TO waste much time in the needless Commendati­on of that Learned, and Pious Reformer, Dr. Mar­tin Luther, would be as great an Impertinence as that of the young Rhetorician's, who spent three hours in an elaborate Declamation on the refulgency of the glorious Sun-beams. They are both so apparent to any Rational or Inquisitive Creature, that it would be but a Tau­tologie to applaud them; we daily enjoy the inestimable be­nefit of either: for as the one delivered us from that uncom­fortable darkness which first brooded on the primitive Chaos, and hatcht nothing but Confusion; so the other like a Friendly Pillar of Divine Light, kindly conducted us out of those dangerous paths of Superstition, and Idolatry, which would have led us into everlasting Destruction.

But if after all those mighty obligations he has done all the Reformed Churches in Europe, there should any one yet remain bruitishly ignorant of his Virtues and Indowments, I shall in a word acquaint them who this Luther was.

1. It was he who (if I may speak it with reverence) like our Saviour had the honour to be prophesied of before he was born; and this even the Romans themselves cannot deny, since their own Histories acquaint us that one John Hilton a person they themselves held in great veneration for piety and gift of Prophecie, wrote thus almost a hundred years before Luther had declared himself against the Church of Rome. Much about the year 1516. the Mysterie of Vngodliness shall begin to be discovered, and the Son of Righteousness shine forth in the Truth of the Gospel, and Popery shall in Germany, and other parts of the World then receive a Sudden Declension. This [Page 2] Prophecie was certainly fulfilled by Laither who appeared at that time against Rome, and in spite of all her then domineer­ing Tyranny gave her a greater blow than ever she received either before or since.

2. It was he of whom the Martyr John Hus on that day he suffered at Constance said; You now roast a Goose (for so Hus signifies) but one hundred years hence you shall hear a Swan sing, whom you shall not be able neither to roast, nor overcome.

3. It was he who was graced with the Honourable title of Master of Arts at twenty years of Age. 'Twas he who whilest he was perusing certain Books in the Library of the Colledge of Orphord happened to meet with a Copy of the Latin Bible, which he never had seen before, and having to his great admiration observed there were more Evangelical and Apostolical Texts in it than were suffered to be read open­ly in Churches, he thereupon set himself to the Translating of the five Books of Moses, and afterwards finished both them and the remainder of the Old and the New Testament, which was by some Popish Bishops and Priests forbid to be read to the People. In fine, it was Dr. M. Luther whom God in his infinite wisdom raised, and furnished with a sufficient portion of Care, Courage and Learning to Inspect and Detect the damnable Superstition and Idolatry of the Church of Rome, which he resolutely performed, notwithstanding all the Threats and Dangers he knew he was to go through if he persisted in so doing. And lastly it was he to whom Ger­many, Denmark, Bohemia and most of the Protestant Churches in the world are in a great measure beholding for their glorious Reformation.

Thus much I thought fit to premise, that the most scrupu­lous Reader may less wonder that the Almighty should entrust this worthy Champion of the now Reformed Religion with the Spirit of Prophecie which he was pleased to exercise on himself, saying some weeks before he Dyed, When I return to Wittemberg, I will be lodged in a Coffin, and will render to the worms a fat Luther to feed on; and so it sell out, for within two dayes after he came thither he dyed, but a little before his Expiration call'd for Pen and Ink, and wrote this following Verse, ‘[Page 3] Pestis eram vivens, moriens ero mors tua Papa.’ Which Melancthon, one of his dear Friends, taking as a pro­phetick rapture, turned into a Distick of the same mean­ing: Thus,

Both of which may be thus paraphrastically turned into En­glish:

But long before this Luther was observ'd by all the Students at Wittemberg to be endowed with the Spirit of Prophecie which he frequently committed to posterity, the greatest part of which were in presaging the Dissolution of those two grand temporal enemies of truth and Religion, the Turk and the Pope.

Concerning the later of which, in Luther Colloq. p. 328. he thus prophesieth, The Pope must fall and Popery with him, since it is downright Blasphemy to hold as he does, viz. that the final cause of the Institution of Humane Traditions, is the true Service and worship of God: and that it is necessary to salvation; contrary to that of St. Paul, If either we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Doctrine to you than what we have preached, let him be accursed.

In another Prophecie Luther thus Inferreth the Popes Downfall. Idem pag. 312. Antichrist, sayes he, must fall, and it plainly appears that the Pope is the true Antichrist, because those that transgress his Decrees or violate his Statutes are far more vigorously and severely punished than those who offend the Laws of God, which is a palpable exalting of himself above the Almighty, and therefore he is most properly called Antichrist, &c.

Again says Luther, the Pope must and shall fall by reason the blindness of the Popelins is so great and horrible that they hold the Reconciliation of the Living (which though they pretend is a Sacrifice) yet all their Canonists, School-Divines and Pulpit preachers utterly disapprove it.

And in another place he predicts the Papal overthrow thus, The Pope sayes he, must fall, for that like a right Jew he boasteth to enjoy by Christ a Temporal Kingdom, he alone [Page 4] will have all the Power, and Authority, he will rule and Determine all Councils, and incroach upon them under the Name of Christ. If one should have deslowred the Virgin Mary, or Crucified Christ, yet the Pope for money would undertake to pardon and forgive the same. Therefore his Dominion is but short and will be brought to ruine according to the time signified by the number of the Beast, in the thirteenth of the Revelations. Page 306.

Again saith he, Popedom must fall, for that it hath been alwayes managed by wicked persons and correspondent to the impiety of their Doctrine: for as the Creator is in this case, such must be the Creature. Pope Alexander was a Moran, that is a Baptized Jew, he believed nothing at all; he had a Concubine called Lucretia to whom he after espoused his own Son. The Pope that succeeded him was so great an Enemy to him, that he caused all the Windows, Gates, Doors, &c. whereon his Name or Armes were fixed, to be demolish­ed or pulled down. When God speaketh the word, [Rome be de­stroy'd and lye in Ashes; Pope come down from your Throne,] the word of God will be obeyed and must be immediately brought to pass: L. Colloqu. 302.

Pride, again saith Luther, must undoubtedly have a Fall, and consequently so must the Pope.

Another of his remarkable prophecies to the same purpose is exprest (in Lu. time p. 314.) to this effect. The Pope and his accomplices presuming on their great power that they shall never fall, do thereby hasten their fall; and God will overthrow him, and that suddenly, if our own Secureness, and contempt of Gods word does not hinder it: Let us pray therefore that the same misfortunes they design us, may light on their own heads: they have Burned, Hanged, Drowned and Banished those that were amongst us, they will in no wise be recalled from their Devilish Practises.

To conclude, we have great hopes these Prophecies of Lu­ther may accordingly come to pass, as well as some others of his prediction have been accomplished already (though upon other occasions) as plainly appears in his Tom. 2. Epist. p. 10. & 207. where he foretold the Combustion which arose in [Page 5] Germany: as likewise the Death of Frederick Elector of Saxo­ny, Tom. 2. Epist. p. 10. he also in the same Book prophesied the Dearth or Famine which happened in Germany according to his prediction. And now I shall detain you no longer about this Excellent person, but only present you with a small Manuscript written by his own hand, and not unproperly called,