The Dead Yet Speaking, Biography 9
IOHANES OECVLAMPADIVS.
The life and Death of John Oecolompadius.
IN the yeere of our Lord God 1482. this worthy instrument of advancing the truth of Christ Iohannes Oecolompadius was borne at Weinsperge, a towne scituated in Germanie; which yeere also was remarkable for the birth of Georgius Spalatinus, who afterwards proved a faithfull and laborious Minister in the Church of God; being sometimes Chaplaine unto the Duke of Saxonie.
His Parents were greatly esteemed amongst their neighbours, for their vertuous and civill demeanour, being endewed with a sufficient competency of outward necessaries, both for the supporting of themselves and also for the education of such Children as it pleased the Lord to blesse them with, and with a great number of these they were for a time beautified; but it pleased God to take againe those which he had given during the life of these Parents; leaving unto them onelyonly this Oecolompadius, unto whom he had granted a longer life for the good and benefit of his Church.
Both of them beholding the ingenious disposition of the childe, and finding him to be capable of Learning, they carefully sent him to be instructed and brought up in the rudiment of Learning; his Father intending that after he had attained unto some knowledge and perfection, to place him with a Merchant, supposing that course of life to be the most fittest for him; but his Mother being acquainted with this resolution of her Husbands; and finding it not sutable to her owne will, she never ceased from intreating him to desist from his intent, untill such time as she obtained of him, that he should continue longer in the Schooles, unto which there appeared in him a naturall inclination; the Lord beginning even in his Infancy to frame his minde unto that wherein he afterwards used him as his instrument for the converting of many unto himselfe.
Not long after, his Father yeelding unto the request of his Mother, who was as carefull of Oecolompadius as ever Monica was of Augustine, he sent him unto Heilbronna, which place was famous in Germanie for an exact training up of Youth in the knowledge of the Latine tongue; where he having remained a few yeeres, he removed him unto Heidelberge, an Accademy eminent both for the Arts and tongues; here he attained unto that perfection in Learning, that at the age of 14. yeeres he proceeded with great approbation Bachiler of Arts. And unto his proceeding in the knowledge of humaine Learning, he adjoyned a Religious and civill behaviour, perswading himselfe, eum, qui proficiat in literis & deficiat in moribus, non proficere sed deficere. That he which went forward in Learning, without having respect unto an orderly carriage of himselfe, would prove to be retrograde in his motion.
Not long after he was graced with the title of Master of Arts, in the same Academie; after which dignity conferred by the advice of his Parents, he went unto Bonnonia, with an intent to apply himself unto the study of the Civil Law; but because the alteration of the ayre proved adverse unto his former health, after that he had made triall for the space of halfe a yeere, and in that time finding no amendment, he returned againe unto his Father, with whom he remained until that he had recovered his former h…alth, and …hen he went unto Heidelberge againe, where contrary to the will of his Father, he left the study of th… Civill Law, and gave himselfe wholly unto the study of Theologie, being thereunto led and guided by the spirit of God. In the performance of which Act he imitated the example of that burning Lampe of the Church Iohn Chrysostome, the same act being also approved and embraced by Martin Luther, Iohn Calvin, Peter Martyr, Theodore Beza, Lambertus Danaeus, and others.
Here he began to acquaint himselfe with such Schoolemen, whose judgements in points of Controversie were most approved of in that Academie, as Thomas Aquinas, Gerson, and others; these he prosecuted with an indefatigable labour, studying them day and night, desiring the explanation of such distinctions which he could not understand, &c.
This more then ordinary industry procured unto him a ge…erall approbation, together with a certaine demonstration of his future worth, not onelyonly in Heidelberge, but also in the adjacent places; insomuch, that he was recommended unto that illustrious Prince Phillip, Elector Palatine, who sent for him, and committed his yongest Sons unto his tuition, bearing alwayes a reverend respect unto him, for the excellency of those parts where with he saw he was endewed: After that he had continued a season in this employment, and perceiving that Courtly life to disagree with his naturall inclination, he left it, and returned againe (as one that had been long captivated) unto the study of Divinity.
Hi… Parent… perceiving that his minde was altogther set on that study, and having no other child but onelyonly him, they made use of that meanes wherewith God had ble…sed them, for the procuring of a Priesthood for him, in the towne wherein he was borne, unto which was also added the authority of Preaching; unto this place he was called, but finding himselfe after a fortnights performance to be unable to undergoe so laborious an office, he desired leave to returne againe unto Heildelbirge: for the furnishing of himselfe with a greater measure of knowledge, that then he might returne from thence better fitted for the discharging of that sacred Function.
Having obtained leave, he alters his resolution & shapes his course towards Tubinga, and from thence unto Stutgardia, where Reachiling lived, a man famous for his excellent knowledge in the tongues: here he stayed for a short space, during which time, he received from him some light concerning the Greeke, which being increased by daily exercise he so well profited himselfe, that he did set forth a Greeke Grammer, at his returne againe to Heidelbirge: where he also learned the Hebrew of a Spanish School…master, whose evill nature was to envy that knowledge of that holy tongue in those that were his Schollers.
Finding himselfe somwhat better provided, by the addition of the tongues, he returnes unto his native place, and cheerfully underwent his Pastorall office, Preaching Christ so powerfully unto them, that he was greatly admired of his Auditors, neither was he onelyonly excellent for doctrine, but also for his life and conversation, giving good example unto those unto whom he Preached, being familiar alwayes with the better sort, and especially with Wolfangus Capito, with whom he was acquainted during his residence at Heidilbirge: their friendship being here renewed it continued firme untill …hey were seperated each from the other by death.
During his discharge of his Pastorall office, in his native place, Wolfangus Capito was called unto Basel, to be their publick Lecturer, which advancement caused him not to forgit his old friend Oecolampadius, but rather moved him unto a …onsideration, how he might be a meanes of promoting him, unto a more eminent place: Pitying that so b…ight a lampe of piety, should obscure it selfe, by being shut up and con…ined unto such a narrow and unregarded angle of the countrey; Wherefore he used all meanes to perswade the inhabitants of Basel, unto whom he commended the worth of the man, to invite him unto this City, and to conferre a dignity on him correspondent unto his desert; which was no sooner uttered but they condiscented thereunto, and he was called unto the discharge of a Pastorall office in that City, in the yeer of grace 1515. Where after that he had received that Function for the space of a yeer with great applause, he was honoured in the same Academy with the title of Doctor, about the same time that Erasmus Rotherodamus came to Basel, to set forth his annotations on the New Testament; for the perfecting whereof he used the assistance of this Oecolampadius in regard of the eminency of his parts, as he himselfe freely confesseth.
Which worke being finished, he left Basel and went unto Auspurge, being called by the Comons of the Cathedrall Church to Preach in that place unto the people, but her… he remained not long (partly because he feared and had a distrust in himselfe that he was not fit for so eminent a place, and partly by reason of that melancholy humor which was praedominate in him, insomuch that he esteemed not the society of men, but would remove himselfe from them into some solitary place) but departed from them and entered into a Monastry lying without the City of Auspurge, and consecrated unto Saint Bridget; yet making his covenant so with the Monks, that he would have liberty to study, & to beleeve what he would, and to depart from them when he pleased; for said he, Etiamsi sexcentis juramentis me obstenixero, nequaquam ea servare potero, si quando utilis ministerio verbi sum futurus. Although I should bind my selfe by the vertue of six hundred oaths, I shall not be able by any meanes to keepe them, if at any time I shall perceive that any profit will come unto the Church by my Ministery.
The Monkes perceiving his worth joyfully received him into their society, bestowing all things liberally on him that he desired, and also acquainted him with all their priviledges and in generall he found such content amongst them, for the space of a few months, that he intended to spend all the rest of his dayes in that lazy manner of life: but it pleased God to call him from this manner of life, and for that cause he stirred up his friends, & amongst thē more especially Capi…o, who seriously perswaded & earnestly exhorted him, to give over that Monasticall life; upon which perswasion he intended to forsake the Mon…stery and to betake himselfe againe unto his former profession, and for a preparation thereunto, being as yet in the Monastery he set forth a booke of confession, wherein in many things he opposed the doctrine of the Church of Rome, whereby he brought himselfe not onelyonly into danger of his life, but the Monks also were greatly afraid, lest any inconvenience might happen unto them by reason of his actions, and therefore they greatly laboured to free their Monastery of him; during their plodding, he sharpely reprehended them for their errors, perswad…ng them to embrace and lay hold on the truth, whereby they came to be more and more incensed against him, and privately laboured with his friends, to be more earnest with him in the leaving of the Mona…stery.
Having be…n resident in this place not fully two yeeres he departed, and went unto Franciscus Sickingen, a man nobly descended by whom he was entertained, and i… the same hou…e he laboured to put downe the Masse, affi…ming it to be an Idolatrous worship; but Franciscus being at that time greatly distressed with an unhappy warre, he left him and went to Basel, in the yeer of our Lord 1522. to publish such things as he had at vacant times collected.
Here he was againe advanced by the Senats unto a Pastorall office, & an annuall stipend designed unto him, which he performed with great zeale and constancy to the glory of God and good of his Church; here he bouldly discovered unto his Auditors those errors which by continuance had got firme footing in the Church, he opened unto them the perfection and sufficientcy of the Merits of Christ, he declared unto them the true nature of faith, he revealed unto them the true doctrine of Charity; insomuch that the authority of the Po…ish religion began to stagger in the mindes of many: Whilst he was totally occupied about these things some there were who laboured to draw him againe to the Pseudo Catholicke religion, but more especially Iohannas Cachlaeus who in the yeere 1524. wrote letter… unto him, wherein he testified himselfe, to be deeply afflicted with sorrow, to heare that a man so excellently learned, should lay aside his coule, and adhaere unto such haereticall opinions, and withall exhorted him to revoke his opinion, and to returne againe into the Monastery, promising him a dispensation from the Pope, and the favour of the Prior, which he had formerly enjoyed: but these and such like things were slighted by Oecolampadius, who bringing them unto the word of God, found that they would not endure the triall.
In the performance of his Pastorall office an assistan… was appointed unt him by publicke authority, and he began to settle a more excellent Reformation in the Church, commanding the Sacrament of Baptisme to be administred in the mother tongue, and the Sacrament of the Lords Supper to be received under both kinds; he taught that the Masse was not a sacrifice, for the living and the dead, or for those who were tormented in their feigned Purgatory; but that perfect satisfaction was obtained for all beleevers by the passion and Merits of Christ: he disswaded them from sprinkling themselves with holy-water, and from the consecration of Palmes and the like, declaring unto them that they who did attribute vertue unto any such things did detract from the glory and power of God; which doctrine of his tooke such deepe …ooting in the hearts of his Auditors, that it gave a period unto many superstitious actions amongst them.
The foundation of future reformation was no sooner laid, but the old Dragon, began to play his part, and to discover his malicious …nvy, against such things as make for the glory of God: either by hind…ing their proceedings, or laying some foule aspersion on them; for at that time broke forth that, yet continued sacramentary dissention, by meanes whereof that good worke begun in the Church was hindred: Martin Luther at this time openly opposed and contradicting by writing the doctrine of Huldericus Zuinglius, Pastor of the Church at Tigurum, concerning the Euchiarist, by reason whereof there was a great dissention betwixt the Churches of Helvetia, and Saxony; for the taking away of wch, Oecolampadius set forth a booke concerning the true understanding of these words, Hoc est corpus meum; and by many strong arguments he affirmed, that a trope lay therein, and yet his industry and labour therein tooke not away the contention betwixt the Churches.
This intended reformation was againe hindred by Eccius and his followers, who taught (1) that the substantiall body and blood of Christ was in the Sacrament of the Altar; (2) that they were truly offered up in the Masse, both for the living and the dead; (3) that the virgin Mary and the Saints were to be worshipped as intercessours; (4) that the images of Iesus and the Saints were not to be abolished; (5) that after this life there was a Purgatory.
These positions were vehemently opposed by Oecolampadius, at the publicke dispu…ation held at Baden: the event whereof was this, some of the Helvetians subscribed unto Eccius, some unto Oecolampadius; and so there remained still a dissention amongst them which could by no meanes be taken away, although attempted by many worthy instruments of Christ, who have undergone many dangers, for an effectuall performance of the same, yet Oecolampadius wrought so with the Saints, that liberty of conscience was granted unto the Citizens as touching religion.
In the yeer following there was a disputation held at Berne, which continued for the space of twenty dayes, wherein Oecolampadius labored so powerfully for a reformation that his acts there recorded give a sufficient testimony thereof, unto the world.
In the yeer 1529. an assembly was appointed by the Lantgraw of Hassia at Marpurge touching a reformation in the Churches, concerning which more in the life of Melancton.
After the painfull sustaining of so many labours, at home and abroad, he returned to Basil, where he spent the residue of his life in Preaching, reading, writing, setting forth of books, visiting the sicke, and having also a care of the adjacent Churches, untill the yeer 1531. wherein it pleased God to visit him with sicknesse, wherewith he was constrained to take his bed, hourely exspecting death. And forthwith sending for the Pastors of the same place, he welcommed them with ashort & pithy oration, wherein he exhorted them to remaine constant and firme in the purity of the doctrine which they professed, because it was conformable unto the word of God: as for other things he willed them to be lesse carefull, assuring them that the Al-sufficient God would care for them, and that he would not be wanting unto his Church.
His Children standing before him, he tooke them by their right hands, and afterwards gently stroking their heads, he advised them to love God, who would be unto them in the place of a Father.
A little before his death one of his intimate friends comming unto him, he asked him what newes? he answered, none. But said he I will till thee newes, being demand…d what it was, he answered, Brevi ero apud Christum Dominum, I shall in short time be with Christ my Lord. In the morning before he died he repeated the 51. Psalme of David, at the end whereof he added… Salva me Christi Iesu; being never heard afterwards to utter any word; those who were present betooke themselves unto their prayers, wherein they continued untill he had surrendered his Spirit unto his Creator: which was willingly and cheerefully performed by him, on the first of D…cember, in the yeer of our Lord 1531. and in the 49. yeer of his age, and was buried with great lamentation in the s…me City.
He died intest…te, quia unde conderet, pauper Christi servas non habebat.
He was of a meeke and quiet disposition, in the undertaking of any businesse, he was very circumspect, and nothing indeed was more pleasing unto him, then to spent his time in reading and commenting: the workes which he left behind him, are these which follow.
1 Annotations on Genesis. 2 On Iob. 3 Isaiah. 4 Ieremiah. 5. Ezekill. 6 Daniel. 7 Hosea. 8 Amos. 9 Ionas. 10. Micah, Cap. 2. 11. On the three last Prophets. 12. On the Plasmes. 13 Matthew. 14 Romans. 15 Hebrewes. 16 1 Epistle of Iohn. 17 Of the genuine sense of these words Hoc en corpus meum. 18… An exhortation to the reading of Gods word. 19 Of the dignity of the Eucarist. 20 Of the joy of t…e resurrection. 21 A speech to the Sena… of Basil. 22 A Catectisme. 23 Annotations on Chrisostome. 24 Enchyidion to the Greeke tongue. 25… A…ainst Anabaptists. 26 Annotations upon the A…ts and Corinthians. 27 Of Almsdeeds. 28 Against Julian the Apostata. 29 Of tru… faith in Christ. 30 Of the praises of Cyprian. 31 Of the life of the M…ses. 32 Against Vsury.
Reader, behold the rare-adorned Face
Of him, whose very lookes import a grace;
He was a Man whose constancy to truth,
Ripen'd in age, and blossom'd in his youth:
He was a rocke, whose daring front disdain'd
Papisticke Waves he still oppos'd; and gain'd
The upper hand, though threatning danger lin'd
Each word he spoke, yet would he speake his minde:
Twas not their proffer'd wealth could make him bold
To sin in Want, and then repent in Gold;
Religion was the Starre by which he steer'd
His well run-course, his heart was still endeer'd
Two sollid Principl…, he lov'd to court
The truth, Love was his Ship, and heav'n his port.