of so great a cloud of witnesses, who have thought, and spoken, and acted, and suffered in the same manner with ourselves. For, though each one's own faith in the word of God ought to support his resolution of standing, though it were alone, in the conflict against the gates of hell, yet even when the spirit is willing the flesh is weak: and therefore it is a great confirmation to the pious mind to trace in so many excellent men, through many successive ages, the same things as it meets with in its own daily experience. Even in the best of men, indeed, there have been many things said and done under the influence of the flesh, and the law of sin warring against the law of the mind, according to what we read in Romans vii; to say nothing of the falsehoods which have been foisted into their histories by the children of the wicked one: yet, when the confession of sin and the struggle against it are concerned, we see how purely and constantly they avow their faith. What could have been said more pious or more becoming in S. Ambrose, than when, in his last conflict against sin, death, the wrath of God, and the threats of hell, he boldly pronounced to the presbyters who stood about him, ' I have not so lived as to be ashamed to continue among you; nor do I fear to die, since we serve a gracious Master'? S. Augustine, in his last agony, as Possidonius relates, highly commended this sentiment of Ambrose. The same Augustine also comforted himself against the charges of conscience (the source of severest trial in the hour of death,) in the following words: I shall be troubled but not distressed, because I think

1

1 Turbabor, sed non perturbabor. See 2 Cor. iv. 8-10.

A. D.

1544.

СНАР.

IX.

on the sufferings of my Saviour.' Who does not see, that in sentences like these the most holy men declare their faith in Christ, a faith sole and exclusive, yet firm, and victorious over sin and death? For, though they judge their life to be irreproachable among men, (as it ought to be, and must be,) yet before God they rely entirely on his mercy and grace, and fly to the wounds of Christ, as the doves to the clefts of the rock. We do well, therefore, first. to separate the histories of the saints from the falsehoods with which they have been mixed up, and then, rightly dividing the word of truth, to try them by the rule and analogy of faith-according to the apostolic direction, Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. But what room would there be for this admonition, if all that was said and done by the saints were to be received implicitly, like articles of faith? No: they were holy men, but yet men, in whom divine grace had still to struggle against corrupt nature. Where therefore they spoke and acted under the influence of the Spirit, their sayings and actions are worthy to be preserved, as what the Lord Christ wrought in them but, where the contrary, there we are to bear with them, and consider this as permitted for our encouragement, since we see that the saints of God were infirm beings like ourselves, and each one of them bore about with him in his flesh the remains of sin.-On these accounts I wish your book to be published: but do not bestow upon me such lavish-if I did not know your sincerity, I should say, such false-commendation. I know that I am nothing. Farewell in the Lord! Pray for me,

Sol. Song, ii. 14.

that I may have a happy transition from this body of sin and death! Amen. 8 March, 1544."1

A.D.

1545.

Heldus.

George Heldus Forcheim has been men- On the tioned, as the preceptor of Prince George of death of Anhalt and other cminent persons. We will here insert part of a letter from Luther to George of Anhalt on his death. It is dated March 9, 1545.

"Grace and peace to you in Christ! So then, most illustrious prince, our friend Heldus is gone, leaving us to lament him! O my God, at a time when we have need of many holy men to comfort and strengthen us by their prayers, their counsels, and their assistance, thou takest away even the few that are left us! We know, O God, that the prayers and the labours of the departed, who most ardently loved and zealously served thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and was most useful to thy church, were well-pleasing in thy sight.-Certainly I myself placed great confidence in his prayers, and derived great consolation from them. How severe a wound then must you have suffered, most excellent prince, by the removal of one with whom you lived on terms of such faithful and endeared friendship. But it is well with him. Gathered to his fathers and to his people, he finds more and better companions there than he has left behind. But our lot is trying, who live, or drag on a sort of dying existence, here in Sodom and Babylon, and find the number of good men diminish in proportion as the state of things, daily declining towards what is worse, requires an increase of them. But the wisdom of God is to be adored, who, when he is about

1 Seck. iii. 518. Strobel. 327.

CHAP.
IX.

to accomplish something great, and surpassing
our hopes, first seems to annihilate all expec-
tation, and to reduce us to despair: as it is
written, He bringeth down to the grave, (ad in-
feros,) and bringeth up again. He does this, to
teach us the exercise of faith, hope, and love
towards him; and that we may learn to esteem
things not seen above those which do appear,
and against hope to believe in hope, and to de-
pend on him who calleth things which are not
as though they were.
they were. Then, while he takes
away from us all his most pleasant gifts, and
exhibits himself to us as if his kindness and his
loveliness had come utterly to an end, at that
very time he is thinking most especially, and I
might almost say anxiously, the thoughts of
love towards us. By means like these it is that
the old man is slain-the body of sin destroyed.
-Wherefore comfort yourself, most excellent
prince, according to the rich measure in which
it has been given you to know God the Fa-
ther and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, and to
meditate on all the operations of his hands. It
shall be my prayer, that the God of all consola-
tion would confirm and strengthen you by his
Holy Spirit, until the appointed end of these
trials be accomplished. For, as it is said in
Jeremiah, He doth not willingly grieve the chil-
den of men. And Augustine says, God would
not permit evil to exist, if he had not some
greater good to bring out of it.—We are yet in
the flesh, and know not what to ask or how to ask
it; that is, to ask what is good for us: but He,
who is able to do above all we ask or think,
careth for us: he can do for us beyond what
the narrowness of our hearts allows us to desire,
or even to imagine. But it is necessary, in
order to his doing this, that he should first take

from us those things which we think we cannot do without; or at least think that their absence would occasion us great injury or great danger. Scripture abounds with examples to this effect. Adam and Eve were almost intoxicated with high expectations from Cain: God deprived them of both their sons, and almost reduced them to despair: but then He that quickeneth the dead, and createth all things out of nothing, gave them another seed, and an unfailing posterity. Abraham promised himself great things from Ishmael, Isaac from Esau, Jacob from Reuben, his first born; but all these hopes must receive a death-blow, that new and immortal hopes might take their place. God is mighty and faithful: he promises and he performs.Let us bewail our departed friend then, because his light is lost, as the son of Sirach says, yet not to himself but to us. To him his light burns more brightly, and shall burn for ever. Soon too our light shall fail here, but be rekindled and perfected in that better state, through him who is at once our Light and our Life. Amen! In Him may your highness ever fare well!" 1

We may remark from this letter, as from many other passages of his writings, how much Luther's distinguishing excellencies, his faith, his wisdom, his fervour, his heroism, the richness of his instructions, were derived from his being so intimately conversant with every part of scripture. He read it daily and most diligently. In all its contents it was continually passing in review before him.

1

A. D. 1545.

The most elaborate work of Luther published Commenin the year 1545 was a commentary on the tary on

1 Seck. iii. 594.

Hosea.