The History of Lynn, Vol. 2 [of 2]Richards, William
History
The History of Lynn, Vol. 2 [of 2]
Richards, William
Fens, The (England); King's Lynn (England)
and it seems he could be sometimes equally uncivil and foulmouthed when
he had occasion to speak of _Zuinglius_ and the rest of that party, who
did not receive his favourite doctrine of consubstantiation, or the real
presence; for whom he had no mercy, but consigned them all to everlasting
perdition; just as his modern disciples, our present _evangelicals_, do
to the poor Arians and Socinians.
As to the _papists_, it was not to be expected that he should be more
civil or polite to them than to the Zuinglians. Accordingly, we are told
that “the usual flowers of his speech, when addressing the pope and other
catholic prelates, were: villain, thief, traitor, apostle of the devil,
bishop of sodomites: and that the extent of his charity to them was to
wish that their bowels were torn out, that they were cast into the
Mediterranean sea or into the flames, and that they were hurried away to
the devil. His treatment of the king of England, Henry VIII, with whom
he had at one time a theological controversy, (though afterwards they
grew into a better understanding with each other,) was not more
respectful than his treatment of the pope. Luther makes no difficulty to
call his royal antagonist, a Thomistical pig, an ass, a jakes, a
dunghill, the spawn of an adder, a basilisk, a lying buffoon disguised in
a king’s robe, a mad fool with a frothy mouth and a whorish face. He
even addresses him as follows: You lie, you stupid and sacrilegious
king.” {636a}
Another very unamiable and disgustful trait in Luther’s character was his
assuming an extraordinary and apostolic dignity and authority, under the
name or title of _Ecclesiastes_: “Martin Luther _Ecclesiastes_ of
Wittemberg.”—“It is not fitting, (said he,) that I should be without a
_title_, having received the work of the ministry, not from man, or by
man, but by the gift of God, and the revelation of Jesus Christ.” {636b}
This was evidently putting himself upon a level, at least, with Peter and
Paul, and the rest of the apostles, and claiming from professing
christians the deference or submission due to them. Accordingly, “he
plainly proclaims to the whole body of protestants, in case they presume
to consult together and determine about their common belief, that he will
return back to the ancient church, and revoke every word he had ever
written or taught against it; telling them that even in acting right,
when they acted without his authority, they were plunging themselves into
the jaws of hell.” {636c}
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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