Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	die_v	life_n	year_n	7,417	5	4.9417	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90202	Politicall reflections upon the government of the Turks· Nicolas Machiavel. The King of Sweden's descent into Germany. The conspiracy of Piso and Vindex against Nero. The greatness and corruption of the court of Rome. The election of Pope Leo the XI. The defection from the Church of Rome. Martin Luther vindicated. / By the author of the late Advice to a son.	Osborne, Francis, 1593-1659.	1656 (1656)	Wing O519; Thomason E1631_1; Thomason E1631_2; ESTC R203036	3,335	13

A DISCOURSE IN VINDICATION OF Martin Luther LONDON Printed by J. G. 1656. A DISCOURSE IN VINDICATION OF Martin Luther HE may be suspected of Hypocrisie if not Atheisme that too suddenly leapes out of one Opinion into another It being impossible for meer flesh and blood to pull up all at once a Religion rooted by Custome and Education in the Understanding which must be convinced before it can let in another with any cordial welcome I speak not of the antient and extraordinary Callings of God but those experimented in our times in which over much hast doth often-times bewray Deceit As appeared in the Bishop of Spalatto who in my dayes left Italy for fear of Paul the fift his enemy and reconcil'd himself to the Church of England but the old Pope being dead and his Kinsman in the Chaire he resumes his former Errors and goes to Rome in hope of Preferment where contrary to promise he dies miserably When Falsh●od is fallen-out-with for any other respect than Love of Truth it inclines to Atheism and is so far from mending the Condition of the Convert that it renders it worse None ever shewed greater signes of Gods Spirit than Luther did who observed such Gradations as it may appear he found fault with nothing he was not first led to by the dictates of Conscience Falling first upon the abuse of Indulgences too apparent an Impiety to pass by so acute a Judgement undiscovered From this he ascended to higher Contemplations which afforded him the opportunity to take notice of remoter and deeper Errors His Wit and Learning having that vast advantage over the stupid Ignoranre of those times that he bare down all before him without any other Opposition than the contrary Faction was able to raise out of power much weakened by the desire all Princes had to set limits to the Pope's daily Vsurpations And as for the Books then writ against him they did rather sharpen than blunt the desire of Change For the Friars had so l●ng enjoyed a free current of their Doctrine without interruption that they were more intent on the reaping of such Fruit as grew from the Errors sown by their Predecessors than upon Arguments to desend them So as if Princes that were weary of the Yoak of Rome had wanted the guidance of Luther it is not easie to say whither they might have wandered And though Charles the fifth then Emperour to keep his Subjects in obedience did seem to discountenance the Schism as they call'd it yet he was content to shut up the Pope in the Castle of S●… Angelo Which proves his small affection and the truth of this Tenet That if ever Christendome falls under one Monarch or turns into popular States the power of the Pope will be lost or confined to Rome being at this day onely kept up like a Shittle cock by the bandying of Princes 'T is objected against Luther That he was too passionate using irreverent speeches toward some in Authority Yet so much of this fault as Zeale leaves unexcused may be imputed to his Education All can be said is He was but a Man and subject to common Infirmities And because his enemies do so often object this it is strongly to be presumed his worst fault I could have wish'd he had not married a Nun but I believe he did it to shew the People The Quarrell was irreconcilable as Absalom projected when he polluted his Fathers bed And in this sense the benefit takes away much of the blame which lay not in the unlawfulnesse but the inexpediency of the fact And to shew God did not curse his Match though he might participate of the fate of other learned men who seldom finde their abilities represented in their Issue yet he left three such Sons as did not give his enemies occasion to upbraid his memory with them For the Reall Presence maintained by him in the Sacrament it doth not so much condemn his Judgement in this as it justifies his Integrity in all the rest He being as resolute to vindicate what he thought true against the perswasions of his Friends as he was against the threats and promises of his Enemies For if any by-respect could have warped him it would have been a desire to appease the hot Dispute the retention of this error raised in his Own Party wholly of his judgement but in this particular in which Zwinglius and the Helvetian Church did oppose him And if this be not enough to wash him clean from the imputation of Self-ends and Covetousness the Proverb used in Germany may That Poore Luther made many rich As he was protected from a number of apparent mischiefs so the same hand freed him from many hidden in respect of the eyes of the world it being impossible that he who had gall'd so many Grandees should not have Revenge laid in wait for him in every corner Experience proving that Kings themselves can scarce whisper against the Court of Rome but the Knife is ready to give them a finall Answer His Death was with as little Molestation as his Life was full For being call'd to the County of Mansfield the place of his Birth to determin a Case in Controversy between two Princes of that Family he died there in the sixtyeth year of his Age. Had the Apostles nay our Saviour himself been alive and maintained what Luther did they had been persecuted by the Clergie Therefore the Crucifying of Christ is no prodigy in Nature but daily practis'd among men For he that can find the heart to stigmatize and whip his Brother for an Errour meerely in Judgement would never have spared Peter or Paul coming with no more visible Authority than they had But this is not the way to suppress an Heresie since most are jealous of that opinion which useth the Sword for her Defence Truth having been long since determined to be most strong And where Oppression is there for the most part she is supposed to be This shews as little Discretion as Charity in such as persecute those that may be in the Right or if not shall by this means be kept the longer in the Wrong If a Horse starts the more he is beaten the harder he is kept in the way but let him stand and have leisure to consider what he blanched at and he will perceive it is a Block so go on Yet it is neither cruelty nor imprudence to restraine such furious Spirits as they do Dogs that will bawl and fly at all they do not know But I should be utterly against burning of their Books in publick if they have once gained the light which onely addes to their price and saves them a labour because if the State did not put them in credit by their notice they would perhaps after a while for shame burn them themselves The Whip reforms not so much as him that endures it but is taken as a triumph by the Faction increasing their animosity if not their number So that in effect it proves a punishment to none but the honest and tender-hearted of the people who cannot choose but be scandalized to see the Image of God defaced by cutting Eares and slitting Noses c. And this raiseth a strong suspition that the Hand of Justice would not lie so heavy onely on the preciser side but that something inclines it that may at last turn to the subversion of the most moderate part The Dutch though they tolerate all Religions and Tenents yet none increased to their prejudice till they strove to suppress the Arminians who are in tast as like the Papists as Scallions are to Onions all the difference is that the latter is the stronger Yet since they have let them alone this Opinion is observed to be lesse-numerously attended Had the Pope seasonably reformed the Error Luther discovered so apparently in the publication of Indulgences and rewarded him with a Bishoprick for his Learning and Zeale let him afterwards have said what he pleased it would have been looked upon by the people as of no credit who like nothing so well as what goeth cross to the grain of Authority The Lord Treasurer Cecil having been unsufferably abused by Libels sent for the Poet and after he had ratled him soundly began to take notice of the poor fellows good parts saying It might be vexatious poverty compelled him to make use of false though common Rumours given out by such as hated all in Authority To ease which he gave him 20 pieces promising to take the first opportunity to advance him This favour most contrary to his expectation who would willingly have given one ear to have saved the other did so work with him and the rest of the Pasquillers of the time that till the Treasurers death none used the like Invectives Bancroft Archbishop of Canterbury used the like demeanour towards some Gentlemen that had laid the imputation of Sodomy to his Charge c. Clemency seldome causeth repentance in an established Kingdome or if it proves a fault it is easily mended Whereas Cruelty can never be recalled raising a far greater Party out of a thirst of Revenge than ever yet could be mustred up from the hope of Impunity Therefore to conclude since Luther alone had the power to doe so much let us not be thus severe against others that having the zeal kindled though perhaps at the wrong end run madding through the world but rather pity them if they be in an errour Because they something resemble the first Messengers of Truth FINIS