Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
spirit_n word_n write_v zealous_a 18 3 8.4344 4 false
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A75873 The life and death of Dr Martin Luther the passages whereof haue bin taken out of his owne and other godly and most learned, mens writings, who liued in his time.; Martinus Lutherus. English Adam, Melchior, d. 1622.; Hayne, Thomas, 1582-1645.; Quarles, Francis, 1592-1644.; Holtman, The., engraver. 1641 (1641) Wing A505; Thomason E207_5; ESTC R15137 91,298 166

There are 5 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

liable to extreame danger But there is no counsell no power prevalent against the Lord who most admirably defended Luther living and dead against all his adversaries Whilest he lived he had most potent most subtle enemies and in a word Secret plots against Luther all Antichrists kingdome nor onely did the Pope and his Bishops his Universities and other Sophisters openly set upon him with Buls and Treatises published but designed to take him away closely with poyson daggers guns and other meanes Concerning secret plots against him they be well known He thus speaks of them There * is here a Polonian Jew hired with two thousand crownes to poyson me my friends have disclosed the plot to me by their letters He is a Doctor of Physick and dare attempt any thing and will go about it with incredible craft and celerity This very houre I caused him to be apprehended what the event will be I cannot say This is the news To Spalatinus also a Tom. 2. epist. 271. he wrote that there were many Actors of the plot whom he would not have wrackt if they would not voluntarily confesse by whom they were suborned but endeavoured to have them set at libertie Yet he addeth Though I am fully perswaded that he was the man descried unto me The Papists designes all marks of him did so rightly answer the description sent to me Again what the Papists did attempt the words of Alexander the Popes Legate do well declare Of w● h Luther thus speaks Spalatinus writeth b Tom. 2. epist p. 8. that Alexander was bold to say Though you Germans who pay the least summes of money to the Pope have shaken of the yoke of servitude yet we will take a course that ye shall be consumed with civill broyles and perish in your own bloud Concerning the fables and lies cast abroad in his life time what should I say Lies against Luther Of his countrey and p●rentage it was bruited that he was a Bohemian and borne of as they call them heretical Parents Then they layd aspersions upon his promotion at Wittenberg and defamed it with sundry lies Heare what he wrote to Spalatinus That Embassador Tom. 2. epist p. 8. or I know not what of Ferdinands was with me to see what manner of man I was and how I carried my selfe He sayd that it was told his Master that I went up and down armed and guarded and did spend my time among Queanes divers tavern hunters and was notorious among all men with I know not what other the like honours But I am now well inured to such lies How often was he reported to fly to the Bohemians how often were scandals raysed from his writings Tom. 2. ep p. 71. 85. 289. how often was he cal'd a flatterer of Princes a trumpet of sedition His bold speech and vehemency was a string much harped upon Whence he saith of himselfe Almost all men * Tom. 2. ep pag. 6. condemne me of two much eagernesse But I am of your mind that it is Gods will to have the inventions of men in this manner thus revealed For I see matters in this our age quietly handled to be quickly forgotten and no man to regard them And again * Tom. 1. ep p. 292. Yet do not I deny but that I am more vehement then is fit which thing seeing they know so well they should refraine from provoking me How hard a thing it is to bridle the pen you may well enough learne by your selfe And this is the reason why I have ever been averse from shewing my selfe in publique matters but the more averse that I was so much the more was I carried against my owne desire yet never unlesse most grievous wrongs were done the Word of God or my selfe for its sake Whereupon it fell out that had I not been apt by nature to vehemency and imbittering my style the very indignity of the matter would have urged a dead and stony heart to write sharply how much more my selfe who am of an ardent spirit write not a dul stile Monsters of men carried me beyond the due temper of modesty For the warrant of this sharpnes he used to alleadge the example of Christ who called the Jewes an adulterous perverse generation a generation of Vipers hypocrites children of the Devill and Pauls example who calleth them dogs va ne bablers seducers illiterate yea Act. 13. most sharply inveighes against the false Prophet Moreover Erasmus often used to say In regard of the height of the diseases of this last age of the world God hath sent them a sharpe Physitian Also Charles the Emperour sayd If the Popes Priests were such as they should be they would not need a Luther Further he had divers spirituall tentations and terrible buffets of Satan as namely in his sicknesse at Coburg and at other times when his body was weake These much afflicted him and sometimes made him lie as one dead but by physick applyed for his cure and reading the Scripture and singing of Psalmes which he used to call them about him unto he was recovered and eased of those affrights and esteemed them but as the Devils traps from which God would deliver him In the dismall warre of Germany Charles the Emperour kept the souldiers from digging up Luthers bones scarce could the souldiers be restrained from exercising their cruelty upon his dead corps For when Wittenberg yeelded to the Emperour Charles and he came to see the towne the Spaniards would have digged up Luthers tombe and burnt his body Charles the fifth as faithfull witnesses have related said Suffer him to rest till the day of resurrection and the Iudgement of all men But in the beginning of Luthers preaching he minded not to have proceeded so farre Tom. 1. ep Luth. p. 230. b. as the issue drew him to For An. 1520. he thus wrote I will offer them silence with all humility so that others be also silent For I will omit nothing on my part which may conduce to peace and have ever been carefull so to doe I will therefore make ready an humble letter to the Pope If matters prove calme as I hope it is well If not it is well also for it is Gods pleasure so to have it He often purposed also to have departed from the Papists malice For thus he writeth to Spalatinus Had not your letter come to my handes I had prepared to have gone out of the way And yet I am ready to be gone or to stay And againe I have not free liberty to speake or write If I goe hence I will poure out my whole mind and offer my life to Christ Luther discerned not all truth at first Tom. 1. ep pag. 130. He daily more and more discerned Gods truth and could not wind himselfe out of some errours in the beginning presently for about the invocation of Saints thus he wrote An. 1518. My good Spalatinus I never judged that
of Master of Arts unfolded to them the reason of the change of his course of life It much grieved his parents that so excellent parts should be spent in a life little differing from death But for a moneths space no man could be admitted to speake with him Nor was it povertie but the love of a pious life which bent his minde to the Monastical life In which though he spent his time in the usual schoole learning and read the Writers upon the Sentences and in publique disputations clearly opened their inextricable labyrinths to the admiration of many yet because in this kinde of life he sought not to ennoble his fame but to further his study of a pious life he looked into those studies but upon the by and with much ease attained their Scholastical methods When on a time in the Library of the Colledge Luther meets with a Latine Bible running over the books thereof in order he met with a copie of the Latine Bible which he never saw before There with admiration he observed that there were moe Evangelical and Apostolical texts then what were read to the people in Churches In the old Testament with great attention he read the story of Samuel and Anna his mother and began to wish that he was the owner of the like book which not long after he obtained Hereupon he spent his time on the Propheticall and Apostolicall writings the fountaines of all heavenly doctrine seeking thence to enforme his minde with Gods will and to nourish in himself the feare of God and true faith in Christ from true and undoubted grounds Some sicknesse and feare whet him on to attempt these studies more earnestly It is said Luther fell into a grievous sicknesse An. 1501. A Priest comforted him The Monks used him hardly that in this Colledge Luther in his younger yeers fell into a most violent disease in so much that there was no hope of life and that an ancient Priest came to him and with these words comforted him Sir Be of good courage for your disease is not mortall God will raise you up to be a man who shall afford comfort to many others At the first the Monks handled him somewhat harshly whilest he performed the office of the Custos and was compelled to cleanse the uncleane places as also to walk up and down the Citie with a bagge or wallet But upon the request of the Universitie of which he had been a member he was eased of that burden He was often cheered up by conference with the ancient Priest to whom he revealed his feares and scruples of minde and heard him discoursing of faith at large and going on the Creed to the Article The Article of remission of sinnes explained I beleeve the Remission of sins Which he thus explained Namely that a man must not onely in generall beleeve that sinnes are remitted to some men as to David and to Ester for this the devils beleeve but that God commands that we should each man in particular beleeve that our sinnes be forgiven us in Christ Jesus This exposition said he is confirmed by St. Bernard and shewed him the place in his Sermon upon the Annuntiation where these words are to be found Bernard Sermon of the Annunt But adde this and beleeve this also that thy sins are forgiven thee for Christs sake This is the Testimony in thy heart which the spirit of God giveth saying Thy sins are forgiven thee For the Apostle thus determines of the matter That a man is freely justified by faith Luther said that he was not onely confirmed in the truth but also put in minde of Saint Paul ever in these words asserting this trueth We are justified by faith Concerning this point after that he had read the expositions of divers men he further said that from the speeches of Paul he observed to accrew unto himself much comfort and great light to discerne the vanitie of other interpretations which then were used Then he began to read St Augustines workes He read St Augustine where both in his Comment on the Psalmes and in the booke Of the Spirit and letter he found many evident places which confirmed this doctrine concerning faith c And writers on the sentences and the comfort which was before kindled in his breast Yet did he not utterly cast of the reading of Gabriel and Camaracensis writers on the Sentences but was able to recite them by heart in a manner He spent much time in often reading Occam and esteemed him for acutenesse of wit before Thomas Aquinas and Scotus also he studiously perused Gerson But chiefly he read often Austins workes and kept them well in memory This earnest prosecution of his studies he began at Erphord and spent there five yeares in the Colledge In the yeare 1507. he put on the priests hood He began to say Masse An. 1507. B. 1. Epist 1. The first Masse which he celebrated was May 2. Domini Cantate Then was he 24. yeares old In this course he continued 15. yeares to the yeare of our Lord 1527. At that time Io. Staupicius who endeavored to promote the university of Wittenberg lately begun He was removed to Wittenberg An. 1508. desired that the study of Theologie should there flourish and well knew the wit and learning of Luther and removed him to Wittenberg An. 1508. when he was 26. yeares old Here in regard of his daily exercises in the schooles and his sermons the eminency of his good parts did more and more shew themselves And among other learned men who attentively heard him Martinus Mellurstad commonly cal'd Lux mundi Mellurstads Judgement of Luther the light of the world often said of Luther that there was in him so noble a straine of wit that he did verily presage that he would change the vulgar course of studies which at that time was usuall in schooles and prevailed He was professor of Philosophy at Wittenberg and inveyes against Arist Tom. 1. Epist 10. He went to Rome An. 1510. What manner of Masses at Rome Tom. 6. Ien. Germ. pag. 88. At Wittenberg Luther first explained Aristotles Logick and Physickes yet intermitted not his study of Divinitie Three yeares after that is An. 1510. he was sent into Italy and to Rome in the behalfe of his Covent for the deciding of some controver-among the Monkes There he saw the Pope and the Popes palace and the manners of the Roman Clergie Concerning which he sayth I was not long at Rome There I sayd and heard others say Masse but in that manner that so often as I call them to minde I detest them For at the Table I heard among other matters some Curtisans laugh and boast and some concerning the bread and wine on the Altar to say Bread thou art and bread thou shalt remaine Wine thou art and wine thou shalt remaine He further addeth that the priests celebrated the Masses so hastily and perfunctorily that he left
I break thorow them This yeere he wrote a forme of the Masse in the German tongue in which he permitted some ceremonies to be used or not used at mens pleasures Among other speeches thus he saith Yet we retain those garments altars His work at Jen. Tom. 3. p. 277. waxe-candles used at the Masse till they grow old or that it seeme good to change them If it please any man to do otherwise I permit him to do as he liketh best But in the true Masse among Christians unmixt with Papists it is fit that the altar should not remain but that the Minister should turn himself to the people as Christ doubtlesse did at the first celebration of the Lords Supper But let this also await its due time He wrote also foure consolatory Psalmes to Mary Queen of Hungary upon the miserable death of her husband King Lodowick who was drowned He then also divulged other Treatises which are mentioned in his works An. 1527. The Anabaptists In the 27. yeere the Anabaptists broached their new doctrin about the not baptizing of Infants and were themselves rebaptised they also taught communitie of goods Both Luther and Zwinglius wrote against them and the Magistrates punished them in divers places Of the military life Luther wrote also upon the question whether souldiers lived in a kinde of life tending to happinesse In which discourse he learnedly and godly handled many things concerning warre and its discipline He dealt also against the Sacramentarians as he calleth them and in his book averreth that Christs word This is my body yet stand firme Tom. 2. epist p. 331. Of the book thus Luther writeth to Spalatinus I doubt not but that I have throughly moved the Sacramentarians for though my book be full of words and not so learned yet I am perswaded that I have touched them to the quick Bucer hath written most virulent letters against me unto our Jonas already they make a Satan of Luther what suppose you that they will do when they be gauled with that book But Christ liveth and raigneth What strange portent was before his death See Tom. 2. epist pag. 337. Amen He also comforted them of Hall for the death of George Winckler their Pastor who was slain by conspiracy He also answered Iohn Hessus to the question Whether a Christian man may flie in time of Pestilence and to an other question namely Whether after the truth of the Gospel is made known a man may for feare of the tyrants forbeare to administer the Lords Supper in both kinds which Luther denyed against the Prischanists About the beginning of the yeere 27. Luther fell suddenly Luther sicknesse 1527. sicke of a congealing of bloud about his heart which almost kil'd him but the drinking of the water of Carduus Benedictus whose vertue then was not so commonly knowne he was presently helped But he wrastled with a farre worse agony afterward on the Sabbath after the visitation of the blessed Virgin This is recorded by Iohn Bugenhagius and Iustus Ionas who saw his affliction A worse sicknesse afterward Here he indured not onely a corporall malady but also a spirituall tentation which Luther called a buffiting of Satan It seemed to him that swelling surges of the sea in a tempest did sound aloud at his left eare and against the left side of his head yet not within but without his head and that so violently that die he must except they presently grew calme Afterward when it seemed to come within his head he fell downe as one dead and was so cold in each part of his body that he had remaining neither heat nor bloud nor sence nor voyce But when his face was besprinckled with cold water by Jonas for so Luth. had bidden he came again to himself and began to pray most earnestly and to make a confession of his faith to say that he was unworthy of Martirdom which by his proceedings he might seemed to run upon Luthers last Will. His will and Testament concerning his wife with child and his young sonne this he made Lord God I thank thee that thou wouldest have me live a poore and indigent person upon Earth I have neither house nor lands nor possessions nor mony to leave Thou hast given me wife and children them I give back unto thee Nourish teach keep them O thou the father of orphans and Iudge of the widow as thou hast done to mee so do unto them Luthers recovery But by using daily prayers and continuall fomentations after that he had sweat thoroughly the griefe by degrees decreased so that in the evening of that day he rose up and supped with his friends and confessed that his spirituall temptation was farre sorer then his corporall sicknesse Hereupon the day following he sayd to Iustus Ionas I will take speciall notice of the day last past in which as in a schoole I was put to the tryall of my progresse And sate in a most hot sweating house The Lord bringeth to the graves mouth and fetcheth back againe He often makes mention of this tentation in his letters to his friends and confirmed the faith by receiving absolution from a Minister and the use of the Sacrament Leon Keisar burnt for Religion This yeere also he put forth the Story of Leonard Keisar his friend who was burnt for the Gospels sake at the Command of William Duke of Bavaria Of this mans Martyrdome thus Luther writes I have received the relation concerning Leonard Keisars death Tom. 2. pag. 354. b. as also all his manuscripts from his Vnkles son which shall shortly be published God willing Pray for me who have been much buffetted by the Angel of Satan that Christ should not forsake me O wretch that I am and so much inferiour to Leonard I am a preacher onely in wordes in regard of him so powerfull a preacher by his suffering Who can make me fit that not by his Spirit double on me but by one halfe of it I may overcome Satan put a period to this life Blessed be God who among so many monsters hath shewed us unworthy sinners this one glorious spectacle of his grace that he may not seeme wholly to have forsaken us Then also by the advise of Luther and the Command of Iohn the Elector was ordained a visitation of the Churches in Saxony An. 1527. 1528. The chiefe care of this businesse was committed to Iohn a Plannitz a noble Knight to Ierom Schurfius a Lawyer Asmus Hanbicius and Melancthon Many matters were hereby discried which needed speedy redresse many faults were found which must necessarily be amended nor can I easily say how great was the benefit of this visitation For faults of many yeeres continuance were reformed the Churches falne backe were in many places confirmed and their safety for time to come was well provided for This visitation ended An. 1528. in which yeere Luther put forth the Institution of Visiters and
but saith that she was flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone Now how knew he that He being full of the Holy Ghost and endued with the knowledge of God thus spake After the same manner we also shall be in the other life renewed by Christ and shall know our parents our wives and children and all about us much more perfectly then Adam knew Eve at her bringing to him After supper when he went aside to pray Luthers disease of which he died as was his custome the paine in his breast began to increase whereupon by the advice of some there present he tooke a little Vnicornes horne in wine and after that slept quietly an houre or two on a pallat neer the fire When he awaked he betooke himselfe to his chamber went to bed and bidding his friends good night admonished them who were present to pray God for the propagation of the Gospel because the Councel of Trent and the Pope would attempt wonderfull devises against it Having thus said after a little silence he fell asleep But was awaked by the violence of his disease after midnight Then complained he again of the narrownesse of his breast and perceiving that his life was at an end he thus implored Gods mercy and said O heavenly father my gracious God Luthers prayer before his death and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ thou God of all consolation I give thee heartie thanks that thou hast revealed to me thy Son Iesus Christ whom I beleeve whom I professe whom I love whom I glorifie whom the Pope of Rome and the rout of the wicked persecute and dishonour I beseech thee Lord Iesus Christ to receive my soule O my gracious heavenly Father though I be taken out of this life though I must now lay down this fraile body yet I certainly know that I shall live with thee eternally and that I cannot be taken out of thy hands He added moreover God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that every one who beleeveth in him should not perish but have life everlasting And that in the 68. Psalme Our God is the God of salvation and our Lord is the Lord who can deliver from death And here taking a medicine and drinking it he further said Lord I render up my spirit into thy hands and come to thee And again Lord into thy hands I commend my spirit thou O God of truth hast redeemed me Here as one falling asleep and without any bodily pain that could be discerned he departed this life And when Doctor Ionas and Caelius said O reverend father do you die in the constant confession of that doctrin of Christ Luthers death which you have hitherto preached He answered so as he might be heard yea which was the last word he spake Thus he in his native countrey not having seen it many yeers before dyed much lamented by many This fell on the eighteen of February on the day in the Calender ascribed to Concord about three a clock in the morning in the great climactericall yeere of his age Soone after his body put into a coffin of Lead was carried in funerall manner to the Temple of Isleben where Iustus Ionas preached Then the Earles of Mansfield desired that his body should be interred within their territories But the Elector of Saxony required that it should be brought back to Wittenberg In the return thereof which way so ever it went it was honourably attended and with much griefe accompanied out of each Princes Dominion and at length upon the 22. Luthers body brought to Wittenberg of February in the afternoon was brought to Wittenberg and was carried into the Temple neere adjoyning to the Castle with such a troop of Princes Earles Nobles their living as students and other people that the like was seldome or never seene in that town When the funerall rites were performed His honourable buriall Pomeranus preached to an assembly of many thousands And after that Melancthon with many teares and sighes made a funerall Oration When this was done the coffin with his body was put by the hands of divers learned men into the tomb neere to the pulpit in which he had made many learned Sermons before divers Princes Electors and the Congregation of many faithfull Christians In a brazen plate his picture lively deciphered was there set up with verses by it to this effect This Sepulchre great Luthers Corps containes This might suffice yet read these following strains HEer in this Vrne doth Martin Luther rest And sweetly sleep in hope to rise most blest By whose rare pains firme faith and Christs free Grace Which formerly thick Fogs of Error base And duskie Clouds of Works desert hid quite Were well reduced to their ancient Light For when blind Superstition ruled All And did faire Truth long time suppresse and thrall He by Gods Word and Spirits inspiration The Gospels Light re-spred for every Nation And well-instructed by Pauls sacred voyce Scorning Romes Cheats to teach pure Truth made choste And as Iohn Baptist in the Wildernesse Did Gods Lamb who heales Sin Preach and expresse So O Sweet Christ did Luther cleare thy book When all the World was caught with Errors book And what the difference was betwixt the Law Whose tables Moses brake though God he saw Vpon Mount-Sinai and the Gospel sweet Which heales Sin-conscious hearts which Gods wrath meet This difference lost to th' world He did restore That so Christs gifts of Grace might shine the more He stoutly did oppose Romes Cheats and Charmes And Papal rule which wrought Gods Saints great harms Exhorting all Romes idols for to flie He many soules wan to true pietie And maugre all Romes threats and snares most slie Finisht in Faith his Course most valiantly Dying in peace his Soule with Christ doth rest Crown'd with immortall Glory truly blest For which rare Doctor let both high and low Blesse God that they so cleare Christs truth do know And pray the Lord that these his Gospels rayes May to the World shine-forth for datelesse dayes Philip Melancthon Dead is grave Luther worthy all due praise Who set forth Christ in Faith illustrious rayes His Death the Church laments with Sighs sincere Who was her Pastour nay her Patron deare Our Israels Chariots and Horsemen rare Is Dead with me let All sad Sables weare Let them their griefe in groaning verses sing For such sad Knells such Orphans best may ring Theodore Beza Rome tam'd the World the Pope tam'd Rome so great Rome rul'd by Power the Pope by deep Deceit But how more large than Theirs was Luthers Fame Who with One Pen both Pope and Rome did tame Go fictious Greece go tell Alcides then His Club is nothing to great Luthers Pen. John Major By Luthers labours Leo the tenth is slain Not Hercles Club but Luthers Pen's his bane Joachim a Beust When Luther dy'd then with him dy'd most sure A Crown and credit of Religion pure His Soul
well require all my paines my course of worshipping God and prayer might wholly busie me my paines in expounding Scripture by writing my writing Epistles my care of other mens affaires taketh up my time my converse with my friends which I use to call a feeding of my corps doth very badly steale away a great part of my time It was his usuall course either to meditate or to read or preach or to give good counsel to his friends so that he was never idle He was very liberall to the poore Luthers liberality On a time when a student asked some money of him he bad his wife give him some thing and when she excused the matter in regard of their penurie at that time he tooke up a silver cup and gave it to the Scholler and bid him sell it to the Gold-smith and keep the money for his occasions When a friend sent him 200. angels of gold from the metal-mines he bestowed them all on poore students When Iohn the Electour gave him a new gowne he said Mathes in his serm p. 144. that he was made to much of for if here we receive a full recompence of our labours we shall hope for none in another life When the same Electour offered him a vayne of Metals at Sneberg he refused it lest he should incurre the tentation of the Devill who is Lord of treasure under the Earth Tom. 2. ep pag. 342. He tooke nothing of Printers for his copies as he writeth saying I have no plenty of money and thus yet I deale with the Printers I receive nothing from them for recompence of my many copies How he dealt with Printers sometimes onely I receive of them one copie This I think is due to me whereas other writers yea translaters for every eight leaves have an Angel Concerning money given him thus he writeth The hundreth Angels given me I received by Tanbenhem and Schart gave me fifty that I stand in feare that God will give me my reward here But I protested that I would not so be satisfied by him I will either presently repay it or spend it For what should I doe with so much money I gave one halfe of it to P. Prior and made him a joyfull man His loving affection to his children He was very lovingly affectioned towards his children and gave them liberall education He kept in his house a Schoole-master to traine them up in good arts and a godly life When he saw Magdalen his eldest daughter ready to die he read to her that in Esay 26.19 Thy dead servants shall rise againe together with my dead body shall they arise Awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust For thy dew is as the dew of hearbs and the earth shall cast out the dead Come my people enter into thy chambers and shut thy doores about thee Hide thy selfe as it were for a little moment untill the indignation be over-past My daughter enter thou into thy chamber with peace I shall ere long be with thee For God will not permit me to see the punishments hanging over the head of Germany And upon this wept plentifully But in publique when he went along with the Herse he bridled his affection and was not seene to shed one teare And as all men of excellent spirits have a zealous anger in due place His anger zeale So Luther by nature was vehement but yet placable As appeareth in this that when Melancthon much moved to passion once came unto him and all the rest were very mute Luther uttered this verse Vince animos irámque tuam qui caetera vincis Thine owne heart overcome thy fury tame VVho all things els hast stoutly overcame And then smiling said we will not further dispute of this matter and turned his speech to other occasions He foresaw and foretold many things as the combustion which rose in Germany saying Tom. 2. epist p. 10. p. 207. I am very much afraid that if the Princes give eare to Duke George his ill counsell there will arise some tumult which will destroy all the Princes and Magistrates in all Germany and ingage in it all the Clergy Of the death of Frederik Elector of Saxony thus he writeth Tom. 2. epist. pag. 10. If God in heaven hath resolved in wrath to deale with us that neither our prayers nor counsels of amendment can hinder it let us obtain this that our Josias may sleep in peace though the world be left to go into its Babylon Of the covetousnesse of Germany and the dearth there thus he speaketh We feare famine Tom. 2. epist. pag. 207. and we shall suffer it and finde no remedie for it And when as without necessitie we are solicitous to prevent famine like wicked and incredulous Gentiles and neglect the word of God and his work he will permit shortly a dismall day to come upon us which will bring with it whole Wain-loads of cares which we shall neither have power or meanes to escape Divers other things he also foretold Of Luthers He●l●● He had his health competently well but that sometimes he was troubled with headach especially in his elder yeeres Whereupon he was afraid of some violent A●oplexie and when he felt a swimming in his head or noyse in his eares he used to say Lord Iesu smite me gently for I am absolved from my sins according to thy word and am fed unto life eternall by thy body and bloud Thine Apostle John and our Elector were taken out of this world by this kinde of death He endured often tentations whereupon he said All here are in health except Luther who is sound in body and without suffers at no mans hand in the world onely the Devil and all his Angels vex him Of Luthers person He was of an indifferent stature of strong body of so Lionlike a quicknesse of his eyes that some could not endure to look directly upon him when he intentively beheld them They say that one of mild spirit who could not endure in private to talk with Luther was courteously used by Luther yet was so pierced with the quicknesse of his eyes that being amazed he knew no course better then to run from him His voyce was mild and not very cleare whereupon when on a time there was mention at table about Pauls voyce which was not very perfect and full Luther said I also have a lowe speech and pronuntiation To whom Melancthon answered But this small voyce is heard very farre and neere Of his wife and children after his ●eath In wedlock he lived chastly and godly above twentie yeers and when he died left three sonnes and Catharin de Bora a widow who lived after his death seven yeeres To her it was a great grief that her husband died in a place farre from her so that she could not be with him and performe the last conjugall offices to him in his sicknesse In the time of the warre which