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A26353 The life and death of Dr. Martin Luther the passages whereof have bin taken out of his owne and other Godly and most learned, mens writings, who lived in his time.; Martinus Lutherus. English Adam, Melchior, d. 1622.; Quarles, Francis, 1592-1644.; Hayne, Thomas, 1582-1645.; Adam, Melchior, d. 1622. Vitae germanorum theologorum. 1643 (1643) Wing A506; ESTC R7855 90,426 160

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valour and noble courage in the Auspurg Assembly when thus he wrote out of his Wildernesse to Spalatinus That Kings and Princes and people rage against the Christ or anointed of God I esteem it a good sign and think it much better then if they flattered For thereupon followeth that he that dwels in heaven laughes at them And when our Lord and King laughes I see no cause why we should weep before their faces He laughes not for his own sake but for ours that we rather trusting to him then to any thing else might laugh at their vain designs so much need is there of faith that the cause of faith may not be looked upon without faith But he that begun this worke he began it without our counsell and contrivance And he himself will forward with it and finish it without and beyond all our counsels and devises of this I make no question I know and am assured hereof He in whom I beleeve is able to do above all which we can aske or conceive Though Philip Melancthon contrive and desire that God should work according to and within the compasse of his counsels that he might have wherein to glory and say Surely thus the businesse should be carried Thus would I have done But this is not well spoken I Philip would have it so This I is too flat and dull too low a style It must be thus The God who saith I am that I am this is his name I am He will have it so It is not yet seen who he is but he will appear as he is and we shall see him But I have done Be you valiant in the Lord and put Melancthon in minde from me that he set not himself in Gods place but fight against that ambition of Deitie which was inbred and took root in us in Paradise by the devils suggestion for that is an affectation not furthering the businesse now in hand The desire of being like God thrust Adam and Eve out of Paradise and it alone doth trouble us and turn us out of the course of Peace We must be mortall men and not Gods Thus in briefe If we think otherwise everlasting unquietnesse and anguish of heart will be our reward Luther was ready for Martyrdom once or twice and thought his adversaries would have him to it whereupon at his going to Auspurg An. 1518. thus he wrote to his deare freind * Melanct. Shew your selfe a man of resolution as you already doe Teach the students Gods truth I am going if God so please to be sacrificed for them and you For I had rather die and never more enjoy which thing alone would be most grievous to me your most sweet societie then to recant and revoke any truth which I have preached and give occasion to overthrow the right course of studies And elsewhere he thus wrote * to Spalatinus I had rather as I have often sayd die by the hands of the Romanists alone And would by no meanes that Charles and his Counsellours should interpose themselves in putting mee to death I know what misery befell Sigismund the Emperor after the martyring of Hus how nothing prospered with him afterward how he died without issue male how his daughters sonne Ladislaus also died and so had he his name extinguished in one age of men besides Barbara his Queen became a dishonour to the royall place she held and other matters which you well know But yet if it so please God that I shall be delivered into the hands not only of the Papists spiritual Governours but of Temporal Magistrates also the Lords will be done Amen And againe thus to Lambert Thorn imprisoned I rejoyce with you most heartily and give thanks to our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ that he hath not onely graciously given me the knowledge of his word but made me see a plentifull and glorious encrease of his grace in you Wretched man that I am It is reported that I first taught those things for which you suffer and yet shall be the last or perhaps shall not be vouchsafed at all to be made partaker of your imprisonments Martyrdoms Yet herein will I challenge something and comfort my selfe in this that your miseries your bondes and imprisonments the fires prepared for you are mine also and so indeed they are seeing I professe and preach the same things with you and suffer and rejoyce together with you God by Luther and his fellow workmen opened and cleared the necessarie doctrin of Gods Church concerning the Mediatour and justification of man before God of the differences of the Law and the Gospel of worship pleasing God of Invocation and other points He was wont often to deplore the ungodly praying to the Saints departed and said That there were many reasons why that invocation was execrable and that this was one chiefe namely that by that profane custome the Testimony of Christs Divinity was obscured to whom both the writings of the Prophets and Apostles attribute the honour of invocation These are the Idols which sharpen the barbarous sword of the Turk to cut of our neckes Nor will he ever be kept from shedding our bloud except in godly manner those things be reformed For how wicked and impious those hymnes be which are sung in the Popes Quires who knoweth not O Mary thou Mother of grace defend us from our enemie and in the houre of death receive us And a gaine Saint Dorothy create a new heart within us Saint Catharin translate us from the troublesome sea of the world to the pleasures of Paradise open Paradise for us And that Gods truth might be propagated to posterity with continuall and great labour and study he so plainly and perspicuously out of the originall texts translated the Bible into the German tongue that his translation may well serve in steed of a Commentary He often speaketh of the labour and difficulty of this taske As in his letter to Wenceslaus Lincus We are now busied in translating the Prophets a worke God knoweth of great paines and industry to bring Hebrew writers to speake the German tongue to leave their Hebrew idiom and expresse themselves in our barbarous language This is as if the Nightingale should be compelled to imitate the Cuckow to leave her warbling melody and fall into an unisone And again to Spalatinus In translating Iob we are put to very great paines in regard of the loftinesse of the style that this book may seeme more impatient of our translation then Iob himselfe of his friends comforting him He may seeme yet still to sit upon the dunghill Vnlesse perhaps the Author of the booke desired that it never should be translated This is the reason why the Presse maketh no better hast in this part of the Bible In this worke he used the paines and counsel of his colleagues whom elsewhere we have named that they might be witnesses of his faithfull care in
And now also Luther betook himselfe to the study of the Greeke and Hebrew tongues that upon his knowledge of the phrase and proprietie of the originall he might more exactly judge of doctrines grounded thereupon Luther being thus busied into Misnia and Saxonie Iohn Tecelius a Dominican frier brought indulgences to be sold This Tecelius was adjudged to death by Maximilian the Emperour and commanded to be throwne into the river Oenoponte but was pardoned at the request of Frederike Duke of Saxony who as it befell was in those coastes at his condemnation This Tecelius averred as other matters so especially that he had so large a commission from the Pope that though a man should have defloured the Blessed Virgin for money he could pardon the sinne And further he did not onely give pardons for sins past but for sins to come And not long after an Edict was set forth with Albertus the Archbishops arms which enjoyned the officers in especiall manner to commend the validitie of the indulgences The Pardoners also at certain rates gave license on dayes prohibited to eate milke cheese egges flesh Luthers Godly zeale being inflamed with these proceedings set forth certaine propositions concerning Indulgences These he publikely affixed at the Church next to the Castle of Wittenberg on All Saints Eve An. 1517. Hereupon Tecelius persisting in his old course and hoping thereby the more to oblige the Pope to himself calleth a Senate of Monks and Divines of his own stamp and sets them on work to write something against Luther In the meane time he himself might not be silent Nor would he onely preach against Luther but with open mouth cryeth and thunders that Luther was deservedly to be burnt as an Heretick and withall publikely cast Luthers propositions and his Sermon concerning Indulgences into the fire These violent courses of Tecelius and his complices necessarily put Luther upon a more copious declaration and defence of the Trueth Thus began these Controversies in which Luther aymed not at nor so much as thought of the change which followed nor indeed did altogether disallow of the Indulgences but desired a moderation in their use Yea it appeared that Luther would have been quiet so that his adversaries had been injoyned silence But when he saw that whatsoever the Popes crafty mony-gatherers insinuated to Albertus Archbishop of Mentz was defended and beleeved by the common sort and yet knew not that Tecelius was hired by Albertus to make those Sermons for the purchasing of his Bishops roab He the day before the Calends of Novemb. An. 1517. complained to the Archbishop by writing concerning their impious clamours and intreated that he by the authoritie of his place would call in their libels and prescribe to the Preachers some other forme of preaching their pardons so Luther himself saith At the same time Luther sent him Propositions concerning Repentance and Indulgences which he then first set forth These are extant Tom. 1. of Luthers works The Archbishop returned no answer to Luthers epistle Tecelius opposed contrary Positions made by Conrade Wimpin and others at Franckfort on Viadrus and compared the Pope with Peter and the crosse erected by the Pope with Christs crosse At Hal in Saxony the Students of Wittenberg publikely burnt in the market place Tecelius his Theses of this Luther thus writeth to Ioh. Longus That you may understand aforehand what was done about the burning of Tecellus Propositions left fame as often it comes to passe should misreport the matter The Students being extreamly weary of the old dunstical course of studies and most desirous of the sacred Bible and it may be out of their love to me when they knew that one was sent by Tetzel Hal and was come with his Positions went presently unto him and terrified him asking him how he durst bring such stuffe thither Some bought of him some took the rest from him and giving intimation that whosoever would see Tecelius Positions burnt should come to the market place at two a clock burnt 800 of them All this was unknown to the Prince the Senate and Rector and all of us This great injury done the man by our Students displeaseth my self and the rest And though I am blamelesse yet I feare that the whole proceeding will be laid to my charge A great bruite was raised hereupon but especially amongst them with a just indignation What will be the issue hereof I cannot say sure it is that my danger will be much the more When Luther perceived that the Positions were very well liked of and entertained as sound and orthodox which he at first propounded to be discussed by disputation till the Church defined what was to be thought concerning Indulgences he wrote to Ierom Bishop of Brandenburg under whose Jurisdiction he was and submitted what he had written to the Bishops judgement and intreated him that he would dash out with his pen or consume with the fire what he thought unsound The Bishop answered Luther and declared that his desire was that the setting forth of his arguments about those matters should a little while be deferred and that he wished that the common talk about Indulgences had never been Luther answered I am content so to do and had rather obey then work miracles if I could well do them He wrote also to Ioh. Staupicius the Vicar of the Augustinian partie and giveth him an account of his proceedings and sendeth to him the Answers of the disputations concerning the validitie of Indulgences to be imparted to Pope Leo the tenth In these he shewed the Pope how inconsiderately and sordidly the disposers of his Indulgences had abused his authoritie He also annexed thereunto the Protestation which is extant in the 1. Tom. of his works Now also Iohn Eckius opposed Luthers conclusions with Obilisces or markes of disgrace To them Luther opposed his Asterisces or notes of approbation After this Silvester Prierias a Dominican and Mr of as they call it the sacred Palace very confidently enters into the quarrell with a Dialogue and preface to Leo the Pope In this writing Prierias set downe certaine Theses for the ground of his judgement Luther answered him and opposed the sacred scripture to the authority of Thomas Aquinas whom Prierias cited Upon this a reply was made against Luther in it Prierias sayd that he liked it well that Luther did submit himselfe to the pleasure of the Pope was not ambitious and did defend Thomas as the Angelical Doctour Luther answered this with an Epistle onely to the Reader together with other matters sayth If the Pope and Cardinals be of the same opinion if at Rome the same doctrine be taught there is no doubt but that Rome is the very seat of Antichrist and that Greece and Bohemia and all others are happie that they made a departure from the Pope and that new commendations of the Pope were dayly invented to prevent the
burn all the Pontifician law the sink of heresies yet I will put an end to my humble observance which I have hitherto in vaine shewed and wherewith the enemies of the Gospel are more and more incensed Luther also before he saw the Popes Bull put forth his book Of the Babylonian Captivitie In which he wished that what he had written concerning Indulgences was abolished and this proposition divulged in stead thereof Indulgences are the wicked tricks of Romes flatterers And in stead of what he wrote against the Pope this Proposition The Popedome is a robustious Hunting practised by the Bishop of Rome Then he handled the Sacraments and acknowledged but three of the seven to be Sacraments of Christs Covenant He wrote also against the execrable Bull of Antichrist and call'd the Pope Antichrist and confirmed the Articles censured by the Bull Charles the Emperour that yeere came to Aquisgran where with great solemnitie he was crowned Emperour About the Calends of Septemb. he with Frederik Elector of Saxony went to Colonia Agrippina At this time the controversies of Religion being hotly prosecuted the Elector would not suddenly do any thing of his own head in a matter of so great import but would try the votes of the most prudent and learned Clarkes and among o thers of Erasmus whom he sent for from Lovan to Collen When first he requested to heare Erasmus judgement concerning Luther and wondered that so great and extreame hatred should be raised by some Monks and the Pope against Luther whose life and carriage he conceived to be commendable and his doctrine not impious Erasmus answered in a pleasant manner That his Highnesse needed not wonder at that for Luther had in his dispu tations dealt against the Monks bellies and the Popes crowne Afterward seriously and gravely giving his opinion concerning the controversies of these times he shewed that Indulgences and other abuses and superstitions were justly taxed and that their reformation was necessary and that the summe of Luthers doctrine was orthodox and that onely he seemed too vehement and violent in contending with his adversaries and that an Evangelical businesse was to be handled after an Evangelical manner Frederick the Elector being confirmed in the truth by the sage judgement of Erasmus did gravely admonish Luther to moderate his fiercenesse in disputes Then also there came to Collen Martinus Coroccialus and Leronymus Alexander who again set upon Duke Frederik in the Popes name But when the Elector answered not as they expected they said that they must deale with him according to the forme of the decree and burnt Luthers books It is reported that these advocates of the Pope did promise Erasmus a Bishoprick of rich revenew if he would write against Luther But he answered That Luther was a man too great for him to write against and that he learned more from one short page of Luthers writings then from all Thomas Aquinas bookes It is also said that Margaret the Emperours Aunt who ruled all Belgium when the Magistri nostri of Lovan complained that Luther with his writings did subvert all Christendome did demaund what manner a man Luther was when they answered that he was an unlearned Monke she replied Why then see that all you learned men being a great multitude write against that one unlearned fellow and doubtlesse the world will give more credit to many of you being learned then to him being but one and unlearned Luther knowing what was done with his writings An. 1520. Decemb. 10. called the students of Wittenberg together and in a frequent assembly of learned men before the gate of Elister neer to the great Colledge where a fire was made cast the Popes lawes and the Bull of Leo with some writings of Eckius Emser and others thereinto and said Because thou troublest Christ the holy one of God eternall fire will trouble thee The next day he expounded the Psalmes and earnestly charged his auditors that as they loved the salvation of their soules they should take heed of the Popes statutes And in writing gave a reason presently of this his action And out of the great multitude of errors in the Popes Lawes culled out these thirty 1. The Pope and his clergy are not bound to be subject and obedient to the commandements of God 2. It is not a precept but a counsel of St Peter where he saith That all men ought to be subject to Kings 3. That by the Sun the Papal power by the Moon the Imperialor secular power in a common wealth was signified 4. That the Pope and his Chaire were not bound to be subject to Councels and Decrees 5. That the Pope had in the Closet of his breast all lawes and plenary power over all lawes 6. Whence it followeth That the Pope hath power to disanull to change and determine of all Countels and all Constitutions and Ordinances as he daily practiseth 7. That the Pope of Rome hath a right to require an oath of all Bishops and to oblige them to him in regard of their palls received of him 8. If the Pope be so neglective of his owne and his brethrens salvation and so unprofitable and remisse in his place that he carry along with himself as if he was the chiefe slave of Hell innumerable people to be eternally tormented no mortall man ought to reprove him for this sinne 9. That the salvation of all faithfull men dependeth on the Pope next after God 10. No man on earth can judge the Pope or censure his determinations but the Pope is judge of all men 11. The sea of Rome giveth authority to all rights and Lawes and is it selfe subject to none of them 12. The Rocke on which Christ Matt. 16. buildeth his Church is the sea of Rome with them adjoyning 13. The Keyes were given to Saint Peter onely 14. Christs Prtesthood was translated from him to Saint Peter 15. The Pope hath power to make Ordinances and Laws for the Catholike Church 16. This sentencce what soever thou bindest on earth shall also be bound in heaven establisheth this conclusion that the Pope hath power to charge the Catholike Church even with his rash lawes 17. That his command of abstinence from flesh egges butter and other meates made of milke is to be observed else men sin and are liable to excommunication 18. The Pope forbidding all priests to marry wives inhibits all the Priesthood from Matrimony 19. Pope Nicolaus either the 3. or 4. in his Antichristian Decretal among other matters badly decreed well judged that Christ by giving the Keyes gave power over both the celestial and terrestrial kingdome 20. The Pope judgeth that loud and impious lye for a truth and requireth that it be received namely That Constantine the Great gave him the Romans provinces and Countries and power over the whole inferior world 21. The Pope affirmeth that he is the heire of the sacred Roman Empire De
alwayes except the Gospel in those Articles but I feare lest afterward they should accuse us of breach of our covenant and unconstancy if we observe not what they please For they will take our graunts in the large larger largest sense and hold their own strictly more strictly and as strictly as they can In briefe I wholly dislike this agitation for concord in doctrin as being a thing utterly impossible unlesse the Pope will abolish his Popedome Concerning the Confutation this should have been added that it was a very cold one Of it thus Luther wrote to Melancthon Grace and peace in Christ the Lord over his enemies I thanke God who permitted our Adversaries to devise so fond a confutation Christ is come and reigneth Let the devils if they will turn Monks and Nunnes Nor doth any shape better become them then that in which they have hitherto set forth themselves to be adored by the world Then a little after this Did not I foretell you that you troubled your self in vain about traditions because that point exceedeth very much the capacitie of Sophisters There hath ever been disputation about laws amongst the wisest men and truly it requireth an Apostolicall abilitie to judge purely and surely thereof for there is no Author extant except Paul alone who hath written fully and perfectly of this matter Because it is the death of all humane reason to judge the law the spirit in this case being the onely Iudge What then can Sophisters here performe whose reason is blinded Well we have done our part and well satisfied them Now is the time of working together with the Lord whom I beseech to direct and preserve us Amen In that loving course for composing the differences by the Arbitratours when the point of invocation of Saints was handled and Eckius produced Iacobs speech Let my name be called upon those children Melancthon first answered and then Brentius said that there was nothing extant in all the Scripture of the invocation of Saints Hereupon Coclaeus that he might step in as patrone to the Cause did thus excuse the matter That in the old Testament the Saints of God were not prayed unto because they were then in Limbo and not in Heaven Here Iohn Duke of Saxony concluded and said to Eckius Behold O Eckius the speech by you brought out of the old Testament notoriously defended The Confession of our partie which Caesar Ferdinandus his brother the Princes of Bavaria and some Bishops attentively listened unto and the other partie could not endure was translated into Italian for the Pope who was not very well skilled in Latine and into the English Spanish French Boemian Vngarian tongues The issue of all came to this that though the Protestants did desire peace of Caesar and space farther to deliberate of the matter they could not obtain their desire The Confession it self was rejected and all who assented to it unlesse they suffered all matters to run in their old Tenour were brought into hazard of their lives and States therewere some also appointed to execute Caesars decree Whereas therefore it was daily exspected that the Protestants should be warred against by the Pontificians Luther soon after the Assembly with a noble and Heroik spirit set forth a book to the Germans whose title was * Warnungan seine liebe deutschen Wherein he exhorted them to embrace peace and shewed that they ought not to obey a wicked Edict and further by armes the persecution of the true doctrin of the Gospel and harmelesse Princes and Churches and fight for Idols and other abominations of the Papists Yet he did not counsell the Protestant side to take up armes before the Pontifician faction should in the Emperours name invade them with warre But if they should resist and defend themselves with force of Armes when they were set upon he excused them from being traduced and condemned as seditious persons and shewed that they must be conceived to stand onely upon their own and their peoples defence Before we leave the wildernesse of Coburg and come thence with Luther observe first what books he there wrote Besides some mentioned before of the rest he thus writeth to Melancthon Though I have been troubled with wearinesse of the taske and head ache and have laid aside Ezekiel yet do I in the meane time translate the small Prophets and in one week more I hope shall finish them by Gods help For now onely Haggai and Malachi remain undone I busie my self herein rather for the comfort I reap by them then that I am able to undergo the pains Secondly know the fervency of his prayers in this wildernesse of which Vitus Theodorus who accompanied him at Coburg thus wrote to Melancthon No day passeth in which Luther spendeth not three houres at the least and they are the houres most fit for studie in Prayer Once it so fell out that I heard him praying Good God! what a spirit what a confidence was in his very expressions with such reverence he sueth for any thing as one begging of God and yet with such hope and assurance as if he spake with a loving father or friend I know saith he that thou art a father and our God I know therefore assuredly that thou wilt destroy the persecuters of thy children If so be thou please not so to doe thy danger will be joyned with ours this businesse is wholly thine we adventured not on it but were compelled thereunto Wherefore thou wilt defend us When I heard him praying in this manner with a cleare voyce as I stood a farre off my mind also was inflamed with a singular kind of ardency because I observed how passionately how gravely how reverently he in his prayer spake of God and urged Gods promises out of the Psalmes as one assured that what he asked should come to passe I doubt not therefore but that his prayers will much advance and further the desperate cause treated of at the Assembly When in that assembly the chiefe and almost the sole dissention between Luther and the Protestants was about the Lords supper this liked the Papists but grieved the Protestants Bucer therfore by the consent of the Duke of Sanony and his Magistrates consent went from Auspurg to Coburg to see what agreement could be made betweene him and Luther Nor did he receive a crosse answer but diversly the businesse was hindred Thither also came Vrbanus Regius * for to consult with Luther An. 1531. Luther mildly wrote an Interpretation of Caesars Edict not against the Emperour but against the Princes and Bishops who were the chiefe instruments of the Civill broyles In this he defended diverse chiefe heades of Christian Religion As the Eucharist in both kindes that the Church might erre the Masse and free will he disallowed and shewed that we are justified by faith not by workes Of this point observe his remarkable profession I Martin Luther an unworthy preacher of the Gospel of