Mathesius, Johann, a German Protestant theolo- £jian, was a native of Saxony. He studied at Witten- berg in 1528, and -vvas there for a while Luther's fellow- boarder. He was appointed rector of Joachirasthal in 1532, pastor in 1545, and died in 1564. He had wit- nessed many abuses resulting from the misconception of the doctrine of salvation by grace : we learn from liim that there were parties in the Church who claimed, on the strength of it, that faitli alone was necessary, and that works were of no imjiortance whatever, so that it did not matter whether the actions of believers were good or bad. Mathesius strongly opposed such hereti- cal views, and thus became involved in controversies which embittered the end of his life. He is especially known by seventeen sermons on the doctrine, the con- fession, and the death of Luther (Nuremberg, 1588 ; in recent times the biographical portions were collected and published under the title, J. Mathesius, d. Lehen d. Dr. Martin Luther, mil einer Vorrede von G. II. v. Schu- bert, Stuttgart). He wrote also various other sermons, a tract on justification, a catechism, and several hymns. His biograpliy was published by Balthasar Mathesius in 1705. See Jcicher, Gelehi-fen-Lexikon, and DoUinger, Die Ri'formation, ii, 127 ; Herzog, Real-EncyUopiddie, ix, 160; \\"m\i\\an\\, Christian Singers of Germany, -p. 140 sq. (.1. N. P.)
Mathetas (MoSj/rai, disciples) is one of the names by which the early followers of our Lord were known among tlieir contemporaries. All the common appella- tions of the professors of the Christian religion which occur in the N. T. were expressive of certain dispositions and privileges belonging to the sincere professor of the Gospel. See Christians ; Disciple.
Mathe'W, Father Theobald, the celebrated apostle of tem Iterance, a Catholic priest, was born in the county of Tipperary, Ireland, in 1814; was educated at the Ko- man Catholic seminary in Maynooth ; was appointed, after his ordination, to a missionary charge at Cork, where he established a charitable association on the model of that of St. Vincent de Paul. About 1838 he became president of a temperance society, and in a few montlis administered the pledge to 150,000 persons in Cork alone. He afterwards visited diiferent parts of Ireland, the cities of London, Manchester, and Liverpool, and the United States of America, and was everywhere received with enthusiasm. For these eminent services in the cause of religion and morality, queen Victoria be- stowed upon father IMathew an annuity of £500. He died Dec. 6, 1856, at Queenstown, Ireland. See Ma- guirc. Father Mathcir, a Biography (Loud. 1863) ; Mor- ris, Memoirs of the Life <f Theobald Mathew (New York, 1841); Ilensliaw, Life of Father Mathew (New York, 1841)), s. v. ; Harriet Martineau, Biogi-aphical Sketches (1869) ; Frase7-''s Magazine for Januarj-, 1841 ; Thomas, Diet, liiog. and Mythol. s. v.
Mathews, James ]\I., D.D., a minister of the (Dutch) licformed Church, was born in Salem, N. Y.. in 1785 ; graduated at Union College in 1803 ; at the Sem- inary of the Associate IJeformed Church in 1807; was licensed to preach tlie Gospel by the Associate Reformed I'resbytery in New York in 1807; became assistant pro- fessor in the theological seminary of his great preceptor, Kev. Dr. .lohn ls\. ]\Iason, in 1809, and continued there until 1818. After supjilying tJie South Dutch Church in Garden Street, New York, for one year, he became its pastor in 1812, and retained that relation until 1840. Thereafter he never again took a pastoral charge. He was the principal founder of the University of the City
of New York, and was its first chancellor — 1831 to 1839. The elegant marble edifice of the university and the ad- joining Reformed church on Washingtoit Square are monuments of his architectural taste and liberal proj- ects. Dr. Mathews published, in addition to various occasional pamphlets, a book o{ Autobiographical Recol- lections, a volume of lectures On the Relations of Science to Christianity, and another on The Bible and Men of Learning (1855). He was a man of noble presence and courtly manners, scholarly in his tastes and liabits, a powerfid preacher, and fertile in large plans of Christian usefulness. His last labors were given for many months before his decease to preparations for an evangelical council, held in New York, composed of representatives from most of the American churches, and over which he presided, in October, 1869. He was a zealous advocate of the Evangelical Alliance, and of other forms of Chris- tian imion ; and it is believed that his latest efforts in this cause exhausted his strength and hastened his end. Dr. JMathews was naturally a leader of men. His learn- ing was extensive, his tact and skill were great, and his zeal was ardent. Associated with prominent men and events for more than threescore years, he bore an active part in nearly all of the great religious and philanthropic movements of our country during this period. He died January, 1870, after a brief illness, in the city of New York, where his life was spent. (W. J. K. T.)
Mathilda, a Roman Catholic saint, and queen of Germanj', was born in Westphalia, towards the close of the 9th century. She was the daughter of Theodoric, count of Oldenburg, a descendant of the famed Witti- kind, and of a princess of Denmark. She was educated by her grandmother, abbess of the convent of Herword. In 909 she was married to Henry, afterwards king of Germany. On the throne she preserved the piety and simplicity which distinguished her from her youth. A great part of her time was spent in prayer. She gave liberally to the poor, whom she often nursed her- self. She had three sons: the emperor Otho the Great; Henry, duke of Bavaria; and Bruno, archbishop of Co- logne. One of her daughters, Hedwige, was married to Hugh the Great, duke of France, and became mother of Hugh Capet. After the death of her husband, Otho and Henry of Bavaria quarrelled concerning the crown of Germany. Henry, for whom his mother showed great partiality on this occasion, having subsequently become reconciled with Otho, joined him in despoiling Slathilda of her dowry and of all her possessions, under pretence that she was squandering the money of the state in giving alms to the poor. Her property was, however, subsequently returned to her through the in- terference of Edith, wife of Otho. The remainder of her life was passed in meditation and works of charit}% She founded several convents, and died at Qucdlinburg, iVIarch 14, 968. See A eta Sanctorum, INlarch 14 ; l?ail- let, Vie des Saints ; Mabillon, Scecula Ordinis Benedicto- rnm; Hchwurz, De JIathilda, abbatissa Quedlimburgensi (Altdorf, 1736, 4to) ; Breitenbauch, Leben d. Kaiserin Mathilde (Reval, 1780, 8vo) ; Treitschke, Ileinrich I und Mafhilde (Lpz. 1814, 8vo); Mathilde Gemahlin Ilein- richs I (Augsburg, 1832, 8vo). — Herzog, Real-Encyldo- pddie, ix, 161 ; Hoefer, Nouv, Biog. Generate, xxxiv, 250. (J. N. P.)