shewed to be well decreed but could never be effected because they wanted learned men Concerning that which they decreed about books he rejected it not so that the decree did not extend to the sacred books of the Scripture the publishing whereof was in no wise to be prohibited Lastly concerning the amercing of Priests who either married or left their order the decree was too harsh and if the Gospel was purely to be preached Caesar was offended at the Decree ought to be mitigated The Emperour was somewhat offended with this decree and attempted by his Legate to take it away The Gospel propagated Tom. 2. epist pag. 121. but all in vain For this businesse was farre otherwise concluded of in heaven then at Norinberg as Luther wrote For the Princes and Cities of the Empire strove who first should admit the reformed doctrin This was done in Denmark Prussia Livonia Silesia and elsewhere In this yeere Luther set forth the book concerning the dignitie and office of the Civil Magistrate Luthers book concerning the Civill Magistrate 1523. Frederik the Elector was much delighted with this book He wrote also to the Waldenses commonly called the Picards concerning the adoring the Sacrament In which book he first mentions the opinion of Berengarius concerning the Lords Supper before he began the contention with the Helvetians He now also set forth the five books of Moses in the German tongue The German Pentateuch three thousand yeers since the death of Moses He published also a book to the Senate of Prague about ordeining of Ministers and another about avoyding the doctrine of men He wrote this yeere also to the Livonians and shewed his great joy at their entertaining the Evangelicall doctrin which many tyrants in Germany sought obstinately to oppresse and forewarned them that they must expect cruell persecutions of the same kind to the undergoing whereof he gravely and piously exhorted them encouraging them to be resolute and to persevere valiantly in the truth of the Gospel which they had received He further did instruct them briefly and plainely concerning Justifying faith and the true nature of good workes The forme of the Masse set out by Luther Chytreus in Sax. 10. pag. 282. He this yeere also set forth a forme of the Masse and Communion herein he retained all the usuall rites which were not plainly repugnant to the word of God as the preface out of the Psalmes the Kyrie the Collect the Epistle the sequence the Gospel the Creed the sermon the prayers the preface the Sanctus the Lords prayer the wordes of the Lordes supper the Elevation the agnus Dei the thanksgiving But the Canon of the Masse which transformed the Lords supper into a sacrifice for the quicke and the dead Auricular Confession he wholly omitted This was the first change of the rites though Carolostadius attempted the like before Auricular confession was also brought into use againe 2. Martyrs in Germany 1523 and private absolution also which Carolostadius had abandoned And when 2. Monkeâ— of the Augustinian profession were the first day of Iuly burnt by the Inquisitor first shed their bloud for the reformed doctrine of the faith Luther renowned their constancy with an hymme or Psalm and praised them as the first Martyrs of his time Of this story also Erasmus * Epist b. 21. b. 7. and b. 14. E. 4. writeth Then also Luther sent a Letter consolatory to the Augustins which is extant amidst his workes He wrote also to the Miltebergians who were then in danger for the Gospels sake Their first instructor was Iohn Draco Carolostadius Luther also comforted three noble Misnian virgins which were turned out of the Friburg Court of Henry Duke of Saxonie Other Nuns left their Cloysters elsewhere whereupon Luther wrote thus to Spalatinus There came to me those nine converted Nunnes who left Nimpschen Monastery miserable is their case but they were conducted by honest citizens of Torgaw Nunnes leaving their Cloysters namely by Leonard Coppe and his unkles sonne and Wolfius Tomitzech that there is no cause of suspition I much pity them but especially many other their like who every where in great number perish by their cursed and incestuous chastitie That sex is most weake of it selfe and by Gods and natures appointment is to be a mate for man and being by papisticall crueltie shut up from men is brought into perdition Tom. 2. Epist p. 131. Among them was Katherin de Bora who afterward was Luthers wife He writes to to the same Spalatinus elsewere of other Nunnes thus There departed 16. Tom. 2. cp p. 139. Nunnes out of the Monastery of Widderstetten under the Earle of Mansfield of which 11. came to the Quaestor of Alstet Of them Albertus received five It is now debated among them whether they ought to be entertained or rejected Tom. 2. cp p. 134. and 112. Nor yet is here an end of our newes This yeere is most fruitfull of Novelty and as I perceive still will be Luther also often was earnest with the Elector of Saxony suing to him by Spalatinus that he would demolish the Wittenbergian Bethaven that is the Colledge of All Soules And gave this reason Because almost all the Priests there not onely live wickedly but also are contemners of God and men with obstinate hearts and every night play the whoremasters and in the mornings say Masse with an impudent and brasen forehead For this he called Amsdorfe to witnesse and sayd that all of them except three were wanton persons and not to be maintained yea that it was the duty of the Magistrats to prohibite their whoredom compell them to marry For though no man can be compelled and forced to the truth yet publique wickednesse is to be taken away At the least the Masses might be forborne which were maintained at the Princes charge and were wickedly performed and to no good end Iohn the Prince of Anhalt by Doctour Ieronymus and a Franciscan warned Luther to acquite himselfe of holding a new Article with which Ferdinand of Norinberg did charge him namely that he held that Christ was the seed of Abraham Luther excusing himselfe Tom. 2. pag. 121. At the first Luther conceived that they jested with him but when he found that they spoke it sadly he was forced to give credit to their speech that he was in very deed so accused Frederik Duk. of Saxony warned to punish Luther Pope Adrian then opposed the Gospel and by his Bull as they call it very much blamed Frederik Electour of Saxony for the neglect of his duty in not punishing or banishing Luther And then warned and intreated the Prince that now at length he he would doe it and if he would not he should try how keen the Popes and Emperours swords were The same request Henry the eight King of England and Lodowik King of Hungary and Bohemia made To all these the Elector returned no other answer
Lord Iesus Christ thus professe and beleeve That faith alone without respect to our good workes doth justify us before God An exelent Protestation of M. Luther and that this Article cannot be overthrown by the Roman Emperour or the Turk or the Tartarian or the Persian nor by the Pope or all his Cardinals Bishops Sacrificers Monks Nunnes Kings Princes Potentates of the world and all the Devils This Article will they nill they will stand Hell gates cannot prevayle against it The spirit of God doth dictate this unto me this is the true Gospel For thus the Article in the mouth of all Christian children hath it I beleeve in Iesus Christ crucified and dead Now no man died for our sinnes but Iesus Christ the sonne of God the one and onely sonne of God I say it again again Iesus the one and onely son of God redeemed us from our sinnes This is most surely grounded undoubted Doctrin this the whole scripture crieth out aloud though the devils all the world storme and burst with anger at it And if he alone take away the sinnes of the world we verily cannot doe it with our workes and it is impossible that I can lay hold on Christ otherwise then by faith he is never apprehended by my good workes And seeing faith alone layeth hold on our Redeemer and not our workes the concomitants of our faith it abideth undoubted truth that faith alone before our works or without our works considered doth this which is nothing else but to be justified but to be redeemed from our sinnes Then good works follow our faith as the effects and fruits thereof This doctrin I teach and this the Spirit of God and the whole Christian Church delivereth for truth In this I will persist Amen With these two writings The Admonition to the Germans and The interpretation of Caesars Edict Luther madded the nest of the Popish Hornets who thereupon put forth a book against him but without any mans name to it Luther sharply answered this book In the book Weber den Wrucht c. and gravely acquitted himself of the crimes objected against him that is That he denyed the yeelding obedience to Caesar that he himself was a Trumpet for rebellion and sedition that all things written by him concerning the designes of the Pope were figments and lies But he proved them to be true by many remarkable sayings and deeds of the Pontificians which are contained in * Tom. 5. of his works at len p. 304 c. An. 1532. his German writings and other books by him set out this yeere In the yeere 32. by Gods goodnesse and the intercession of the Archbish of Mentz and the Elector Palatine the Emperour a First peace to the Protestants granted Peace to the Protestant Churches upon some certain conditions propounded to the Duke of Saxony especially Which that he should most willingly embrace Luther by his b Sleid. B. 8. p. 205. letter seriously perswaded the then present Elector and his sonne Frederik who soone after succeeded his father For this very yeere the 16 day of August that godly Duke a most constant confessour of the Evangelicall truth departed this life For the perpetuating of whose memory Luther made two funerall Sermons and Melancthon a funerall oration at his buriall which expressed the Idea or Character of a good Prince An. 1533. Luther comforted the Oschatz In the yeere 1533. Luther comforted the Citizens of Oschatz by his letter who had been turned out for the confession of the Gospel In his letter he saith The Devil is the Host and the World is his Inne so that where ever you come you shall be sure to find this ugly Hoste A controversie with George Duke of Saxony He answered also the Elector of Saxony to this question How farre it is lawfull to take up armes in our own defence Especially now there was a great controversie betweene Luther and George Duke of Saxony who of old hated most vehemently Luther and his doctrin Therefore that the Protestant partie might not be inlarged by his peoples embracing it he bound them all by oath not to receive Luthers doctrin He also provided that the Citizens of Leipsick who coming to Confession after the Papists manner and then received the Sacrament should have a ticket given them which afterward they should redeliver to the Senate About seventie were found without tickets For these consulted with Luther what they should do Luther answered That they should do nothing contrary to their consciences as men which firmely beleeved that they should receive the Sacrament in both kinds and that they should undergo any extreamitie In the Epistle are these words Seeing now Duke George dareth undertake to dive into the secrets of mens consciences he is worthy to be deceived because he will be the Devils Apostle Hereupon Duke George wrote to the Elector of Saxony his cousen German and accused Luther both of giving him base language and also of stirring up the people under his command to rebellion The Elector wrote this to Luther and told him that unlesse he can cleare himself he must receive condigne punishment Upon this occasion Luther refuted this accusation and denyed That he ever counselled them to resist their Prince but that patiently they would endure their banishment And that he was so farre from infringing the authoritie of the Magistrate that no man did more stoutly confirme it or more fully declare it George the Duke called the Devils Angel And that George the Duke was called the Devils Angel for the Subjects sake because they should not thinke that the Edicts were a lawfull Magistrates but the devils Luther comforts the banished Citizens of Leipsick He joyned thereunto an epistle to them of Leipsick to comfort them in their banishment and to counsell them cheerfully to undergo their present calamitie and to give God thanks for giving them courage constancy He told them that this rejoycing of their adversaries was neither sound nor lasting and that it would perish sooner then any man thought and that all attempts of the enemies of the Gospel were hitherto frustrate by Gods singular favour into the ground Luthers lesse Apologie He wrote also a briefe Apologie in which he cleareth himself of these crimes objected against him Namely that he was a lyer a broâ—ker of his promise an Apostate Here denying the former he yeelded himself to be an Apostate or revolter but a blessed and holy one who had not kept his promise made to the Devil and that he was no other revolter then a Mammeluke who turneth Christian or a Magician who renouncing his covenant made with the Devil betaketh himself to Christ To these passages he added divers things concerning Monkery Of the dispute with the Devil And again in a new Treatise he oppugned private Masse and their consecration of Priests In this Treatise he related his Disputation with the Devil which the
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 Coclaus 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 The Confession of the Protestants translated into divers tongues 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 The issue of matters in this assembly 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 there were 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 * Luthers admonition ad Germanos 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 Luther studies in the wildernesse at Coburgh 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 myself herein rather for the comfort I reap by them Luthers ardent prayers 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 Potestants Bucer therfore by the consent of the Duke of Saxony and his Magistrates consent Bucer goeth to Luther 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 * See Regius his life for to consult with Luther An. 1531. An. 1531. An interpretation of Caesars edict 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 our
and in his whole course manifesting l Lutheri vitam apud nos nemo non probat Eras Epis lib 5. a true correspondence of his life with his doctrine Much more I might here adde but will not longer detaine your Honour from the discourse it selfe I humbly beseech our gracious God who inabled D. Luther to be an excellent instrument for the reformation of the Christian Church for beating downe of errour and setting up of Gods Truth that he would implant in us all quiet temperate and Christian affections m Luther endured not to have any one called a Lutheran And Erasmus saith Prorsus odi ista dissidiorum nomina Christi sumus omnes lib. Ep. 2. and love of Christs Name still more and more perfect the setling of Truth and building up of his Church untill we all become living stones in the spiritual Temple fitted for our God The same God of peace crowne your Honourable selfe and all sincere promoters of Christian peace with peace externall and internall here and with eternall blisse hereafter So prayeth he who is Your Honours ever to be commanded Thomas Hayne Christian Reader DAvid a man after Gods owne heart as in other respects so especially in not forgetting any of Gods benefits but frequently and sweetly descanting on them in his sacred songs of praise among many other blessings mentions Gods gracious leading his people out of Egypt teaching them by the ministery of Moses and Aaron The like thankfulnesse to God should we shew in our a These are a chiefe and excellent work of the New Testament Church Rev. 4. Rev. 7.11 12. Rev. 153. hymns of glorie to God as for infinite other favours in these later times so especially for our comming out of the spirituall Egypt by the Ministery of Dr. Mart. Luther The goodnesse of God to the Israelites and Us is much alike in both these our deliverances For when Egypts tyrannie was growne to extremity and Romes heresies at full maturity God seasonably put to his hand and by Moses then bred up in Pharaohs Court and by D. Luther lately trained up in Monkery shewed a like mercy to us both However men did project to bend the excellent endowments of these worthy men to their owne purposes God turned them to better use and seasoning them with his grace fitted them for the confusion of the Old New Egypts God will be b When the event is seene then wee can observe how Godshand was in the worke plainly knowne to have matters of great importance at his owne disposing He of his great goodnesse directs to the right object his servants ardent zeale to do good as in judgement he lets the malicious and envious zeale of both Egypts persist in an evill course to their overthrow Hence it was that as God took off S. Paul from his blinde and unseasonable zeale for Moses Law in the Pharisaicall way and bent it to the advancing of the Gospell So he quelled Luthers raging fury and intent c As S. Paul did to vex and kil Christians Act. 9.1 22.19 to vex and kill the opposers of the Pope put a zealous spirit into him for the maintenance of sacred Truth and the downfall of Popish superstition And indeed rightly did Erasmus judge that d Epist B. 14. pag. 453. those corrupt times called for a sharpe and launcing and fearing Chirurgion to cure their long festered maladies For the worship of God and the truth of Religion was then as amongst the Israelites in Elias time much depraved and defaced and required a magnanimous and undaunted spirit like to that in Elias to reforme matters extreamly out of frame Erasmus saw full well how difficult a taske D. Luther underwent and for his owne part and undertaking was assured that if the e He foresaw that by these Novum saeculun brevi exoriturum lib. Epist 3. knowledge of good Arts of polite Learning of the Originall tongues of the Sacred Scripture florisht that the dark fogs of Popery could not long continue undispel'd And therefore he complyed with all f Even with George Duke of Sax. whom Luther found most opposite to the Gospell Eras epist B. 12 pag. 430. Princes and g Hee praised some for learning that they might strive to be praise-worthy for it Epist pag. 351. men studious of good letters whatsoever to make a knowing world and would in no wise though earnestly set upon both by loving intreaties and kinde usage as also by bitter calumnies and harsh railings of the Pontificians doe any thing of speciall moment against Luther He was confident that if Luther being violently opposed and maliced should faile yet the Truth of Christ by the light of all good literature and Gods blessing would maugre all the Papists malice get the upper hand and spread it selfe But God was abundantly gracious to D. Luther and made him as Ieremy h Ier. 1.18 a defenced citie an iron pillar and a wall of brasse against which his Antagonists could in no wise prevaile Had a spirit of pride or contention or any by-respect set Luther on work against the Pope or had he stood upon questions litigious or of an indifferent nature he could never have begun with that courage gone forward with that confidence come off with that honour which he did The blessing of God and a good conscience bore him out to take such incredible paines in reading preaching translating commenting disputing writing advising the Politicall State directing the Ecclesiasticall restraining the Papists fury from open war counselling some Protestants from too hastie proceedings preventing tumultuous designes avoiding secret traps set for him and in daily praying to God for the prosperity of the Gospell All true Christians will heartily blesse God for him and his resolute and happy beginning of Reformation if Papists who notoriously defamed and slandered him in his life time persist still to calumniate him after his death * Men may judge something now by the good effect of his labours God in the last day will be judge betweene them Luther was and who is not subject to such weaknesses as humanity makes incident to the best men He knew his slips he acknowledged them he craved pardon for them Yea he considering that he was a man and might erre intrusted his learned and faithfull friend i These two by conjoyning their studies setled truth whereas in the Councel of Trent though some Divines saw the Truth yet the major part confirmed errour Melancthon to revise and moderate some of his Tenents after his decease In briefe Luthers faith was admirably strong in his God his labours and studies of singular benefit to Gods Church his books and writings very many and learned his life most pious and therefore his death full of comfort and blessed Accept good Reader this Treatise now presented unto you in an English dresse out of the learned and laborious work of Melchior Adamus and expect the Lives of other
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
of saying Masse before he betooke himselfe to the Gospell And cried out Away with it away with it In talke with his familiar friends he would often rejoyce at this his journey to Rome and say that he would not for 1000. florens have been without it After his returne from Rome Staupicius so advising He was made Doctor of Divinitie A. 1512. he was made Doctor in Divinity after the manner of the schooles and at the Charge of Duke Frederike Elector of Saxony For the Prince heard him preach and admired the soundnesse of his invention the strength of his arguments and the excellence of the things which he delivered Now was Luther 30. yeares old Staupicius would have him Doctour and why and had attained a maturity of Judgement Luther himselfe used to professe that he would have refused this honour and that Staupicius would have him permit himselfe to be graced with this degree saying pleasantly That there were many businesses in Gods Church wherein he would use Luthers helpe This speech then spoken in a complementall way at length proved true by the event Thus many presages goe before great changes Luther expoundeth the Epistle to the Romans Soone after he began as the place required to explaine the Epistle to the Romans and some Psalmes which he so cleared that after a long and darke night there seemed a new day to arise in the judgement of all pious and prudent men Here he shewed the difference of the Law and Gospell and refuted an errour then most frequent both in the schooles and sermons namely that men by their workes can deserve remission of their sinnes and that men are just before God by observing the discipline commanded as the Pharisees taught Luther therefore recal'd mens mindes to the sonne of God as Iohn Baptist shewed them the Lamb of God He recal'd men to Christ who taketh away the sinnes of the world And taught them that for Christs sake their sinnes are forgiven and that this benefit is received by faith He cleared also other poyntes of Ecclesiasticall truth His manners and doctrine agreed This beginning made him of great authority and that much the more because his demeanor was sutable to his doctrine so that his speech seemed to come from his heart not from his lippes onely For the saying is as true as old 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A mans pious carriage makes his speech perswasive Hence it was that men easily assented to him when afterward he changed some of their rites As yet he attempted not to doe it but was a rigid observer of good order and added something more strict then usuall The Prophets and Apostles cleared With the sweetnesse of this doctrine all godly minded men were inamoured and much it affected the learned that Christ the Prophets and Apostles were brought out of darknes prison that the difference of the Law and the Gospell of Gods Word Philosophy of which they read nothing in Thomas Scotus and their fellowes now Erasmus writings was manifested At this time also young students were invited to a mote exact study of the Latine Greek tongue whereupon many worthy and ingenious men were much affected with the sweetnesse of polite learning and abhorred the barbarous and sophistical style of the Monkes And now also Luther betook himselfe to the study of the Greeke and Hebrew tongues Luther studieth Greeke Hebrew that upon his knowledge of the phrase and proprietie of the originall he might more exactly judge of doctrines grounded thereupon An. 15 16. Jo. Tecelius sold Indulgences 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 Oenopente 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 Luthers propositions about Indulgences The day of Indulgences confusion Tom. 2. epist. pag. 345. Tecelius his opposing Luther 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 Luthers temper in this cause 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 Tom. 1. epist. p. 37.6 Luther writes to the Archbishop who answered him not 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 Tecelius his Theses burnt by the Students of Wittenb 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 Tecelius Propositions Tom. 1. epist p. 54. lest 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 Luthers excuse 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 Tom. 1.99 Lat. 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 Luther writeth to the Bishop of of Brandenb Tom. 1. p. 63. Ep. 40. p. 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 He wrote to Staupicius 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 wrote to the Pope T. 1. Epist He also annexed thereunto the Protestation which is extant in the 1. Tom. of his works Eckius opposeth Luther Prieras writeth against Luther Tom. 1. Witt. p. 107. Luthers answ 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 Luthers conclusion concerning Rome 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 calling of a lawfull Councel Afterward Io. Hogostratus a Dominican writeth bitterly against Luther exciteth the Pope to use the rounder course of fire and faggot Hogostratus controversie with Luther Luther answered him in briefe and told him of his cruell bent and wittily taxed the ignorance of the man and admonisheth him not to proceed to seeke laureolam in mustaceo the laurel garland in so mean a perfection In the yeere 1518. Luther Luther goeth to Hidelberg 1518. though most men disswaded him yet to shew his observance of authority went for the most part on foot to the colledge of Hidelberg At Herbipolis the Bishop entertained him courteously So also did Wolfgang the Count Palatine at Hidelberg * 6 Cal. of May. See the Theses Tom. 1. pag. 141. Bucer present In the Colledge of the Augustinians now cal'd the Colledge of Sapience he disputed about Justification by faith Bucer was there present and by his quicknesse in writing tooke what Luther spake and imparted all to Beat. Rhenanus who gave Luther much deserved commendations Of this disputation Luther thus speaketh Luthers speech of that disputation The Doctours admitted my disputing with them willingly and argued the matter with me with much modesty that in that very regard I hold them worth much commendations For though they thought that Divinity strong yet they all argued seriously and strongly against it except one alone who was the fifth of them a Ianior Doctour He made all the Auditory to laugh by saying if the Rustick rout should heare this they would stone and kill us Upon Luthers returne he wrote an Epistle to * Tom 1. epist pag. 60. Iudocus a Divine and Philosopher of Isenac once his Tutour Where he hath this speech All the Doctours of Wittenberge in the doctrine concerning grace and good workes are of my Iudgement Luthers judgement approved yea the whole Vniversity except one licentiat Doctour Sebastian even the Prince himselfe and our Ordinary Bishop and many of the Chieftaines and all the ingenious Citizens with joynt consent affirme that before they neither knew nor heard of the Gospel nor of Christ The declaration of Luthers Propos Tom. 1. Lat. An. 1518. After that he put forth in print the resolutions and declarations of his propositions about Indulgences which he dedicated to Pope Leo the 3. as was before said The causes of his printing them were as he said to mitigate his adversaries to satisfie some mens request and not to suffer some to conceive that the whole businesse was determined For he confessed that of many things he yet doubted of some things he was ignorant and did pertinaciously affirme nothing but did humbly submit all to the Popes determination Hereupon Maximilian the Emperour being solicitous of the event of disputations of this nature Luther cited to Rome Tom. 1. Lat. Witt. pag. 203. moved the Pope to interpose his own authoritie The Pope by Tho. Cajetan Cardinal cited Luther to Rome This he also
as he came what they thought of the Seat of Rome They not knowing the force of this speech answered What know we whether at Rome ye sit on wooden or stone seats He further required of Luther that he would have a regard to the Churches peace and promised to endeavour that the Pope should do the like Luther freely promised most readily to doe what ever he could with a safe conscience in regard of Gods Trueth and affirmed that himself was desirous and studious of peace and that it was not his fault that these stirres arose for necessitie had urged him to do what he had done Multitius also called unto him Tecelius the cheife original of these debates Multitius reproveth Tecelius and with sharp wordes and threates so daunted the man Tom. 1. ep Luth. p. 152. and 208. Tecelius his death till now a clamorous unaffrighted bold face terrible to all so that ever after he languished and with heartes griefe pined away Luther wrote a consolatory letter to him in this case but for feare of the Popes indignation he died Frederik the Elector a prudent and Religious Prince neither yeelded to the Popes desire nor vouchsafed his Rose any respect though Multitius wonderfully boasted of it at Dresa sayd Doctour Martin is in my power About this time the Bohemians sending a booke written by Iohn Hus to Luther encouraged him to constancy and patience The Bohemians encourage Luther and confessed that the Divinity taught by Luther was sound and right Matters being growne to this height of dispute and Luther having many adversaries at Leipsick a towne in Misnia belonging to George Duke of Saxony Cosen german to Prince Frederik Carolostadius dispute with Eckius in the 19. yeere a disputation was held Thither came Andreas Carolostadius accompanied with Luther Melanchthon and Barninus Duke of Pomerania He at that time was in office in the University of Wittenberg Thither came also Iohn Eckius a Divine of Ingolstad Hereupon the 17. day of June Iohn Eckius and Carolostadius began the disputation about free-will Namely whether there be in man any free will to doe good as of himselfe that is as they say whether in congruitie we deserve grace when we doe what is in us to doe Eckius granted that there is not in man a genuine and naturall power and abilitie to doe a good worke but an acquired On this point eight dayes were spent by his playing the Sophister Luther could by no meanes obtaine leave of Duke George freely with his safety to dispute and thereupon came not as a disputer but an as Auditor to Leipsick under the protection granted to Carolostadius Whereupon Eckius comming to Luthers Lodging said Luther invited by Eckius to dispute that he heard that Luther refused to dispute Luther answered How can I dispute seeing I cannot obtaine protection from George the Duke To this Eckius replied If I may not dispute with you I will no longer dispute with Carolost adius For I came hither to dispute with you If I can obtaine for you the Dukes leave will you dispute When Luther assented thereunto Eckius presently procured for him a publique grant of safety and liberty to dispute This Eckius did out of an assured confidence of victorie and renowne to himselfe by confirming that the Pope is the Head of the Church Whether the Pope be head of the Church Jura Divino Iure Divino by Divine right which Luther denied Hence Eckius tooke occasion at large to flatter the Pope and demerit his favour and to derive much hatred and envie on Luther This the bold champion stoutly attempted in the whole disputation but was not able to make good his cause or confute Luther Eckius chiefe arguments were Eckius his argument that the Church could not be without an head seeing it was a body consisting of severall members Then he produced the place in Matthew Thou art Peter c. and some speeches of St Ierome and Cyprian and the Councel of Constance where against the Articles of the Hussites it was concluded That it was necessary to salvation that men should beleeve that the Pope was the Oecomenicall Bishop or Christs vicar over the whole world Afterward they entred into dispute about Purgatorie and Indulgences but in briefe about repentance about remission both of sin and its punishment and about the power of priests The two last dayes Carolostadius disputed againe and on the 14. day of July the disputation ended This disputation was set forth afterward by Luther who granted that the Pope by humane right was head of the Church Epist Tom. 1. p. 176. Whereupon Duke George inviting Luther and Eckius to dinner and embracing both of them sayd Whether the Pope have his authority by divine or humane right Pope he is Luther afterward changed his opinion about this point Before this disputation at Leipsick Luther was desired by Charles Multitius to goe to Confluence there to plead his cause before him being the Popes Commissary But Luther excused himselfe and shewed that for many reasons he neither could nor ought to goe thither In the yeere 1520. upon Multitius advise Luther wrote to the Pope An. 1520. Luther wrote to the Pope and sent him his booke lately written concerning Christian liberty and offered conditions of peace About this time Frederik the Elector fell into a grievous sicknesse Whereupon Luther moved by some friends and out of Christian charity wrote the booke called Tesseradecas to comfort him Then also he wrote the book Of Confession of sins in which he took occasion to speak of vowes and deplored their torturing of mens consciences And whereas in an other Treatise written by him he had said that he judged it behoofefull if the Councel would so permit that the Lords supper should be administred to all in both kindes This speech because it directly crossed the last Lateran Councel was excepted against by many amongst whom was Iohn Bishop of Misnia who prohibited the the Churchmen under his jurisdiction to administer the Lords supper in both kindes and enjoyned them to suppresse Luthers booke Luther maintained his cause and answered his Edict In the mean time the Divines of Lovan consulting with Adrian Cardinal of Derthuse then in Spain and the Divines of Cullen by a decree censure some of Luthers bookes as wicked and worthy to be burnt The Divines of Lovan and Cullen oppose Luther and held it fit that Luther should recant his opinions When Luther heard of this he answered every particular punctually And because he found so many and so great adversaries he wrote to Charles the fifth newly created Emperour and intreating pardon for this his addresse Luther writeth to Charles the fifth Emperour humbly besought him that he would so long onely afford him protection as that he might give account of his proceedings and overcome or be overcome because it would well beseeme the Imperirial power not to permit
the innocent to be violently handled and trampled on by their wicked adversaries To the same purpose he wrote to other the Dukes and Lords of the Empire and shewed them how he began and was drawn into these attempts Not long after he wrote to Albertus Archbishop of Mentz Cardinal Luther writeth to the Archbishop of Mentz and in submissive manner shewed how he was condemned by two sorts of men one who never read his books the other who read them but with hearts full of hatred and prejudice The Archbishops answer The Bishop answered that he heartily desired that all sacred matters should be handled both by Luther and all other Divines as it was meet religiously reverently modestly without tumults envie contumely He said moreover that it was a griefe to him to heare that some great men disputed concerning the Primacie of Rome free-will and other sleight matters so he call'd them not much pertaining to a Christian indeed and that such like rash opinions could not be broached among the ignorant people but with incouraging them to disobedience He wrote also about the Lords Suppers celebrating in both kinds and about the Authoritie of Councels And shut up his letter with Gamaliels verdict If thy work be of God Tom. 2. Lat. Witt. pag. 48. it will stand firme and unmoveable if it was begun of envie or pride it will easily be blown away In like manner Luther wrote to Adolphus Bishop of Mersberg who answered him to the same purpose and admonished him that he would over-rule his pen with the love of Christ the Author of our peace At the same time it befell 1520. The Duke of Saxon maliced for Luther that Frederik Duke of Saxony had some occasion to send to Rome and gave the businesse in charge to Valentine a Dithleben a German He brought word back that the Elector was in disgrace at Rome for Luthers sake because he permitted his new opinions to be dispersed His excuse Tom. 2. Lat. Wittemb p. 50. The Prince hereupon thus wrote in his own defence and answered That he never defended the doctrine and books of Luther nor was of that bent and though he did heare that many learned men approved Luthers judgement yet he opened not his minde therein Further he said that Luther was ready to give an account of his doctrine before the Popes Legate so that he might be assured of safe conduct and that if his error was detected he would change his opinion and that Luther of his own accord would have departed out of those coasts had not Multitius perswaded to detaine him there rather then to permit him to settle elsewhere that so he might more freely and safely attempt some higher designe And therefore that there was no cause why any one should have an ill opinion of him Tom. 2. Lat. Wittenb pag. 51. c. The Popes Bull. To this Letter the Pope returned answer and sending a Copie of the Bull which Eckius had obtained desired that the Elector would make Luther to recant or if he refused so to do he would imprison him and keep him safe till he further declared his pleasure At this the Court of Saxony was somewhat * Tom. 1. epist pag. 249. Luther thought of a place to retire himself in troubled and Luther began to think of some retired place where he might conceale himself Some Noble Germans approvers of Luthers judgement hearing this offered Luther entertainment and protection as namely Francis a Sickengen Hulderike Hutten Sylvester de Schavenburgen Of whom the said Sylvester wrote to Luther and intreated him not to depart into Bohemia or into any other countrey but to come to him during the time of the Popes exasperation and menaces and promised that an 100. French Horse should attend his safetie Hereupon Luther taking courage admonisheth Spalatinus that this course should by the Letter of Duke Frederik be made known to the Cardinal of St. George These are Luthers words Tom. 1. epist I send you the Letter of Sylvester Schavenb the French Knight and were it not displeasing to you I desire that by the letter of the Prince notice may be given to the Cardinal of St. George whereby they may know that should they with their threats and curses expell me from Witten they should effect nothing else but to make a bad matter much worse For now there are not onely in Bohemia but even in the midst of Germany such Princes who both will and can defend me from the threats thundred out against me by mine adversaries And then perhaps it may so fall out that biding under their protection I shall more strongly bend my forces against the Romanists then if under the Princes government I should publiquely performe my place as Reader of Divinitie This unlesse God prevent it will doubtlesse be the issue of this matter Hitherto I have given all due respect to the Prince but then if I be provoked by ill usage I shall not need to submit unto him And therefore in what matters soever I have not so roughly dealt with them let them attribute my forbearance therein not to my modesty nor to their tyranny nor their deserts but to my respect to the Prince and to his authoritie as also to the common good of the Students of Wittenberg Concerning my self I venture upon the danger and contemne Romes both fury and favour Let them censure and burne all mine I will not be reconciled to them nor at any time hereafter joyne with them On the contrary I unlesse I can get no fire will burn all the Pontifician law the sink of heresies yea 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 Tom. 2. Lat. p. pag. 66. Book of Captivitie of Babylon 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 The Pope called Antichrist He wrote also against the execrable Bull of Antichrist and call'd the Pope Antichrist and confirmed the Articles censured by the Bull. An. 1520. 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 Erasmus
have often erred and delivered contrarieties one to another I neither can nor will doe any thing concerning Gods word to the offence of my conscience Seeing it is neither safe nor honest to do any thing against conscience This will I stand to vary from this I may not God helpe me Amen When he was againe urged he persisted in this answer So they departed Caesars Letter to the Princes about Luthers cause The next day Caesar sent a letter to the assembly of the Princes this was the summe thereof Our ancestors and other Christian Princes obeyed carefully the Church of Rome which now Dr Martin Luther opposeth now because he is resolute not to yeeld one inch of his errors we cannot without a blemish to our name depart from the example of our ancestors but must defend the ancient faith and be assistant to the Sea of Rome we will then excomunicate Martin Luther himselfe and all his adherents and take any other course which may conduce to extinquish these disputes But we will not in any wise violate and breake our promise made to him under our seale but give him safe conduct to the place whence he came This Letter of Caesar was diligently and a good while scanned in the Senate by the Princes It is reported that some there were among them who would have followed the decree and practise of the Councel of Constance and held themselves not bound to make good the promise of his safe return But some of the Princes especially Lodowik Prince Palatine as it is reported earnestly withstood them Wherefore they judged that not onely fidelitie was to be observed towards him but also that he was not rashly to be condemned because the matter was of very great consequence whatsoever the Emperour decreed whom being newly come to the Imperiall seat they did well perceive to be pressed and provoked by the Popes instruments against Luther After a few dayes the Archbishop of Triers and other Princes The Archbishop of Triers dealing with Luther Sleidan B. 3. who by Caesars permission were present call Luther April 24. unto them The Bishop then in a friendly manner delt with him to desist from his resolution But Luther giving him thankes for care of his safety stood firmly in his former doctrine and submitted what ever he had written to Caesars and the Princes perusall and judgement so that they tried them by Gods word When the Bishop asked him what remedy he knew or could advise for these stirres Luther answered None other then that of Gamaliel in the Acts of the Apostles If this counsel and proceeding be of Men it will not continue if of God no power of man can dissolve it And this he besought him to signifie to the Pope The Bishop againe said What if the Articles were collected and submitted to the Councel Luther answered Yes they might so that they were not the same which the Councel at Constance condemned The Bishop replying that he feared they would be the very same Luther couragiously answered Those will I defend though I was presently to die Hereupon the Bishop quietly dismissed Luther who intreated him that he might have leave to returne to his friends and have safe conduct from Caesar The Bishop promised to obtaine it for him and a little while after sent Eckius the officer of Caesar to signifie to Luther that he had free liberty to depart under Caesars protection within 21. dayes withall he was bid not to preach in his journey home nor to write any thing which might rayse further stirres Luther answered As it seemeth good to the Lord so be it blessed be the name of God Afterward he gave humble thankes to Caesar and the Princes and commended himselfe to them Luthers departure from Wormes On the 26. of April Luther taking his leave departed from Wormes Casp Sturmius a Messenger some houres after followed him and found him at Openheim Luther being in his journey sent Letters backe both to Caesar and the Princes Electors and States of the Empire commending himselfe and his cause to them and sayd he was ready to doe any thing Luther excommunicate proscribed which was meet except to revoke any thing that he knew to be warranted by Gods word The Emperour hereupon May the 28. proscribed Luther whom Pope Leo on the 28. of March on the day of the administration of the Lords Supper had excommunicated At this all men stood earnestly expecting what those thunder-bolts would effect Frederik the Elector a prudent Prince seeing Luther to have incurred the hatred of all that no danger might seize on him committed the businesse of conveying Luther into some safe place where he might be free from accesse to some faithfull friends of the Nobility that there he should be kept private till Caesar was departed out of Germany They presently faithfully and secretly conveyed him to the Castle of Wartenburg neere Isenack Luther conveyed to Wartenburgh Luthers Patmos This place Luther afterward used to call his Patmos There were but eight privy to this who did it with that secrecy that not any but themselves could know what was become of him It is reported that the Papists set their wisards on worke to descry him but they could not certainly designe the place where he was Luther abode in that woody wildernesse about tenne monethes and in this retirednesse wrote diverse usefull Treatises for the Church Luthers works written in this his retirednesse as the Explications of the Gospels and Epistles dedicated to Albertus of Mansfield the book against Latomus about sinne remaining in the regenerate Besides he cut in two the two sinnewes of the Popes kingdome namely Private masse taken away at Wittenberg Private Masses and Monastick Vowes which books he dedicated to the Augustine Friers who in his absence abrogated private Masses and began to dispute about Monastick Vowes and to his Father They of Wittenberg also gave a reason to the Elector why they did so and shewed to what end Temples and Colledges were instituted at the first that is not for private Masses but that young people might be there brought up piously and that the meanes they were indowed with were for the use of both Readers and scholars that were in want And that this buying and selling of Masses was crept in within foure hundreth yeeres of that time Luther found courteous entertainment and kind respect in that his wildernesse for in his Epistles he often mentions the friendly offices of his Hoste to whom he preached on the Lords day and at Festivall times in his private Chappell Luthers taking the aire and his recreation Some times Luther for his healths sake went forth into the strawberry groves and somewhat farther into the Monasteries which were neere taking upon him the name Iunker George a noble man and accompanied onely with one attendant who was faithfull and secret and would often warne Luther in the places where they were entertained not presently to
lay aside his sword and to take in hand the books before him for so he might be descried Sometimes he went forth a hunting with his friends Of this sport thus he writeth I was a hunting two dayes to see that lordly but bitter-sweet sport Here we took two Hares and some silly young Partridges The sport is meet for such as have nothing else to do There did I contemplate as a Divine amidst their nets and dogs Nor did the outward appearance of the game more delight me then what I conceived by it Hunting is a resemblance of the devils practise move me to pitie and griefe For what could this sport signifie and resemble but by the dogs wicked Popish divines and by the nets the cunning tricks and wiles by which they seeke to catch harmlesse Christians as hunters those silly creatures This was a most evident mysterie of the pursuing of plain hearted and faithfull souls Yet was there a more cruell mysterie presented to me When by my meanes we kept a young Hare alive and put her in my Coats sleeve and so left her in the meane time the dogs finding it broke one of her legs and taking her by the as she was in the sleeve stopt her wind Thus it is with Satan and the Pope who cruelly destroy poore souls without regard of my paines to save them I was by this time weary of this sport and thought that more pleasing where Beares Wolves Bores Foxes and such like savage creatures are strook dead with darts and arrows It comforted me again for I took it as a mystery resemblance of salvation that Hares and harmless creatures are taken by men not by Beares Wolves and ravenous Hawkes who resemble Popish Bishops and Divines because by these may be signified a devouring by Hell by those an eating of them as food for heaven He passed also to Wittenberg from his Patmos making few acquainted therewith He came privately to Wittenberg Tom. 1. epist pag. 367. Luthers infirmitie Tom. 1. epist pag. 361. and lodged with Amsdorf here he spent some few dayes and was merry with his friends without the Electors knowledge In his retirednesse he was much troubled with costivenesse having the benefit of naturall ease that way but once in foure or five dayes Then also was he tried by some devillish tentations which much disquieted him This disease he overcame by exercise and medicines sent him from Spalatinus Then read he also the Hebrew and Greek Bibles and besides the books above mentioned he wrote many letters to his friends which be now printed At length not enduring further delay and innovations he returned from his Patmos to Wittenberg He returned to Wittenberg without the knowledge of the Electour March the sixth Ann. 1522. he rendred these reasons of his return to the Electour Tom. 2. epist pag. 47. First said he I am call'd back by the Letters of the Church and People of Wittenberg and that with much solicitation and entreaty Secondly at Wittenberg Satan hath made an inrode into my flock and raised such stirres that I cannot well represse and quiet them with my writing alone but of necessitie I must live there be present among them and both heare them and speake to them goin and out before them and do what I can for their good Besides I feare that some great and violent sedition will arise in Germany and make Germany undergo grievous punishment for its contempt and ingratitude I thought it therefore needfull to do doe what I ought and could for them in this regard by my counsell and endeavour to teach admonish and exhort them thereby to avert Gods anger and judgement or at least to stay them awhile Furthermore Luthers confidence and relying on God I know well and am verily perswaded that my preaching and my proceeding to divulge the Gospel of Christ is not of my own motion but the worke of God Nor shall any kinde of death or persecution shake this my confidence and make me thinke otherwise and I conceive that I rightly divine that no terrours or crueltie can put out the light already shining And in an other Epistle I return to Wittenberg under a more sublime and strong protection then the Elector of Saxonie can give me Nor did I ever minde to sue for defence from your Highnesse Moreover did I know that your Highness would and could defend me verily I would not returne No sword can advance and maintaine this cause God alone can order and promote it without any mans excessive care and helpfull hand Therefore in this cause he that most strongly trusts to Gods assistance he most surely defendeth himself and others Seeing therefore I perceive your Highnesse to be weake in faith I can by no meanes attribute so much to your Highnesse as to be perswaded that I can be defended and freed from danger by you I will keep your Highnesse person your minde and body and estate safe from all danger and damage in this my cause whether you beleeve me or not Let your Highnesse then be assured and not doubt at all that this matter is farre otherwise concluded of in heaven then at Norimberg For we shall finde that they which think they have devoured all the Gospel and queld it in the rising are not yet come to the Benedicite I have to deale with another manner and more powerfull Prince then our Duke He knoweth me and I him conveniently well Did your Highnesse beleeve you should behold the wonderfull works and glory of God Whereas you not yet beleeving see none of these things To God be glory and praise for ever This and much more to this purpose he wrote shewing his full assurance and plerophory of faith most admirable He also wrote thus to Melancthon concerning the cause of his return Provide a lodging for me Another cause of Luthers return for the Translation of the Bible compels me to return to you pray to God that it may stand with his good pleasure I desire to conceale my self as much as I can yet will I proceed in my worke resolved upon He wrote the like to Amsdorf That for the translation of the Bible he must return to Wittenberg that therein he might use other mens counsell and help Luther being returned from the Lords Day first in Lent that whole weeke every day preached one Sermon these are extant and in them he shewed what he liked or disliked in the alterations made in his absence He found fault with them who had abrogated private Masse and Idols and administred the Lords Supper in both kinds and taken away auricular confession differences of meats invocation of Saints and other the like matters not because they had done impiously but because they proceeded not herein orderly He affirmed that he condemned the Papisticall Masse the worshipping of Images the rules of auricular confession prayer to Saints the Popish fasting but he did condemne them onely by the Word of God
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
soar'd-up to heaven on Concords day Which tended Luther thither on his way Deare Christ since Discord followed with Coates rent Give to thy Spouse Elijahs ornament Upon his Tomb-stone the Universitie of Wittenberg as to her beloved father engraved The body of Martin Luther Doctour of Divinity lieth here interred who in An. 1546. the 12. of the Kalends of March died in Isleben the place of his birth when he had lived 63. yeeres 3. moneths and tenne dayes MARTINI LVTHERIS THEOLOGIAE D. CORPVS H. L. S. E. QVI ANNO CHRISTI M. D. XLVI XII CAL. MARTII EISLEBII IN PATRIA S. M. O. C. V. AN. LXIII M. III. D. X. Thus Luther ran his course this was the period of his travels When first Melancthon heard newes of his death he utttered these sacred words of the scripture The Charriot and horsemen of Israel is gone and tooke his death most heavily For they had lived together 28. Melancthons sorrow for Luthers death yeeres in most religious manner so that Melancthon truely loved him for his admirable vertues and was a faithfull mate and helper to him in clearing the doctrine of the Gospel Their intire love faithfull society For though those times were prone to distractions and mens wavering mindes desirous of dissention yet when as each knew others infirmities there never fell any jarre betweene them which caused any alienation of their affection or parting their company and fellowship But what and how great stormes rose in Germany after the death of Luther out alas What followed Luthers death each Christian knoweth So that Luther said truly and often foretold That whilst he lived by Gods help See Mathel Serm. on Luthers life there would no warre be raysed in Germany but when he was dead the age to come would see the event Concerning the doctrine of the Gospel he uttered this heavenly truth These things will be a great bane to Christian Religion First What will be great hinderances of Christian Religion forgetfullnesse of Gods blessing on us in restoring to us the Gospel Secondly security which already commonly and every where raigneth Thirdly worldly wisdome which would bring all things into good order and cure the publique stirres with wicked Councels There was in this worthy man of God a quicke and prudent understanding Luthers vertues a magnanimous and noble Spirit He was ever constant in known truth His constancy in the truth from the confession whereof he could never be removed with threats or promises So that when upon a time one Papist demanded of another Why do you not stop the mans mouth with gold and silver The other answered See this German beast careth not for money There appeared in him a singular proofe of his valour and noble courage in the Auspurg Assembly when thus he wrote out of his Wildernesse to Spalatinus That Kings and Princes and people Luthers couragious speech about the Gospels successâ— at the Assembly at â—dâ—â—pâ—â—g 1530. 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 rooâ— 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 * Tom. 1. epist p. 85. 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 * Tom. 1. epist p. 297. and Tom. 2. p. 340. 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 The Emperour Sigismund unhappy after Hus his 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 Tom. 2 Epist 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 The chiefe points of Religion opened and cleared by Luther 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 Melancthon Tom. 6. declam 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 againe 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 Luthers worthy paines in translating the Bible 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 The difficulty of Jobs Translation 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 Luthers course in translating the Bible 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 Tom. 1 epist â—71 whom elsewhere we have named that they might be witnesses of his faithfull care in darke places Mathes Sermon concerning Luthers life p. 153. He entreated Spalatinus to send precious stones from the Court for his better knowledge of them and took care that he might know the names and differences of certain beasts and fowles and creeping things and insects He had Rams Sheep Calves kild and cut up at his house and learned the names of their joynts and the proprietie of speech about them from the butchers Oftentimes as himself relateth he spent fourteen dayes together in the interpretation of one word or line with Melancthon and Aurogallus help In their consultation this was their course Luther was President in the work performed in the Monastery and ever had by him the old Latine Translation and his new one and the Originill Text To Melancthons care was commended the Greek Bible to Crucigers the Hebrew and Chaldee other professours were imployed in the perusing the Rabbins and every one of them still came to the worke well premeditated Every one gave his judgement concerning the place to be translated they compared all together Luthers revising the first Edition of the Bible and at length concluded of the expression thereof But Luther before his death revised the first edition for one day teacheth another For this paines we owe him perpetuall thanks for it much benefits the Church and informeth such as know not the originall yea it much pleasures the learned in the tongues for conference of translations Who carped at this Yet this paines was blamed by Vicelius and Staphylus and other vassals of the Pope Luther expositions of the Bible Luther also published many learned Expositions and Comments on the Scripture Of which thus saith Erasmus Erasm judgement thereof In one leaf of Luthers Commentaries is more solid Divinitie then in many prolix Treatises of the School-men and other the like He also refined and much enriched the German tongue Luthers eloquence in his own tongue He translated out of Latine some things which other thought not possible to be rendred in the vulgar tongue and yet used most significant and proper words so that some one word might seeme to set the whole matter forth most expressely Of the Pope Luther wrote how he made use of the Masse even for the souls departed and saith that he with his Masse had gone not onely into all corners of the world but even into purgatory it self here he useth a word in the German tongue signifying the noyse * Isi binnunier gerum Pett in die helle of his tumbling down into hell Also he calleth Indulgence-Mongers pursethreshers because the Pope winnowed good money out of that chaffe There are full many such passages in his German writings Well therefore said renowned Sturnius concerning him Luther may be reputed very well the Master of our tongue whether you speake of the puritie or copiousnesse of it The counsellers of Princes the Judges of Cities all Secretaries all Embassadours and Lawyers attribute this praise to him being a Divine The cause defended by him was just and necessary and of itself deserved the victory but assuredly he shot forth the darts of his arguments with the strong armes of true Oratory If he had not revived Religion if he had preached no Sermons had he written nothing else but what he divulged of the Scriptures translated yet for this his paines he deserved very excellent and perpetuall glory For if the Greek and Latine and other translations be compared with the German they come short for clearnesse purenesse proprietie agreeing with the original I am perswaded that as no Painter could passe Apelles so not any writer can go beyond Luther for his translation in our tongue He began a matter as was conceived beyond the reach of man Luthers adversaries and
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 Heâ—lâ—â— 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 Aâ—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 â—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
presently followed she wandred up and down with her orphans and in banishment was exposed to many difficulties and dangers And besides the miseries of widowhood which are full many the ingratitude of many did much afflict her for where she hoped for kindnesse in regard of her husbands worthy and noble deserts of Gods Church often she was put of with great indignitie When afterward her house at Wittenberg in time of pestilence was infected she for her childrens safetie as became a godly mother betooke her self to Torg where 〈…〉 also an Universitie But in the way when the horâ—â—s affrighted ran out and seemed to indanger the waggon she amazed not so much for her own as her childrens preservation lept out of the waggon whereby poore wretch she grievously bruised her body in the fall and being cast into a poole of cold water caught thereby a disease of which she lay sick three monethes in banishment and pining away at length died quietly in the yeere 1552. Luthers writings were published at Wittenberg and Iene in severall Towns both in Latine and the German tongue Luthers writings Part of them were expositions of Scriptures part doctrinall part polemicall Of these this was his own judgement Above all I beseech the godly Reader and I beseech him for our Lord Iesus Christs sake His judgement of them in the Praes of Tom. 1. Lat. Work printed at Wittenberg that he would read my writings judiciously and with much pittying my case And let him know that I was formerly a Monk and a most furious Papist when I first entred into the cause undertaken by me yea I was so drunk drowned in the opinions of Papisme that I was most ready to kill all men if I could or to assist and consent to their attempts that did kill them who even in one syllable should dissent from the Pope Such a Saul was I as some that be yet alive I was not so cold and calme in defending Popery as was Eckius and his mates who more truly for their bellies sake seemed to defend Popery then that they were serious in the cause yea they seeme still to me to laugh at the Pope in secret as Epicureans But I proceeded in the Popes defence earnestly because I set before mine eyes the last day of judgement and trembled thereat and desired from my very heart to attain salvation In another of his writings he in a manner wisheth his books extinct Tom. 7. Jen. Germ. p. 288. saying Alas my friends should not trouble me I have enough to do with the Papists and might almost say with Job and Jeremy would I had not been born yea almost say I would I had not published so many books and would not care if they were all perished The Antimonians Let other such spirited mens writings be sold in every shop as they desire Luther also was much against it that any man should be called a Lutheran after his name Tom. 2. Jen. Germ. p. 69. Because the doctrin was not his neither did he die for any one and because Saint Paul would not endure to have it done by his own person 1 Cor. 3. Against this humour of men also Luther said How should it come to passe that I a sack of wormes meat should be accessary to this that the children of Christ should be called after my base and unworthy name He also much opposed the title of Lutherans because we be all Christians and professe the doctrin of Christ as also because the Papists are guiltie of this crime by calling themselves Pontificians In his b. of Rhetoric Exer. We ought not to imitate them in evill Of Luthers books thus writeth Sturmius I remember that in an epistle of Luthers to Wolfgangus Capito which is in Conradus Huberts Library some yeeres ago I read That he himself took content in none of his books but onely in his Catechisme and his book against Free Will For a conclusion I will here adde Melancthons judgement concerning the Talents by God bestowed on Luther and others Pomeranus saith he Melancth in Mathes serm is a Gramarian and explains the force of words I intend Logick and shew the context of the matter and the Arguments Justus Jonas is an orator and copiously and elegantly discourseth But Luther is all these a very miracle among men What ever he saith Camerarius in Melancth life pag. 251. what ever he writeth it peirceth mens minds and leaves behind it a wonderfull sting in their hearts And Camerarius speaketh thus of Luther The name of Luther is so odious to some that they detest the hearing it on the contrary other endure not that any thing should be found fault with which either he speak or did if any man dare speake against him they declaime against him presently as one guilty of impiety They who thus extoll the name and authority of Martin Luther as not doubting to elevate him above the condition and measure of Mortall men should see to it that they doe not wrong the good name of so excellent and admirable a man by attributing too much to him and that they doe not seeme to shelter and protect their audaciousnesse under his excellency And those calumniators who not onely condemne all his writings as ungodly and turbulent now also if they had any wit might remember and consider what is gotten by bitter envie contumacy froward opposition and outragious clamours Wolf Severus of Luther Wolfgang Severus Tutour of Ferdinando of Austria afterward Emperour wrote a distich encomiastick upon Luther to this purpose Of Iaphets race hath Luthers like n'ere been And his superiour sure will n'ere be seen His Imprese was a Rose and a Crosse the explication whereof is this A Rose and Crosse great Luthers heart disclose The Rose his Ioy the Crosse Christs yoak he chose Thus have we described Luthers Life and Death out of his owne and other learned mens writings in perusing whereof the Reader is to be intreated which thing Luther himselfe requested concerning his whole workes to judge well what he readeth and to consider well whence Luther came and at what time he wrote namely out of the dark mistes of Popery and when the raies of the Gospel began again to shew themselves FINIS Errata PAg. 2. l. 3. borne at p. 7. l. 18. Dominica p. 8. l. 9. controversy p. 10. l. 14. were by Erasmus writings p. 13. l. 4. to Hal. p. 17. l. 21. â—eeing justly pref p. 21. l. 29. Baraimas p. 29. l. 25. Aleander p. 34. l. 28. his Jester p. 37. l. 7. and lay many p. 42. l. 6. name of p. 56. l. 23. and against â—uth p. 61. M. Glacius p. 64. l. pen. refuted p. 65. l. 4. provoked l. 5. Hyperaspistes l. 12. Melancthon l. pen. Carolostados p. 66. l. 16. Hesse p. 68. l. 12. words p. 68. l. 28. Priscilianists p. 69. l. 1. suddenly sick l. 2. but by the. p. 69. l. 25. son thus p. 72. Pontanius l. 26. the rudersort p. 74. l. 18. Mâ—rotatos moros p. 75. l. 25. Scheurlerus p. 78. l. 9. I am like p. 100. l. 10. whereas l. 21. Cruciger p. 113. l. 10. in faiths p. 121. l. 25. Sturmius p. 123. Aleander l. 29. â—licers p. 127. l. 18. the ministers of l. 25. caused Psalmes p. 132. l. 9. judged