The Dead Yet Speaking, Biography 17
The Life and Death of MYCONIUS, who died Anno Christi 1546.
F…idericus Myconius was borne in Franconia, of religious parents, and bred up at Schoole till he was thirteen yeeres old, and then he was sent to Annaeberg, where he studied till he was twenty, and then entred into a Monastery there, without the knowledge of his parents: the first night after his entrie, he had a dream, which proved propheticall. In that place he read the Schoole-men, and Augustine's Workes. He read also at meal-time the Bible with Lyra's notes on it, which he did seven yeeres together, with so much exactnesse, that he had it almost by heart: but dispairing of attaining to learning, he left his studie…, and fell to Mechanicall Arts: About which time Tec…liu… brought his Indulgences into Germany, boasting of th… virtue of them, and exhorting all as they loved their owne and their dead friends salvation that they should buy them, &c. Myconius had been taught by his f…ther, the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, the Decalogue, and to pray often: and that the blood of Christ onelyonly could cleanse u… from sin: and that pardon of sin & eternall life could not be bought with money, &c. Which caused him to be much t…oubled whether he should beleive his father or the Priests; but understanding that there was a clause in the Indulgences that they should be given freely to the poore: he went to Tecelius, entreated him to give him one, for he wa… a poor sinner, and one that needed a free remissions of sins, and a participation of the merits of Christ: Tecelius admired that he could speake Latine so well (which few Priests could do… in those dayes) aud therefore he advised with hi… Colleagues, who perswaded him to give Myconius one: but after much debate, he returned him answer, That the Pope wanted money, without which he could not part with an Indulgence: Myconius urged the aforenamed clause in the Indulgences: whereupon Tecelius his Colleagues pressed againe that he might have one given him, pleading his learning, and ingenuity, poverty, &c. And that it would be a dishonor both to God and the Pope to denie him one: but still Tecelius refused: whereupon some of them wispred Myconius in the eare to give a little money, which he refused to doe, and they fearing the event, one of them profered to give him some to buy one with, which he still refused, saying, That if he pleased he could sell a book to buy one, but he desired one for Gods sake, which if they denyed him, he wished them to consider how they could answer it to God, &c. but prevailing nothing, he went away rejoycing, that there was yet a God in heaven to pardon sinners freely, &c. according to that promise; As I live (saith the Lord) I desire not the death of a sinner, &c. Not long after he entred into Orders; and read privately Luther's books, which the other Friars tooke very haynously, and threatned him for it. From thence he was called to be a Preacher at Vinaria, where at first he mixed some Popish errors with the truth, but by the illumination of Gods Spirit, and by his reading Luther, he at last began to preach against Popery, and to hold forth the truth clearly; which spread so swiftly, not onelyonly through Saxonie, but through all countries, as if the Angels had been carryers of it. Afterwards he was called to Gotha to teach and govern the Thuringian Churches, where he lived with his Collegues twenty yeeres in much peace, and concord; of which himselfe saith, Cucurrimus, certavimus, laboravimus, pugnavimus, vicimus, & viximus semper convinctissime, &c. In the tumult of the Boores he tooke much pains to pacifie their mindes, and to keepe them quiet: Yea, he so quieted with an Oration some that were pulling downe some Noble mens houses, that they went away in peace: that yeere also he married a wife, by whom, through Gods blessing, he had a numerous posterity. He accompanied the Elector of Saxonie, in many of his journyes into the Low-Countries, and other places, where he preached the Gospel sincerely, though sometimes to the hazard of his life. About this time Henry the eighth King of England, fell out with the Pope, for not divorcing of him from his wife Katharine of Spain, sister to Charles the fifth, by reason of whose greatnesse the Pope durst not doe it: whereupon the King of England sent over to the Germane Princes (especially to the Duke of Saxonie) to confederate against the Pope, and to joyn with them in an agreement about Religion; upon which occasion Myconius was sent over into England, partly about matters of Religion, but especially about a match between Henry the eighth, and Anne of Cleve: but coming thither, he discovered the Kings hypocrisie about Religion, not onelyonly by the six Articles about that time established, but also by his imprisoning of Latimer, and cutting off the Lord Cromwell'… head, and burning of Master Barnes, &c. and by his seizing upon all the Abby-lands: whereupon he left England, and being come home, he was called by Henry of Saxonie to visit and reforme the Churches of Misnia, together with Luther, Ionas, Cruciger, &c. Which fell out upon this occasion, George Duke of Saxonie, lying on his death-bed, sent to his brother Henry (all his owne sons being dead before) desiring him, that succeeding him, he should innovate nothing in Religion, and withall promised him golden mountains by his Ambassadors if he would assent thereto: to whom Henry answered, This Embassie of yours is just like the Divels dealing with Christ, when he promised him all the world if he would fall downe and worship him: but for my owne part I am resolved not to depart from the Truth which God hath revealed unto me: but before the returne of the Ambassadour, Duke George was dead: whereupon this Henry (nothwithstanding all the oppositions of the Papists) made this Reformation in the Churches: which worke being finished Myconius visited all the Churches in Thuringia, and with the help of Melancthon, and some othe…, he provided them Pastors and Schoolmasters, and procured stipends to be setled upon them for their maintenance.
Anno Christi 1541. he fell into a Consumption, whereof he wrote to Luther, That he was sicke not to death, but to life: which interpretation of the text pleased Luther excellently well; unto whom he wrote back, I pray Christ our Lord, our salvation, our health, &c. that I may live to see thee, and some others of our Colleagues to die, and goe to heaven, and to leave me here amongst the Divels alone, I pray God that I may first lay down thi… drie, exhausted, and unprofitable tabernacle: farewell, and God forbid that I should heare of thy death whi…st I live: Sed te superstitem faciat mihi Deus: h…c peto, & volo, & fiat voluntas mea, Amen; quia haec voluntas gloriam nominis Dei, crete non meam voluptatem, nec copiam quaerit. A while after Myconius recovered according to this prayer, though his disease seemed to be desperate, & out-lived it six yeers, even till after Luthers death; whereupon Iustus Ionas, speaking of Luther, saith of him, Iste vir potuit quod voluit, That man could have of God what he pleased. A little before Myconius his death, he wrote an excellent Epistle to Ioan. Fredericke Elector of Saxonie, wherein he praiseth God for raising up three successively in that Family, viz. Fredericke, Iohn, and Iohn Fredericke, to undertake the patronage of Lu…her, &c. He was a man of singular piety, of solid learning, of a dextrous judgement, of a burning zeal, and of an admirable candor and gravity. He died of a relapse into his former disease, Anno Christi 1546. and of his Age 55.
Myconius was a man that lov'd to pry
Into the bosome of Divinity;
His heart was alwayes flexively inclind
To what was good; he had a golden minde
That would not bend to drosse, but still aspire
To heaven, and faith gave wings to his desire;
He was belov'd of all that lov'd Gods name.
The trumpet of his voyce would still proclaime
The word of God to those that would indure
To have their wounds be brought unto a cure:
By whose examples we may learne to thrive
In grace, His present worth is still alive.