Hood by which that Holy Man was much injured for he lived a publique kind of life like a Common Citizen he used Silver Spoones and Cupps he lived in ordinary amongst the people and conversed with them he lived no such Monkish kind of life as the Papists have feigned of him The Old Fathers taught better The Abominable Innovations in Religion brought in by the Pope Luther p. 350. and with a greater power of Godlinesse then they Wrote After the Fathers came the Pope and fell in with his mischievous Traditions and humane Ordinances and like a Deluge that beareth all before it he over-flowed the Church and insnared the Consciences touching the eating of Meats and concerning Masses and Friars Hoods and Impertinent and Prophane Decrees and Laws insomuch that he daily induced and brought in Abominable Errours into the Church of Christ and to serve his own turn perverted the Holy Scripture and either expunged many things that were Written directly against him in the Fathers or else did interpret them to that sence which might serve best for his own Advantage Insomuch that upon these and some other Considerations like unto them Martin Luther Composed a little Tract of the birth and Generation of the Desolation of Antichrist which because he tooke some paynes in the Forming of the Extract I have in this place inserted it hoping that you will receive some pleasure in the Reading of it The Devil begat Darknesse Darknesse begat Ignorance Ignorance begat Errour and his Brethren Errour begat Free-will and Presumption out of Self conceit Free-will begat Merit Merit begat Forgetfulnesse of God Forgetfulnesse begat Transgression Transgression begat Superstition Superstition begat Satisfaction Satisfaction begat the Oblation of the Masse The Oblation of the Mass begat Vnction Vnction begat the Priest Vnction begat Misbelief Misbelief begat Hypocrisie Hypocrisie begat trading with Offerings for Gain Trading begat Purgatory Purgatory begat the Yearly Solemne Vigils The Yearly Vigils begat Church-Livings Church-Livings begat Mammon Mammon begat Superfluity Superfluity begat Excesse Excesse begat Rage Rage begat Licentiousnesse Licentiousnesse begat Dominion Dominion begat Pomp Pomp begat Ambition Ambition begat Symony Symony begat the Pope and his Brethren The Pope begat the Mystery of Iniquity the Mystery of Iniquity begat Sophistical Divinity Sophistical Divinity begat the Rejecting of the Holy Scripture the Rejecting ef the Holy Scripture begat Tyranny Tyranny begat the Murdering of the Saints the Murdering of the Saints begat the Contempt of God the Contempt of God begat Dispensation Dispensation begat Wilfull Sin Wilfull Sin begat Abomination Abomination begat Desolation Desolation begat Anguish Anguish begat Questioning Questioning begat the searching out of the Grounds of Truth out of which the Pope called Antichrist is Revealed Thus have you out of Martin Luther in his own words the Genealogy of the Pope and by what a concatenated Race this Mystery of Iniquity came to be Revealed the time will come saith St. Paul 2 Tim 4. When they will not endure sound Doctrine but after their own Lusts they will heap unto themselves Teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from hearing of the Truth and shall be turned into Fables But amongst all the Fables and Idolatries in the Church of Rome there is none more Remarkable then the Masse Luther in his Tract hereof declareth Luther Colloq 330. that no Tongue is able to expresse the Abominations of the Masse neither can the Heart of man comprehend the same and he saith it were no wonder if that God should destroy the World for the Masse-sake and the Abominations therein committed with Fire and Brimstone from Heaven When I was a young Friar saith Luther at Ertfurd and was constrained to go out into the Vilages For Puddings and Cheeses I came to a little Town where I heard Masse now when I had put on my Vestments and my Ornaments and made my approaches to the Altar the Sexton of the Church began merrily to play upon the Lute at which I could hardly forbear from Laughing for I was unaccustomed to such Musick The Pope must fall saith Luther and Popery with him for it is the Devil himself and all manner of Blasphemy to hold the sinal cause of the institution of humane Traditions to be the true Service and Worship of God and that it is necessary to Salvation One cause of the fall of the Pope and Popery page 328. and this Assertion is most monstrous for suppose such humane Traditions were the best and most esteemed works of Christianity which they are not yet to affirm that they are necessary to Salvation or do give God any

Doctrine concerning Grace and good works are of my Judgement yea almost the whole University the Prince himself and our Bishop in Ordinary and all the Ingenious Citizens with one consent affirme that before they neither knew nor heard of the Gospel nor of Christ After this Luther was summoned to Rome to maintaine some thing which he had written against Indulgencies but Luther used his best endeavours that the Cause might be heard in Germany under Competent Judges and at length he prevailed by the Mediation of the University of Wittenbergh to the Pope whereupon it was Determined that the Council should be held at Auspurg where Luther being Admonished by Cardinal Thomas Cajetan to Revoke his Errours which tended only to Disturb the Peace of the Church He made Answer That he could Revoke no Errours being as yet not Convicted by any Scripture of any and thereupon did Appeal to the Judgement of the Church But the Cardinal observing the strength of his Arguments and Commanding him not to come into his presence unless he would Recant Luther was inforced to depart which Cardinal Cajetan took so ill that he wrote unto the Duke of Saxony That he would either send Luther to Rome or Banish him out of his Territoryes and Exhorted him not to Adhere to Luther's Defenders nor stain the Illustrious Family of which he was Descended But the Elector Returned Answer That it was not in his Power to do it because Luther was not Convicted of any Errour and had done much good Service in the Vniversity and Offered his Cause to Tryal and Disputation At this time the Heroical Courage of Luther was very remarkable for when Luther came at first to Auspurg he by the Advice of such as the Prince Elector sent with him did attend three whole Dayes to have the Emperours Letter for his safety The Cardinal in the mean time did send a Gentleman for Luther to come to him which Luther denied untill the Emperour had granted what he desired whereat the Gentleman being much offended said unto Him Do you presume that Prince Frederick will take up Armes in your behalf I desire it not said Luther in any wise whereupon the Gentleman replyed Where then will you abide Luther made Answer Vnder the Cope of Heaven whereupon the Gentleman being almost amazed at his Confidence said unto Him Suppose you had got the Pope and the Cardinalls in your own Power what would you do with them I woul said Luther give them Honour and Reverence but the fall of Popery is already Begun and I shall see it Accomplished Upon these Considerations Luther's heart fainted not and he Appealed from the Pope to the Council and much about the same time the Bohemians sent a Book to Luther which was written by John Hus which Incouraged him to Constancy and Patience and manifested that the Divinity which he Taught was Sound and True and which in its due time would procure the over throw both of Pope and Popery A Disputation after this was held at Leipswich a City in Misnia and Famous since for the memorable Battels that were fought betwixt the Forces of the Emperour and the Army of the King of Sweden here Luther was invited by John Echius to a Disputation The Argument or Chief Question was Whether the Pope is Head of the Church by Divine Right which Echius Affirmed and Martin Luther Denyed The Chief Argument of Echius was That the Church could not be without a Head seeing it was a Body consisting of severall Members and the better to Confirm himself he produced the place in St. Matthew Thou art Peter and some Sentences of St. Jerome and St. Cyprian and the Judgement of the Councill of Constance in which it was Concluded That it was necessary to Salvation that men should believe that the Pope was the Oecomenical Bishop or Christs Vicar over the whole World but Luther did Refell his Arguments with so much Vigour and Acutenesse of Spirit that his Adversaries were amazed to find him so well prepared After that they entred into Disputation concerning Purgatory and Indulgencies concerning Repentance and Remission of sins and the punishment of them and concerning the Power of the Priests This Disputation Epist Tom. 1 page 176. was afterwards set forth by Luther himself to his great Commendation Luther finding that by so many over-throws which he had given to the Church of Rome he had contracted the Envy and the Hatred of several Persons of Eminency he Addressed himself in a Letter to Charles the Emperour in which he Humbly besought him That he would so long vouchsafe him his protection as that he might give an account of his proceedings to the World and either be known to overcome himself or to be overcome by others he declared himself that it would not become his Imperial Majesty to permit that the Innocent should be violently handled and be trampled on by their Wicked Adversaries To the same Effect he Directed his Letters to the Marquises Earles and Lords of the Empire Not long afterwards he did write to the Arch-Bishop of Meniz and Represented to him how he was Condemned by two sorts of Men By some who never did Read his Books and by Others Who had Read them but with hearts full of Hatred and Prejudice The Arch Bishop returned him a Civil Answer That he heartily Desired that all matters in Religion should be handled by Luther and all Others Religiously Reverently and Modestly and without any Envy Tumult and Contumely to which Luther Answered That if the work be of GOD it will stand firme and unmoveable but if it were out of sinister respects it would easily lè blown away The Pope at this time proceeding violently against Luther some Noble Men of Germany who were of the same Judgement with Luther did offer him Intertainment and Protection Amongst whom Sylvester de Schavenburgen did write a Letter to him to desire him not to depart into Bohemia nor into France or any other Country but to have recourse to him during the time of the Popes Exasperations and Threatnings and promised that a Troup of French Horse should be ready to attend his safely Hereupon Luther reassuming new Courage did admonish Spaletenus of it in a Letter to this Effect I have here sent you the Letter of the French King Knight Sylvester de Schavenburgen Tom. 1. Epist and were it not displeasing to you I do desire that by a Letter from the Prince notice may be given to the Cardinal of St. George whereby he might understand that should they with their Courses and their Threatnings ox pell me from Wittenbergh they should Effect nothing else but make a bad matter much worse For now there are such and so many Princes not only in Bohemia but in the midst of Germany who both can and will defend me from the threats thundred out against me by my Adversaries This unless God prevent it will doubtless be the issue of his matter concerning myself I am ready