The Dead Yet Speaking, Biography 63
The Life and Death of Abraham Bucholtzer, who dyed Anno Christi 1584.
ABraham Bucholtzer was born at Schovavium in the year 1529. and from his infancy brought up by his Parent… in Religion and Learning. When he was first set forth to School, he profited to admiration, outstripping all his Schoolf…llows by his acute wit and industry: and being well p…incipled at Schoole, he went to the University at Witt…nberg: Accounting it his great happinesse, that he was borne after the light of the Gospell brak… forth, and bred up under M…lancthon, upon whose Lectures he attended diligen…l…, and …ucked in from him not onelyonly the principles of Learning, but of Religion also. About that time there sp…ang up many errors, but by the helpe of Melancthon he was able both to discover and confute them. There also he studied Gr…k and Hebrew. When he was six and twenty years old, he went from thence into Silesia to visit his friends, and to see the chiefest Cities; and whilst he was there, the Senate o… Grunberg consulted about the erecting o… a School in that C…ty; and for the a…vancement of the same, they chose Bucholtzer to be the Master thereof, and sent to him by Luke Cunon, who was their Pastor, desiring him to undertake that office. Hereupon he asked Melancthons advice, who much encouraged him to accept of the place, saying, Quantum solatium est pio paedagog…, assidentibus ca…stis angelis, sedere in coe…u incontaminato juniorum qui Deo placent, & docere tenera ingenia ut rectè agnoscant, & invocent Deum, & deinde organa fiant utilia Ecclesiae, & suis animabus? Upon his advice therefore he went thither, in the year 1556. and by his excellent abilities and diligence, he quickly made that place which before was obscure, to become famous. Scholars resorting to him from all parts, whom he bred up both in Religion and Learning, and fitted them so excellently for the University, that Melancthon never questioned any that came from his School, saying, Hoc est persuasum sibi habere, …udes & impolitos esse non posse, qui à politissimi judicii homine Abrahamo Buchol…zero essent informati. That he was verily perswaded, that they could not be rude, or unfitting for the University that came from under the tuition of Abraham Bucholtzer, who himselfe was a man of so polite a judgement.
In the year 1559. he married a wife, who proved a great comfort to him, and by whom he had many children, whom he tendered exceedingly, and educated them in the fear of God from their very infancy. He grew so famous all over Silesi…, that many desired to have him for their Pastor; and at last Sprottavia enjoyed him, where he continued doing much good to 1573. at which time Catharine the relict of Henry Duke of Brun…wick sent for him to her Court; to whom he went, partly by reason of his great engagements to that Family, but especially because he enjoyed not his health in Sprottavia. The year after this pious Lady dyed, he then was called to Eleutheropolis by Euphemia the wife of Sir Fabian Belloquert; he Preached …here in the great C…rch, to which the Citizens flocked exceedingly, insomuch as when that pious and illustrious Ernest Prince of Anhalt sent for him, and profered him an honorable stipend, he refused to leave his place. He had an excellent sweetnesse and dexterity in Preaching; was of a sound judgment and holy life. His Sermons were so piercing, that he never Preached, but he wrought wonderfully upon the affections of his hearers. If any were cast down under the sence of sin and wrath, he exceedingly com…orted them. If any were troubled with tentations and afflictions, he raised them up, &c. He had a lively voyce, lively eye, lively hand, and such were all his gestures also: his Ministery was so gratefull, that his hearers were never weary, or thought hi… Sermons too long: He was full of self-deniall, insomuch as that excellent Lady Catherine of Brandenburg used to say, that all the rest of her Courtiers and Family were alwaye… craving something of her, Bucholtzer on the contrary never asked her for the worth of a farthing, yea he refus…d gifts, when they were profered to him, preferring kindnesse before the gift, & the fruit of his Ministery before the reward of it: He was so humble that when his friends blamed him for living in so obscure a place whilst he taught Schoole, he told them that he preferred it before a Kingdome: he could never endure to hear himself commended; and if his friends in their letters had written any thing to his praise, he could not read it with patience: sed terreri se laudationibus illis tanquam fulminibus dicebat, qui nihil in se magni videret, &c. His candor was such that he never spake, or wrote any thing but from his heart: he never read, or heard any thing from others, but he made a candid construction of it: His care in his publick Ministery was to avoid those question… that doe but gender unto strife, and to instruct his auditors how to live well, and dye well. He spent his spare houre… in reading Ecclesiasticall, and Profane histories, and profited so much thereby, that one affirmed in writing universam antiquitatem in Bucholtzeri pectuscuol latuisse reconditam, that all antiquity lay hid in his breast: he finding som great errors in Funccius his Chronology, set himselfe to write one, which with indefatigable pains he brought to perfection: whilst he thus publickly, and privately busied himselfe; he fell into a grievous disease, and just about the same time he lost his faithfull, and beloved yoak fellow that was the Mother of nine children: but upon his recovery he married another, with whom he lived not long before the Lord put an end to all his labours, and sorrowes Anno Christi 1584. and of his Age 55.
Religion, Learning, both agreed to met,
And make Bucholtzer prove their winding sheet;
Nay, and their Sepulchre, for there they lay
Imbracing in his little lumpe of Clay:
He loved vertue, and his heart dispis'd
To follow that, which Papists had devis'd;
His balmy language heald the bleeding hearts
Of them whose consciences retain'd the darts
Of wounding sin; his soul still took delight
To bring them out of darkenesse into light;
But since hee's gon, what can we say but this,
He rested here, with love, In heaven, with blisse.