HE may be suspected of Hypocrisie, if not Atheisme, that too suddenly leapes out of one Opinion into another; It being impossible for meer flesh and blood, to pull up all at once a Religion rooted by Custome and Education in the Un­derstanding; which must be convin­ced, before it can let in another with any cordial welcome. I speak not of the antient and extraordinary Callings [Page 220]of God, but those experimented in our times; in which over much hast doth often-times bewray Deceit; As appeared in the Bishop of Spalatto, who, in my dayes, left Italy for fear of Paul the fift, his enemy, and recon­cil'd himself to the Church of England; but the old Pope being dead, and his Kinsman in the Chaire, he resumes his former Errors, and goes to Rome, in hope of Preferment, where, contrary to promise, he dies miserably. When Falsh [...]od is fallen-out-with, for any other respect, than Love of Truth, it inclines to Atheism, and is so far from mending the Condition of the Con­vert, that it renders it worse.

None ever shewed greater signes of Gods Spirit, than Luther did; who observed such Gradations, as it may appear he found fault with no­thing, he was not first led to by the dictates of Conscience: Falling first upon the abuse of Indulgences, too apparent an Impiety, to pass by so acute a Judgement undiscovered; From this he ascended to higher Con­templations, which afforded him the [Page 221]opportunity to take notice of remoter and deeper Errors His Wit and Lear­ning having that vast advantage over the stupid Ignoranre of those times, that he bare down all before him, without any other Opposition, than the contrary Faction was able to raise out of power; much weakened by the de­sire all Princes had, to set limits to the Pope's daily Ʋsurpations. And as for the Books, then writ against him, they did rather sharpen, than blunt the de­sire of Change: For the Friars had so l [...]ng enjoyed a free current of their Doctrine, without interruption, that they were more intent on the reaping of such Fruit, as grew from the Errors sown by their Predecessors, than upon Arguments to desend them. So as if Princes, that were weary of the Yoak of Rome, had wanted the guidance of Luther, it is not easie to say, whither they might have wandered. And though Charles the fifth, then Empe­rour, to keep his Subjects in obedience, did seem to discountenance the Schism (as they call'd it) yet he was content to shut up the Pope in the Castle of S [...] An­gelo. [Page 222]Which proves his small affecti­on, and the truth of this Tenet, That if ever Christendome falls under one Monarch, or turns into popular States, the power of the Pope will be lost, or confined to Rome; being at this day onely kept up, like a Shittle cock, by the bandying of Princes.

'Tis objected against Luther, That he was too passionate, using irreverent speeches toward some in Authority: Yet so much of this fault, as Zeale leaves unexcused, may be imputed to his Education: All can be said, is, He was but a Man, and subject to com­mon Infirmities; And because his enemies do so often object this, it is strongly to be presumed, his worst fault. I could have wish'd, he had not married a Nun: but I believe he did it to shew the People, The Quarrell was irreconcilable, as Absalom projected, when he polluted his Fathers bed: And in this sense, the benefit takes away much of the blame; which lay not in the unlawfulnesse, but the inex­pediency of the fact. And to shew, God did not curse his Match (though he [Page 223]might participate of the fate of other learned men, who seldom finde their abilities, represented in their Issue; yet) he left three such Sons, as did not give his enemies occasion to upbraid his memory with them.

For the Reall Presence, maintained by him in the Sacrament, it doth not so much condemn his Judgement in this, as it justifies his Integrity in all the rest: He being as resolute to vin­dicate what he thought true, against the perswasions of his Friends, as he was against the threats and promises of his Enemies: For if any by-respect could have warped him, it would have been a desire to appease the hot Di­spute, the retention of this error raised in his Own Party, wholly of his judge­ment but in this particular, in which Zwinglius, and the Helvetian Church did oppose him. And if this be not enough to wash him clean from the imputation of Self-ends and Cove­tousness, the Proverb used in Germany may, That Poore Luther made many rich.

As he was protected from a number [Page 224]of apparent mischiefs, so the same hand freed him from many hidden, in respect of the eyes of the world; it being im­possible, that he, who had gall'd so many Grandees, should not have Re­venge laid in wait for him, in every corner: Experience proving, that Kings themselves can scarce whisper against the Court of Rome, but the Knife is ready to give them a finall Answer. His Death was with as little Molestation, as his Life was full: For being call'd to the County of Mans­field, the place of his Birth, to determin a Case in Controversy between two Princes of that Family, he died there in the sixtyeth year of his Age.

Had the Apostles, nay our Saviour himself been alive, and maintained what Luther did, they had been perse­cuted by the Clergie: Therefore the Crucifying of Christ is no prodigy in Nature, but daily practis'd among men: For he that can find the heart to stigmatize and whip his Brother, for an Errour meerely in Judgement, would never have spared Peter or Paul, coming with no more visible [Page 225]Authority than they had. But this is not the way to suppress an Heresie, since most are jealous of that opinion, which useth the Sword for her De­fence: Truth having been long since determined to be most strong: And where Oppression is, there, for the most part, she is supposed to be. This shews as little Discretion as Cha­rity in such as persecute those, that may be in the Right; or, if not, shall by this means, be kept the longer in the Wrong. If a Horse starts, the more he is beaten, the harder he is kept in the way; but let him stand, and have leisure to consider what he blanched at; and he will perceive it is a Block, & so go on. Yet it is neither cruelty nor imprudence, to restraine such furious Spirits (as they do Dogs) that will bawl and fly at all they do not know: But I should be utterly against burning of their Books in publick, if they have once gained the light; which onely addes to their price, and saves them a labour; because, if the State did not put them in credit, by their notice, they would perhaps, after a while, for [Page 226]shame, burn them themselves. The Whip reforms, not so much as him that endures it; but is taken as a tri­umph by the Faction, increasing their animosity, if not their number; So that in effect it proves a punishment to none but the honest and tender­hearted of the people, who cannot choose but be scandalized, to see the Image of God defaced, by cutting Eares and slitting Noses, &c. And this raiseth a strong suspition, that the Hand of Justice would not lie so heavy onely on the preciser side, but that something inclines it that may at last turn to the subversion of the most mo­derate part.

The Dutch, though they tolerate all Religions and Tenents, yet none in­creased to their prejudice, till they strove to suppress the Arminians, who are in tast as like the Papists, as Scalli­ons are to Onions; all the difference is, that the latter is the stronger: Yet since they have let them alone, this O­pinion is observed to be lesse-nume­rously attended.

Had the Pope seasonably reformed [Page 227]the Error Luther discovered so appa­rently, in the publication of Indulgen­ces, and rewarded him with a Bishop­rick, for his Learning and Zeale, let him afterwards have said what he pleased, it would have been looked upon by the people as of no credit: who like nothing so well, as what go­eth cross to the grain of Authority.

The Lord Treasurer Cecil, having been unsufferably abused by Libels, sent for the Poet, and, after he had ratled him soundly, began to take no­tice of the poor fellows good parts, saying, It might be, vexatious poverty compelled him to make use of false, though common Rumours, given out by such as hated all in Authority; To ease which he gave him 20 pieces, promi­sing to take the first opportunity to advance him. This favour (most con­trary to his expectation, who would willingly have given one ear to have saved the other) did so work with him, and the rest of the Pasquillers of the time, that, till the Treasurers death, none used the like Invectives. Ban­croft, Archbishop of Canterbury, used [Page 228]the like demeanour towards some Gentlemen that had laid the imputa­tion of Sodomy to his Charge, &c.

Clemency seldome causeth repen­tance in an established Kingdome, or if it proves a fault, it is easily mended; Whereas Cruelty can never be recal­led, raising a far greater Party out of a thirst of Revenge, than ever yet could be mustred up from the hope of Im­punity.

Therefore, to conclude, since Lu­ther alone had the power to doe so much, let us not be thus severe against others, that having the zeal kindled (though perhaps at the wrong end) run madding through the world; but rather pity them, if they be in an errour; Because they something re­semble the first Messengers of Truth.