46 



MELANCTHON. 



Meinc- cited against him by Flacius. In the expectation of 

 tbon. being driven into banishment by the intemperate pro- 

 ~" ccedings of his enemies among the more violent of the 

 reformed, he had adopted the resolution of withdraw- 

 ing to Palestine, and devoting the remainder of his life 

 to the retirement of a hermit, and the composition of 

 works in defence of divine truth. " At the head of all 

 the principal literary and ecclesiastical transactions ofthe 

 age," says Cox, "consulted by princes, dispatched upon 

 every urgent occasion on different journies, summoned 

 to private conferences and public councils, necessitated 

 to maintain a most extensive correspondence, opposed 

 and even insulted by a violent faction, and watched as 

 a heretic by the partisans of the Roman hierarchy, he 

 represents himself as tormented upon the rack of in- 

 cessant engagement, and absolutely distracted with^writ- 

 ing disputations, regulations, prefaces, and letters." Ex- 

 hausted at length by his unremitting exertions, by grief 

 for the loss of friends, and by anxiety for the fate of pure 

 religion, he became desirous of a release from his toil- 

 some life ; and, after lingering several weeks under the 

 influence of an intermittent fever, he expired on the 

 19th of April 1560, in the sixty-third year of his age, 

 in the full possession of his mental faculties, and in the 

 most placid state of pious hope. Upon being asked by 

 one of his friends in his last moments if he wished 

 any thing else, he replied, " aliud nihil, nisi coelum," 

 " nothing else but heaven ;" and requested those who 

 were endeavouring to adjust some parts of his cloth- 

 ing, " not to disturb his delightful repose." The pub- 

 lic were allowed to gratify their anxiety to see his body 

 before its interment ; and their attachment to his cha- 

 racter was singularly manifested, by their picking up 

 every pen, or piece of paper upon which he had writ- 

 ten, or any thing that he had used, however insignifi- 

 cant in itself. His remains were placed in a leaden 

 coffin, and deposited close by the body of Luther. 

 We could dwell with much complacency, and at great 

 length, on the delineation of a character, which pre- 

 sents so rare a combination of intellectual and moral 

 endowments ; and which, even when it is exhibited to 

 the world, ia so seldom estimated as it merits, amidst 

 the violence of human contentions. But it is our pro- 

 per province to select and abridge the materials of bio- 

 graphy, rather than to expand its lessons of instruc- 

 tion ; and we must content ourselves with a very rapid 

 sketch of what would well deserve to be placed, in 

 all its most attractive lights, before the exasperated 

 spirits, who crowd the departments of modern contro- 

 versy. 



Philip Melancthon has been invariably numbered 

 among the most illustrious instruments of the refor- 

 mation ; and was by far the most powerful coadjutor, 

 as well as the warmest personal friend of the Saxon 

 reformer. He was peculiarly qualified to supply the 

 deficiencies, and to correct the errors, of his intrepid 

 associate ; and it would be a difficult task to decide 

 whether the cause of true religion was more indebted 

 to the zealous spirit ofthe one, or to the persuasive vir- 

 tues ofthe other. Nothing at least can be more plea- 

 sing, than to contemplate the high opinion which they 

 entertained of each other, and the uniform steadiness 

 of their mutual friendship amidst all the attempts of 

 their enemies to create a disunion. " Though not per- 

 fectly agreed, they were perfectly united," says Cox, and 

 never could be induced to regard each other as rivals. 

 " Pomeranus is a grammarian," said Melancthon, " I 

 am a logician, and Justus Jonas is an orator; but Luther 

 is good at every thing, the wonder of mankind ; for 



whatever he says or writes, it penetrates the heart, and Mi-lane, 

 makes a lasting impression." " I am born to be a thon. 

 rough controversialist," said Luther,"! clear the ground, X ~""Y"""' 

 pull up weeds, fill up ditches, and smooth the roads. 

 But to build, to plant, to sow, to water, to adorn the 

 country, belongs to Melancthon.'' 



Melancthon's early talents, extensive learning, and 

 classical acquirements, have been already noticed ; but 

 his intellectual acuteness in discriminating between 

 truth and sophistry, was not less distinguished than the 

 elegant perspicuity with which he conveyed his senti- 

 ments. He possessed an extraordinary memory, which 

 was greatly aided by the regularity of his habits, and 

 the equanimity of his mind ; and was not less remark- 

 able for the facility with which he could recollect his 

 well arranged stores of information. He spared no 

 time or application in the investigation of every im- 

 portant topic; and, in all his researches or discussions, 

 was actuated by the most undeviating love of truth. 

 His own intentions were as upright as his conceptions 

 were clear; and there was a kind of transparency (as 

 has been well expressed) in the whole stream both of 

 his arguments and his motives. " I will give you an 

 answer to-morrow,'' he said on one occasion to Eckius, 

 who had made use of some puzzling sophism in their 

 disputation. " There is no merit or honour in that," 

 said his antagonist, " if you cannot answer me imme- 

 diately.'' " Mi doctor," replied Melancthon, with the 

 greatest composure, " non qusero meam gloriam hoc in 

 negotio, sed veritatem : eras, volente Deo, me audies.'' 

 It was his avowed principle to speak what he thought 

 firmly, but modestly ; and to concede what he deemed 

 might be conceded with unambiguous ingenuousness. 

 This was not a spirit likely to please any party in an 

 age of violent contention ; and he was incessantly as- 

 sailed and tormented, through the whole of his life, by 

 the bigotry both of friends and enemies. Yet his dis- 

 passionate temper, unbiassed candour, and love of 

 peace, were by no means (as has been often advanced) 

 the consequence of scepticism in principle, insensibili- 

 ty of feeling, or timidity of spirit. The most fiery zea- 

 lot in the cause ofthe Reformation never pursued its in- 

 terests with greater perseverance than he did ; nor did 

 he even temporize in those points, which his penetrat- 

 ing mind saw to be essential ; and he would have died 

 (as he often avowed) for what he maintained. He pos- 

 sessed also all that acute and excitable feeling, which 

 generally accompanies true genius ; and his anxiety for 

 the success of the great cause which he had embraced 

 with all the ardour of enlightened piety, arose often to 

 the degree of absolute hypochondriasm. 



His acquisitions of knowledge were made with little 

 exertion ; and his unclouded serenity of mind kept his 

 faculties always fit for service. His bodily frame was 

 slender, and his constitution never robust ; but his ha- 

 bits were regular, and his mode of living strictly tem- 

 perate. He retired to rest at an early hour, and usual- 

 ly rose a little after midnight. He estimated time as 

 the most precious of all possessions ; and, when he 

 made any appointment, expected it to be kept literal- 

 ly to a minute. His services to general literature 

 were of the highest order, and he had great influence 

 in reviving the study of the ancient writers. He led 

 the way in classical composition among his country- 

 men ; and, though his attempts at versification were 

 far from being successful, he wrote Latin in prose with 

 an ease and purity rarely equalled. Amidst all the 

 avocations in which he was involved, he employed the 

 greater part of every year in giving lectures to 1 500 pu- 



