PHILIP MELANCTHON; JOHN BUGENHAGEN or POMERANUS; JUSTUS JONAS: CASPER CRUCIGER; and MATTHEW AUROGALLUS. The corrector of the press was GEORGE RORAR, or RORARIus.

The amiable and profoundly learned PHILIP MELANCTHON, (or according to the German name, SCHWARTZERDE,) was born at Bretten, a small town in the Palatinate of the Rhine, in the year 1497. His early proficiency in learning was such, that at twelve years of age he became a student at the university of Heidelberg; he afterwards removed to Tubingen, where he was admitted in 1513, to a master's degree. He immediately began to give lectures, as a public tutor, on Virgil and Terence, the latter of which occasioned him some labour; for so low was the state of literature at this period, that the text of that poet had actually been printed in the manner of a prose writer, and of course the versification had been wholly destroyed. Melancthon first pointed out to the students the diversified Iambic measure, employed by Terence, and then proceeded with great labour and perseverance, to restore the whole text to its metrical arrangement. He afterwards delivered lectures on select parts of Cicero's works; and on the first six books of Livy's history: he also edited different classical authors.* At the age of twenty-one, he was chosen professor of Greek in the university of Wittemberg, at the instance of the celebrated Reuchlin, to whom he was on several accounts under peculiar obligation.

In the midst of his classical and scientific engagements,

* A beautifully executed Variorum copy of Cicero De Officiis, is in the possession of the writer of the present work, with the Notes of Melancthon amongst others, printed by Thomas Richards, Paris 1550, 4to. Cum privilegio Regis. This rare edition has also the works De Senectute, De Amicitia, De Somnio Scipionis, by the same printer, and of the same date; and Paradoxa, by John L. Tiletan, 1546, Paris. The Text of the works printed by Richards, is in a well defined open Roman type, and the Notes in a small neat Italic; the Greek quotations are clear and good.

the mind of Melancthon had been early imbued with a knowledge and love of the Scriptures. When but a boy, Reuchlin had presented him with a small Bible, printed at Basil, at the press of Frobenius. This he carried about with him continually, and read it with eagerness wherever he came, so that from the attention he paid to it at church, he was suspected of reading profane authors, instead of repeating the offices of devotion. In the margin of his Bible he inserted such explanatory hints as occurred to his own reflections, or appeared to be of sufficient mportance in the authors which he perused. Thus his mind became prepared for receiving the doctrines of Luther, with whom he was associated in the university of Wittemberg.

In 1520, Melancthon delivered a course of lectures on the Epistle to the Romans, which Luther afterwards published without his knowledge. But so rare was the word of God, and so seldom to be obtained, especially in the Original languages, at the time he began to proclaim the TRUTH, that he was obliged to print select parts of the Greek Testament, for the use of the students in the university who attended his lectures. The Epistle to the Romans was edited by him in 1520; the first Epistle to the Corinthians in 1521; the second Epistle separately, the same year; and also the Epistle to the Colossians."

In 1527, John, elector of Saxony, appointed Melancthon, in conjunction with other grave and learned divines, to visit and reform the churches throughout that electorate. Afterwards he was employed to draw up the Augsburg Confession, in which it is allowed he has represented the sentiments of the reformers with great elegance, perspicuity, and strength; and which received its name from being presented, in 1530, to the emperor, at the diet held in that city, as the confession of faith of those who from having protested against the decree of the diet of Spires, (11) Clarke's Bibliographical Dictionary, VI, p. 194,

in 1529, had received the honourable denomination of PROTESTANTS.

After powerfully contributing by his talents, learning, and influence, to the spread of truth and the reformation of religion, this great and good man was called to his eternal rest, on the 19th of April, 1560; and his remains were interred in the presence of multitudes of real mourners, in the church of the castle at Wittemberg.

His works were collected by his son-in-law, Casper Peucer, and printed at Wittemberg in 1601, in 4 vols. folio. 12

JOHN BUGENHAGEN was a native of Pomerania, from whence he was sometimes called POMERANUS. He was born June 24th, 1485. He made considerable progress in learning, and became distinguished as rector of the school at Treptow. When Luther's treatise on the "Babylonish Captivity" came out in 1521, and he had read only a few pages of it, he exclaimed, "The author of this book is the most pestilent heretic that ever infested the church of Christ." After a few days he read it more carefully, and was induced to read it again and again, with the closest attention, and at length ingenuously recanted his opinion in the following strong terms: "The whole world is blind, and involved in Cimmerian darkness; and this man alone sees the truth." From this time he embraced the doctrines of Luther, and became the strenuous advocate of Justification by faith. " I am convinced," says he, "that the Holy Ghost is with Luther; he is a man of an honest holy, firm, and invincible spirit."

During many years he had been much given to prayer and the study of the Scriptures. At the age of thirty-six he removed to Wittemberg, was chosen parochial minis

(12) Melchior. Adami Vitæ Germ. Theolog, pp. 327-361, Francofurt, 1653.

Cox's Life of Melancthon, pp. 28, 29.

ter of the great church, and with much piety and usefulness discharged the duties of his station for thirty-six years.

After the translation of the Scriptures into the German language had been completed, in which he had been one of Luther's active coadjutors, he annually celebrated the day on which it was finished, by inviting his friends to partake of a feast conducted with cheerful gravity, and designated THE FESTIVAL OF THE TRANSLATION OF THE SCRIPTURES.

His piety, judgment, and intrepidity, caused him to be frequently employed in regulating and reforming different churches throughout Germany. Christian, or Christiern III. king of Denmark, invited him to Copenhagen, where Bugenhagen crowned the king, and afterwards ordained the seven superintendants of the Danish church. Henry, duke of Brunswick, also appointed him, with others, to inspect and regulate the churches under his government.

The last year of his life he was too feeble to sustain the labours of public preaching, he nevertheless visited the church daily, and commended it and himself to God by prayer; and, when necessary, attended the pastoral deliberations. In April he became too weak to leave his bed, and on the 20th of that month, in the year 1558, calmly resigned his spirit to God who gave it, frequently repeating, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." He retained his mental powers in their full vigour to the close of life, evidencing the most ardent attachment to the doctrines of the Reformation.

He was the author of Commentaries on several parts of the Old and New Testament, and of some smaller works.13

(13) M. Adami Vit. Germ. Theolog, pp. 311-319.

Milner's Hist. of the Church of Christ, V. p. 568,

JODOCUS, or JUSTUS JONAS, was the intimate friend of Erasmus, Luther, and Melancthon. He was born at Northausen, in Thuringia, June 5th, 1493. He applied himself first to the law, but soon quitted it for the study of divinity, by which means he became one of the zealous friends and disciples of Luther. In 1521, he was made president or principal of the college of Wittemberg. To this presidentship belonged the profession of the canon law; but as Jonas chose to employ his time in studying the Scriptures, and reading lectures in divinity to the students every day, he insisted upon giving up a portion of his salary to a lecturer in the canon law, and refused to accept the presidentship on any other terms. He wrote Annotations upon the Acts of the Apostles, printed at Basil, 1525, 8vo. He was also the author of a Defence of the Marriage of Priests, and several other tracts. He died October 9th, 1555."

CASPAR CRUCIGER, whose extensive and multifarious learning rendered him the able advocate of the Lutheran doctrines, was a native of Leipsic, where he was born January 1st, 1504. His native city was the scene of his first studies. After having acquired a knowledge of Latin and Greek, he repaired to Wittemberg, and not only perfected himself in those languages but gained an accurate acquaintance with the Hebrew, so that he is said to have possessed a fluency in them all, equal to that of his mother tongue. At the diet of Worms he attended in the capacity of notary; and was on other occasions so indefatigable a scribe, that it was to him the public owed copies of the chief part of the expositions and sermons delivered by Luther, in the university and church of Wittemberg. He was appointed rector of the school of Magdeburg, and gave great satisfaction in the discharge of the office; but a thirst for information induced him to return to Wit

(14) M. Adami Vit. Germ. Theolog, pp. 258–261.

Milner's Hist, of the Church of Christ, IV, p. 627.
VOL. II.

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