Bartholdus and Hallerus Anno Christi 1524. he went to Basil where he profered a publick disputation with the Popish Divines of that place but the Masters of the Universitie would not suffer it saying That his Theses savoured of the new Doctrine till the Senate being informed hereof gave him free liberty of disputing and then Farellus set up his Theses publickly in the Colledge which were these Christus nobis perfectam vivendi regulam praescripsit Christi mandata sunt observanda in quibus iis qui continentiae donum non habent matrimonium praecipitur Alienum est evangelii luce Judaicum discrimen vestitus ciborum aliarum ceremoniaâ—um observare Periculosae sunt preces muâ—torum verborum contra Christi mandatum Christi mandata non sunt in consilia convertenda nâ—c contra Soli Deo Sacrificia offerenda quae Spiritus dictat c. When these Positions were divulged the Bishops Vicar the Rector and Governours of the University forbade all under them upon pain of excommunication either to dispute or to harken to them The Senate on the contrary thinking that this command derogated from their authority commanded their Parish Ministers and students of the University that they should be present and if they did otherwise they forbad them the use of their mills furnaces and Merchandize Hereupon a Disputation ensued in a great Assembly of the Clergy and Citizens But shortly after the Bishops Vicar and the Rector of the University and their Popish faction drove him by force from Basil their darknesse not enduring the light Neither was the servant greater then his Master From thence he went to Mont-Bellicard and to some other places where he preached the Gospel with so much fervour and zeal that it was evident unto all that he was called of God thereunto Anno Christi 1527. he went to a certain Towne called AElin where he preached the Gospel and was admonished by Occolampadius to mingle prudence with his zâ—al Anno 1528. he went to Aquileta amongst the Bernates where he preached Christ and undauntedly opposed Antichrist disputing also with divers at Bern whereupon ensued a wonderfull change in Ecclesiasticall affaires Anno Christi 1528. he with Vâ—ret went to Geneva where they planted the Church and propagated the Gospel and many of the Citizens imbraced it yet at first not so much out of love to the truth as out of hatred to Popish Tyranny Long he had not been there before the Bishops Officers drew him into the Bishops Count which two of the Studies much disliked the rather because Farell promised them that he would prove all his Doctrine out of the holy Scriptures So that they accompanied him into the Bishops Court that they might see all things to proceed in judgement lawfully but it fell out otherwise For the Judge of the Court would by no means endure a Disputation saying If that be suffered all our mystery will be destroyed and withall railing upon Farell he said Thou most wicked devill why camest thou to this City to trouble us I am not answered Farel as you call me but I preach Jesus Christ who was crucified for our sins and rose againe and he that beleeveth in his name shall bee saved This is the summe of my arrant I am a debtor unto all that are ready to hear and obey the Gospel desiring this onely that the obedience of Faith may flourish every where and I came into this City to see if there were any that would lend me he hearing and I wilrender an account of my faith and hope every where and will confirm my Doctrine with my blood if need be Then cryed out one of the Court in Latine He hath blasphemed what need we any more witnesses He is guilty of death Hurle him into Rhodanus Hurle him into the Rhodanus its better this one Lutheran should be put to death then that further troubles should be raised Farel answered Do not utter the words of Caiphas but of God Then one strake him on the mouth with his fist and hee was commanded to stand aside as if they would consult and in the interim he was shot at with a gunne by the Vicars serving-man but it hit him not God defending his servant And though one of the Syndics favoured him yet now the other shrunk from him so that the Bishops Councell prevailed that he should be driven out of the City And thus being accompanyed with some Citizens hee and his partner Anthony Salner were expelled the City but God turned it to the great good of others for they sowed the seed of the Word in the neighbouring Country by the side of the Lake Lemannus viz. at Orba and Granson Neither yet through Gods power and goodnesse was the work interrupted at Geneva For just at the same time came a young man of the Delphinate called Anthony Frumentius who entering into the City taught a publick School together with the Rudiments of Grammer he most happily layd the Foundation of Christian Religion in the hearts and mindes of his Scholars which were not a few Anno Christi 1541 Master Farel went to Metis and preached in the Church-yard of the Dominicans The Friers when they could not otherwise hinder him rang their Bells But he having a strong voice did so strain it that he went on audibly to the end of his Sermon The day after there came about three thousand persons together to hear the Word of God but some that favoured the Gospel intreated Mr. Farel so long to forbear as till he might preach without a tumult Then was he questioned by the Magistrates by what authority or by whose request he preached To which hee answered By the command of Christ and at the request of his Members Gravely discoursing both of his own authority and of the excellency of the Gospel telling the Magistrate what his duty was in reference thereunto But shortly after by the command of the Emperour the Citizens of Metis were forbidden to hear any man preach who was not licensed by the Bishop and some others Whereupon Mr. Farel went from thence to Neocome where he wholly employed himself in the service of the Church performing the office of a faithfull Pastor to extreame old age with admirable zeale and diligence When he heard of Calvin's sicknesse in the year 1564 hee could not satisfie himself though he was seventy years old but he must goe to Geneva to visit him He survived Calvin one year and odde moneths and died aged 76 years Anno Christi 1565. Anno Christi 1553 the Genevians though they owed themselves wholly to him yet were carried on with such fury that they would have condemned Farel to death and did such things against him that Calvin wished hee might might have expiated their anger with his blood This was that Farel who discouraged by no difficulties deterred with no threatnings reproaches or
Catalogum Consulum Romanorum alia opuscula Item de consolatione decumbentium De idea boni Pastoris De concionibus Funebribus M. CHEMNICIVS The Life of Martin Chemnisius who died A no Christi 1586. MArtin Chemnisius was born at Britza in Old March Anno Christi 1522 of honest but mean Parents so that his father being poor he met with many impediments to discourage and hinder him in Learning yet bearing a great love to it by his exceeding industry he overcame all difficulties and after some progresse at home he went to Magdeburg where he studied the Tongues and Arts. And from thence to Frankfurt upon Oder where he studied Philosophy under his Kinsman George Sabinâ— and after hee had spent some time there he went to Wittenberg where he prosecuted his former studies together with the Mathematicks under Melancthou and other Professors From thence he went to Sabinum in Borussia where he taught School and commenced Master of Arts and Anno Christi 1552 he was made the Princes Library-keeper and had a competent subsistence in the Court. At that time he wholly applied himself to the study of Divinity By reason of his knowledge and skill in the Mathematicks and Astronomy he was very dear to the Duke of Borussia and for the same cause John Marquesse of Brandenburg favoured him very much Yea by his modest and sincere carriage hee procured much favour from the Courtiers Anno Christi 1555 Chemnistus being desirous after three years stay in the Court to return to the Universities for the perfecting of his studies was rewarded by Prince Albert with ample Letters of commendation and so dismissed After which he went again to Wittenberg where he sojourned with Melancthon and was imployed by him publickly to read Common places From thence after a while he was sent to Brunople in Saxonie by the Senate and made Pastor which place he discharged with singular fidelity and approbation for the space of thirty years partly as Pastor and partly as Superintendent and commenced Doctor in Divinity at Rostoch serving the Church with great faithfulness and commendations both by preaching and reading Lectures Many Princes and Commonwealths made use of his advice and assistance in Ecclesiastical affairs He took great pains in asserting the Truth against the adversaries of it as his excellent Exameâ— of the Tridentine Council shews At last being worn out with study writing preaching c. he resigned up his spirit unto God Anno Christi 1586 and of his age 63. He is said by one to be Philosophus summus Theologus profundissimus neque veritatis bonarumque artium studio neque laude officit facile cuiquam secundus His Workes are these De origine Jesuitarum Theologiae Jesuitarum praecipua capita Explicatio Doctrinae de duabus in Christo naturis Fundamenta sanae Doctrinae Enchiridion de praecipuis caelestis Doctrinae capitibus De peccato Origin contra Manichaeos Examen decretorum Concilii Tridentini Concio de Baptismo Harmonia Evangelica The Life of Rodolphus Gualter who died Anno Christi 1586. ROdolphus Gualter was born in Zurick An. Christi 1519. When he first applyed his mind to the study of humane Arts and Tongue hee had such an happy wit that he was inferiour to none of his fellows in Poetry and Oratory and being afterwards admitted into the University he became famous first for his knowledge in the Arts and afterwards of Divinity He was chosen Pastor in that City where first he drew his vitall breath neither were which chose him deceived in their expectation for he proved an admirable instrument of Gods glory and their good discharging his place with fingular industry diligence and fidelity not onely by his frequent publick preaching but by his learned private writings as his Homilies upon much of the Old and New Testament do sufficiently declare And having governed and sed that Church for above forty years together he died in a good old age Anno Christi 1586 and of his Life seventie four Scripsit Homilias in Johannis Epistolas In canâ—cum Zachariae De Nativitate pueritia educatione Domini De servitnte peccati libertate fidelium De origine prastantia authoritate S. Scripturae In 12 Prophetas minores In Maâ—thaum Marcum Lucam Johannem Acta Apostol Epist. ad Romanes ad Corinthios ad Galatas In Esaiam With many other Works set down by Verheiden The Life of Ludovicus Lavater who died A no Christi 1586. LUdovicus Lavator was born in Zurick a famous City of the Helvetians and having drunk in the first Rudiments of Learning became famous by his diligence in the Schooles and his excellent wit insomuch as Bullinger gave his daughter in marriage to him And though a Prophet be not without honour but in his own country yet was he chosen a Pastor in that City and made a Lecturer in the Schooles and hee taught and illustrated both faithfully by his Ministry and Writings He published manys his Father-in-law Bullingers Works And having spent himelf in the Work of the Lord and service of his Church he quietly resigned up his spirit into the hands of his heavenly Father Anno Christi 1586. He wrote Commentaries upon Joshuah both books of the Chronicles Ruth Ester Job Proverbs and Ezekiel Besides his Historia de ortu progressu controversiae Sacramentariae Tractatus de spectris lemuribus fragoribus variisque praesagitionibus quae plerumque obitum hominum magnas clades praecedunt With divers others mentioned in particular by Verheiden GAS. OLEVIAN The Life of Gaspar Olevian who died A no Christi 1587. GAspar Olevian was born in Trevir Anno Christi 1536. His Fathers name was Gerhard a Baker in that City and Master of his Company but this Gasper was carefully brought up in learning by his Grandfather who set him to severall Schooles in that City and at thirteen years old hee was sent to Paris to study the Civill Law from thence also hee went to the Universities of Orleance and Biturg where hee heard the most famous Lawyers of those times He joyned himself also to the Congregation of Protestants which met privately together in both those Cities In Biturg he was admitted into the Order of Lawyers after the solemn manner of the University being made Doctor Anno Christi 1557. About which time there studyed in that Universitie under Nicholas Judex the young Prince Palatine sonne to Frederick the third afterwards Elector And Olevian being very intimate with Judex went one day after dinner to the River Lieg hard by the City together with him and the young Prince and when they came thither they found some young Noble Germans that were students there going into a boat who desired the Prince and his Tutor to goe over the River with them But Olevian perceiving that they had drunk too freely diswaded them from venturing themselves amongst
injuria praesentium malorum fiducia futurorum bonorum All injurie of evils present is to be neglected for the hope of good things to come Nihil prodest verbis proferre virtutem factis destruere To set out vertue in words and by deeds to destroy the same is nothing worth Cyprian in another Book mentioneth twelve absurdities in the life of man which are these Sapiens sine operibus A wise man without good works Senex sine Religione An old man without Religion Adolescens sine Obedientia A young man without Obedience Dives sine Elemosyna A rich man without Alms. Famina sine Pudicitia A woman without shamefastness Dominus sine Virtute A guide without Vertue Christianus contentiosus A contentious Christian. Pauper superbus A poor man that is proud Rex inîquns A King that is unjust Episcopus negligens A Bishop that is negligent Plebs sine Disciplina People without Discipline Populus sine Lege Subjects without Law His works are four Books containing 62 Epistles Besides Tractatus contra Demetrianum De Habitu Virginum De Simplicitate Praelatorum De Idolorum Vanitate Sermo de Ele emosyna De Zelo Livore De bono Patientiae De Mortalitate De Lapsis De Oratione Dominica Liber de Exhortatione Martyris The Life of Arnobius who flourished Anno Christi 330. ARnobius was a famous Professor of Rhetorick in a City of Africk called Sicca About the year 330. being converted to the Christian Religion he came to some Bishops earnestly desiring to be admitted into the Church and Baptized but they suspecting nè vir seculari eloquentiâ tumens c. lest a man swelling and puffed up with secular wisdom and who had always hitherto opposed Christian Religion should make a mock both of them and it therefore they rejected him whereupon he offered unto them those seven Excellent Volumes of his Disputations against his former Gentilism which they seeing with great joy received him He was Master to Lactantius He used to say that Persecution brings Death in one hand and Life in the other for while it kils the Body it crowns the Soul He flourished under Dioclesian between Anno Christi 300. 330. Learned Scultetus in his Medulla Patrum holds all the works that go under the name of this Arnobius to be spurious but only those seven Books which he wrote against the Gentiles wherein saith he Eruditè quidem tumido elatoque orationis genere contra gentes disputat The Life of Eusebius who dyed Anno Chri. 340. THe life of Eusebius was written by Acatius his Disciple and successor in the Bishoprick of Caesarea which being lost I can meet with no Author that gives us any account either of his Parents Masters or his first course of life But Eusebius is commended to the Christian World not for his Parents and Masters sake but for his excellent wit and great variety of Learning So that S. Basil saith of him Eusebius Palaestinus est fide dignus propter multiplicem experientiam Eusebius of Palestine is worthy to be credited for his great experience S. Hierom saith Eusebius in Divinis Scripturis studiosissimus Bibliothecae Divinae cum Pamphilo Martyre diligentissimus pervestigator Eusebius was a great student of the sacred Scriptures and together with Pamphilus the Martyr a most diligent seacher of the Divine Library Evagrius saith Eusebius vir sanè cùm in aliis rebus disertissimus tùm in scribendo tantum pollens ut possit lectores suorum librorum etsi non efficere perfectos Christianos ita tamen persuadendo impellere ut Christianam Religionem lubenter colant Eusebius truly was a man as in other things most Eloquent so in writing of such prevalency that though he could not make the Readers of his Books perfect Christians yet he could inforce them by his perswasions willingly to embrace the Christian Religion He was Bishop of Caesarea Palestina and for his great love to Pamphilus sir-named Pamphilus a most learned man of whom Constantine the Great used to say that he was worthy to be Bishop not of one only City but of the whole World and for his eloquence Hierom stiled him Romani eloquii Tubam the Trumpet of Roman Elocution About this time Eustathius Bishop of Antioch was deposed from his Bishoprick as some say for the Sabellian Heresie whereupon there was kindled in Antioch such a fierie flame of Sedition that in a manner the whole City was therewith turned upside down Amongst the common sort of people some cleaved to this side some to that The Garrison Souldiers also were so divided and set one against the other that if God and the Allegiance they owed to the good Emperour Constantine the Great had not been called to remembrance they had lamentably murthered one another But the Emperour by his Letters appeased the Tumult and Sedition that was raised amongst them the cause whereof was this One party of them chose Eusebius Pamphilus for their Bishop and would bring him in the other party would have their former Bishop Eustathius again But Eusebius refused to come to them whereupon the Emperour Constantine highly commended him for his wisdom and moderation Afterwards a Synod being gathered at Tyre to determine the controversies which were sprung up amongst the Bishops Constantine sent Eusebius thither to take cognizance of their differences where this memorable thing fell out Potamon one of the Bishops seeing Eusebius to rit as a Judge and Athanasius standing and pleading his cause before him being overcome with sorrow and weeping for those things which he saw the Professors of the Truth to suffer with a loud voice he inveighed against Eusebius saying Thou sittest there Eusebius and innocent Athanasius stands to be judged by thee Who can endure such things Tell me Eusebius Was thou not in Prison with me in the time of Persecution and I truly lost one of my Eyes for the Truth sake but thou hast nothing mutilated in thy Body neither didst thou give any testimony for thy Confession thou livest and hast had no member cut off How gatest thou out of Prison but because thou either madest a promise of submission to our Persecutors or else didst that which was abominable Eusebius hearing these things grew into great choller and dissolved the Assembly saying If you come hither and now speak such things against us surely your Accusers speak nothing but the truth For if you go about to exercise a Tyranny here much more will you do it in your own Country There is much contest amongst Divines both Ancient and Modern what Eusebius Faith was about the person of the Son of God Some charge him with Arianism for denying the Deity of Christ but Athanasius saith that he recanted it in the Nicaene Council Eustathius of Antioch accused him for innovating the Nicaene Creed when as himself professed that he rested satisfied therewith Hierom nameth him for an open defender of the Arian
not suffer their Bishop to have any violence done to him Hereupon the people being assembled from all parts a great tumult was raised so that every one expected a Sedition to ensue the President sent presently to the Emperour to acquaint him with these proceedings and in the mean time suffered Athanasius to remain in the City Many days after when the Sedition was well appeased Athanasius privily stole out of the City and went and hid himself in a certain secret place The night after the President and Colonel of the Souldiers went to his house which joined to the Church and there sought every corner for him but not finding him they lost their labours For they thought that now the people were quieted and feared no such matter they might easily apprehend him and so execute the Emperours command But when Athanasius could not be found every one much wondered at it believing that God had discovered the danger to him and thereby preserved him from it Others say that Athanasius mistrusting the heady and rash motion of the common people fearing that if any mischief were wrought by them it would be laid to his charge retired privily and hid himself for the space of four months in his Fathers Monument But in the mean time the Emperour Valence considering how many friends Athanasius had which by reason of his absence might happily raise commotions to the great prejudice of the Empire and withall considering that Valentinian who was an earnest Defender of the Nicene Faith might take the banishment of Athanasius very hainously hereupon he wrote very loving Letters to the people of Alexandria signifying that his pleasure was that Athanasius should quietly according to their hearts desire enjoy his Bishoprick Yet in other places a great Persecution was raised against the Orthodox who were driven out of their Churches and Arians placed in their rooms only the Churches of Egypt enjoyed Peace all the life time of Athanasius whose death fell out not long after when having endured many skirmishes in the quarrel of the Church and having been Bishop 46 years in which time he had often been in great hazard of his life yet at the length through the goodness and mercy of God he dyed in peace in his own City of Alexandria leaving behinde him Peter a godly and zealous man to succeed him Anno Christi 375. It was said of him Non solùm Episcopi c. Not only Bishops but Emperours Kingdoms Nations and Armies opposed him whereupon he used to say Though an Army should encamp about me yet would I not fear In the time of Julian the Apostate who made much use of Conjurers the Magicians and Southsayers in Alexandria cryed out that they could do nothing in their Art except Athanasius were removed out of the City It was said of him Vnus Athanasius contra totum mundum One Athanasius stood firm against all the world Gregory Nazianzen stiles him Tubam ingentem Columnam Ecclesiae The great Trumpet and Pillar of the Church Theodoret stiles him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Bulwark of Truth His Works are commonly printed in two Tomes which Scultetus distinguisheth into Germana Dubia Supposita Germana sunt Oratio adversus Gentes Oratio de incarnatione verbi Expositio Fides Respons ad Liberium Epistola de fide ad Jovinianum Sermo de incarnatione Orationes quinque contra Arianos Tractat in illud dictum Omnia mihi sunt tradita à Patre Epistolae and Adelphinum fratrem and Maximum Philosophum de sententia Dionysii Refutatio hypocriseos Miletii Eusebii Pauli Samosetani Sermo de humana natura suscepta Epistolae ad Epictetum de Incarnatione Christi contra Apolinarium Oratio contra Apolinarium Oratio contra gregales Sabellii Epistolae duae ad Scrapionem de spiritu sancto Epistola de Incarnatione Verbi Dei. Apologiae ad Imperatorem Constantinum De fuga sua prima secunda Ad Africà nos Narratio de Concilio Nicaeno Epistola Catholica Epistolae ad Antiochenses ad Serapionem de morte Arii ad omnes solitariam vitam agentes De Synodis Arimini Seleuciae ad omnes ubique Orthodoxos Ad Joan. Antiochum Ad Palladium Ad Dracontium Ad Ruffianum De Sabbato Circumcisione De peccato in S. Sanctum Synopsis Scripturae sanctae Dubia sunt Orationes de Semente De Ascensione Christi Symbolum Athanasii Epistola ad Aremùn Fragmentum Epistolae festalis Vita S. Antonii De Virginitate sive de meditatione Omnia reliqua sunt supposititia The Life of Hilarie who flourished An. Chri. 355. HIlarie Bishop of Poictiers was nobly descended and of excellent gifts He was frequent in Preaching exemplary in Life a great opposer of the Arian Heresie whereupon the Bishops Valence and Vrsacius procured the Emperour to banish him into Phâ—ygia Afterwards the Emperour commanding many Bishops to assemble at Seleucia to give their opinions about the Arian Heresie Hilarie carried himself so well there that he was restored to Poictiers After which he travelled over Italy and France diligently instructing the Bishops of both those countries in the Canons of the Catholick Faith He was a very Eloquent man and wrote many things in the Latine tongue amongst which he wrote 12 Books of the Trinity expounded the Canon containing the clause Of One Substance proved it sufficiently and confuted the arguments of the Arians He was a very Heavenly man both in his Life and Doctrine and by his means especially the Faith confirmed in the Nicene Council was propagated and defended in these Western parts of the World all his life time He wrote also against the Emperour Constantius one Book Two Books to the Emperour against Auxentius the Arian Commentaries on Matthew Epistles to S. Augustine c. He dyed in peace under Valentinian and Valence CYRIL The Life of Cyril who dyed Anno Christi 365. Cyrillus Bishop of Jerusalem was at the first an Arian and therefore by that faction was made Bishop of Hierusalem but shortly after he was accused in a Council for certain hainous crimes by whom he was deposed from his Bishoprick and being often called by them to purge himself from those crimes he still absented himself for the space of 2 years thinking thereby to escape and the crime to be forgotten as soon as he was deposed he sent an appellation in writing to his Deposers appealing from them to the Judges of the Higher Court. Constantius the Emperour admitted his appellation so that Cyril was the first and the only man that brought in this president so prejudicial to the Ecclesiastical constitutions At length he came to Seleucia to have his cause heard where his Deposition was confirmed for his communicating with certain heretical Bishops and Herennius was substituted in his room Bishop of Hierusalem and after him Heraclius and after him Hilarius These continued the Government of that Church till the reign of Theodosius senior At which
he so contented Modestus the Emperours Praefect that he drew that wicked man by the shining of his vertue to admire him By this when the Emperour Valence himself entred into his Church he first astonished him and afterwards by his discreet conference deterred him from his cruelty year reclaimed him from the faction of the Arians though afterwards those wicked men prevailed to bring him over to them again He had always a minde so prepared for Martyrdom that he desired it as a great favour In all his writings there is such a peculiar grace and excellency that he never tires his Reader but always dismisseth him with a thirst after more One saith of him that the true beauty of his soul did shine forth in his Eloquence Rhetorick being both his companion and servant Hierom was his scholar He was of such Authority in the Greek Churches that whosoever durst oppose his testimony was suspected for an Heretick He so loved solitude that when for his excellent Learning and Sanctity he should first have been made a Bishop he retired himself into obscurity but being discovered the people chose him for their Bishop At last growing old and unfit for his publick imployment he constituted another Bishop and returned to his former solitude He flourished under Theodosius He used to say That in a great multitude of people of several Ages and Conditions who are like an Harp with many strings it is hard to give every one such a touch in Preaching as may please all and off end none He wrote divers works both in prose and verse The Life of Epiphanius who flourished Anno Christi 370. EPiphanius Bishop of Salamine in Cyprus was born in Palestine in an obscure Town called Besanduces of poor and obscure parents his Father dying when he was young he was adopted and brought up by one Tryphon a Jew whereby he attained to an excellent knowledge in the Hebrew He was converted to the Christian Faith by one Lucianus famous for his Learning and Vertue Lucianus put him to Hâ—arion to learn under whom he profited exceedingly Whilest he was a boy certain Hereticks called the Gnosticks cunningly sought to invegle him and to draw him over to their opinions but it pleased God to preserve him from the temptation and to keep him in the Truth In his riper years he was famous in the Church for his Piety Holiness of Life and for the Sincerity of his Doctrine and Elegancy of his Stile as his Books witness which shew their Author to be a man of great reading skilful in the Tongues well acquainted with Controversies prudent in asserting the Truth and acute in confuting Errors whereupon Melancthon saith of him We have no fuller an History of those ancient affairs of the Church then the writings of Epiphanius do contain in which whilest he intends the Confutation of Heresies he inserts many Historical passages So that out of this Author may be collected almost a continued History of the ancient Church if any would with prudence join his Narrations together and I wish that some Prince would take care to see such a work done He was of a very liberal and charitable disposition insomuch as he spent all his estate in relieving the Poor Being afterwards chosen Bishop of Salamine in Cyprus he at first modestly refused that dignity but importunity prevaling with him he so lived that Vitam doctrinâ doctrinam vitâ comprobaret his Doctrine approved his Life and his Life desended his Doctrine He was semper Hereticorum acerrimus oppugnator always a sharp opposer of Hereticks He purged all Cyâ—rus defiled and slurried with divers Heresies and having gained an Edict from Theodosius the Emperour he cast all the Hereticks out of the Island About this time Theophilus Bishop of Alexandria having upon some false surmises conceived displeasure against John Chrysostom Bishop of Constantinople he sought cunningly to thrust him out of his Bishoprick whereupon he sent Letters to the Bishops throughout every City concealing his principal drift and only pretending that he misliked the Books of Origen Epiphanius also being at this time very old Theophilus wrought upon his weakness and prevailed with him to call a Council in Cyprus In which Council the Bishops Decreed that thenceforth none should read the works of Origen and by the instigation of Theophilus they wrote also to Chrysostom exhorting him to abstain from the perusing of those Books and requesting him to summon a Council at Constantinople and to ratifie that Decree with the uniform consent of all After this Epiphanius went to Constantinople and contrary to the Canons of the Church Ordained some Ministers there and administred the Sacrament Yet Chrysostom honoured him highly went with the rest of his Clergy to welcome him to the City invited him to lodge at his own house and to make use of his Church during his abode there But Epiphanius being prepossessed with prejudice answered that he would neither lodge in his house nor join with him in Prayer except he would condemn the Books of Origen and drive away Dioscorus with his associates from him who were favourers of Origen But Chrysostom answered that it would be great injustice to condemn men before their cause was heard especially considering that the time for administration of the Sacrament was now near and with this answer he left him Presently after the Enemies of Chrysostom came to Epiphanius and perswaded him publickly before all the people to condemn the Books of Origen and also Dioscorus and his followers and withall to tax the Bishop of the City for favouring these persons Epiphanius being of too facile a disposition went out the next day to perform these things which Chrysostom hearing of sent Serapion who met him not far from the Church and protested that if he did these things he would do that which was neither just nor equal nor convenient for himself For that hereby he might bring himself into danger if any tumult should be raised amongst the people Hereupon he desisted yet privately he called together some Bishops that stayed in the City and shewed them the Decrees which condemned the Books of Origen and drew some of them to assent to the same but the greatest part refused and Theotymnus Bishop of Scythia blamed him to his face for it and told him that it was altogether unlawful thus to calumniate and asperse a man that was dead long since especially being of so great worth and his writings approved of by their Predecessours c. At last he resolved to return into Cyprus and for a farewel to Chrysostom he said I hope that thou wilt not dye a Bishop To which Chrysostom replyed and I hope thou wilt never return into thy own Country Both which came to pass for a while after Chrysostom was cast out of his Bishoprick and Epiphanius dyed upon the Sea and when he found himself mortally sick he called his
friends and said to them Salvi estote filii c. God bless you my children for Epiphanius shall see your faces no more in this life and â—hortly after he dyed aged 115 years having been Bishop 55 years his loss was exceedingly lamented at Salamine He used to say That he never let his adversary sleep not that he disturbed him in his sleep but because he agreed with him presently and would not let the Sun go down upon his wrath His Works are printed together being most of them against the Heresies of his time the names are Opus contra Octuaginta Haereses Panarium Appellatum Compendium Fidei Christianae Anchoratus docens de Fide Christiana Anacephalaeosis sive summa totius operis Panarii appellatum Libellus de mensuris ponderibus Historia de Prophetarum vita interitu Epistola ad Johannem Episc Constantinopolitanum AMBROSE The Life of Ambrose who dyed An. Christi 397. A Mbrose Bishop of Millain his Father was a Praefect in France when Ambrose was an Infant a swarm of Bees as he lay in his Cradle setled on his Face and flew away without hurting of him whereupon his Father said Si vixerit infantulus iste aliquid magni erit if this childe live he will be some great man Afterwards he went to Rome and gained great knowledge in the Liberal Arts and was excellently accomplished with Eloquence and sweet behaviour whereupon he was made Governor of Insubria and so went to Millain where he was made Lieutenant and being made Lieutenant thereof about the same time this strange act happened When Auxentius whom the Arians had chosen to be Bishop of that Sea dyed all was there on an uprore about the Election of another Bishop and great strife there was whilst some would prefer this man and some others that man unto the Bishoprick The tumult being raised Ambrose the Lieutenant of the City who also was a Consul fearing greatly lest that Schism would breed mischief in the City came purposely into the Church to appease the Sedition And his presence prevailing very much with the people after he had given them many notable exhortations and thereby mitigated the rage of the heady and rash multitude All on a sudden with one voice and as it were with one mouth nominated Ambrose for their Bishop hoping hereby that all things would be reconciled and that all would embrace one Faith and Opinion The Bishops that were present thought verily that the uniform voice of the people was the voice of God himself wherefore without any further deliberation they took Ambrose who was but a Catechumenist and baptized him purposing also to enstal him in the Bishoprick Ambrose came willingly to Baptism yet denyed utterly to be a Bishop whereupon the Bishops made the Emperour Valentinian privy to their doings He wondering at the consent and agreement of the people judged that which was done to be the work of God himself he signified therefore to the Bishops that they should obey the Will of God and create Ambrose Bishop saying that God rather then men preferred him to this dignity Thus Ambrose being made Bishop the Citizens of Millain who aforetime were at discord amongst themselves thenceforth imbraced Peace and Unity Whereupon the good Emperour publickly returned thanks unto God in these words I give thee humble thanks O Omnipotent God and our Saviour Jesus Christ that whereas I had committed the Government of their Bodies to this man thou hast also committed their Souls to his care and thereby hast declared that my sentence was just in appointing him to such a place Not long after Ambrose spake very freely to the Emperour complaining of divers things which were ill administred by sundry of the Magistrates To whom that worthy Emperour answered I knew long ago that thou wast a free-spoken man for which cause I was so far from resisting thine Ordination to the Bishoprick as that I gave my free and full consent to it wherefore according to the rule of Gods Holy Word do thou prepare a medicine for our erring mindes This good Emperour a while after dying Justina his Wife being infected with the â—ilth of Arianism yet whilest her husband lived she could no kinde of way molest those that embraced the Faith of One Substance but after his decease removing to Millain together with her young son she raised such tumults against Ambrose the Bishop that in the end she prevailed for his banishment But the people who bore singular love and affection to Ambrose withstood her Act and hindred their force that went about to convey him into exile and it pleased God that just at the same time news came that Maximus a Britain had rebelled and that Gratian the Emperour was slain in France by Andâ—agathius the Captain of Maximus Which news so cooled the heat of Justina's spleen that she was content to let Ambrose alone Yet did she proceed to work upon the tender and flexible minde of her young son Valentinian junior and to instil into him the Principles of Arianism and the young man deceived by the enticements of his Mother too greedily drank in the poison thereof whereupon at length he began to communicate his minde to Ambrose supposing that if he could but draw him to his opinion he could easily overcome the rest But Ambrose began to minde him of the Piety and Sincerity of his Father exhorting him to defend the Truth which he had received from him as he would defend his Empire He also opened to him the difference between those two opinions shewing him how that of the Arians was directly contrary to the Doctrine of Christ and his holy Apostles and that of the Orthodox was most consonant thereunto But the young man as a young man that was blinded with the Error of his Mother was so far from hearkening to the good counsel of Ambrose that on the contrary being inflamed with wrath he compassed the Church where Ambrose was with a great number of armed Souldiers thinking thereby to terrifie him But when he saw that this valiant Champion and Souldier of Christ was no whit affrighted he grew into such a rage that he commanded him to come forth of the Temple To whom Ambrose answered That will I never willingly do neither will I betray the Sheepfold of my Sheep to the Wolves nor deliver up this Temple of God to the Authors of blasphemy but if thou pleasest to kill me here is my breast peirce it either with thy sword or spear as thou pleasest for I desire and am willing to embrace such a death This his resolute answer made the Emperour to withdraw About this time Theodosius the great reigning in the East there fell out a great Sedition in the City of Thessalonica which some of the Magistrates coming to quiet by the furious people they were not only greatly reproached but stoned to death The news hereof being carried to
the Chaldean Language is made therein He studyed also the Syriack because through their commerce with the Helrews their speech was nere of kin to it In these holy labours though he spent some years as also in his rigorous course of Life yet he professeth that he took much pleasure therein For that which at first seemed difficult and troublesome by degrees became easie and familiar to him and that which was best in its own nature became most pleasant also Yea he was so far from prizing and desiring the delights of Rome that living in a Wilderneâ—s he seemed to converse with Angels Sometimes his friends visited him and sometimes himself visited his neighbour Monks and by intercourse of Letters he enjoyed the society of his absent friends And though he could have desired all his life long to enjoy this pleasing retiredness yet it much conduced to Gods glory and the good of the Church that this Champion of Christ should at last appear in publick and that this excellent Light should no longer be hid under a Bushel and therefore though he seemed unwilling thereto yet Divine Providence so ordered it that at last he was drawn back to Rome and that by the means of Epiphanius Bishop of Salamine in Cyprus and Paulinus Bishop of Antiochia by whom he was formerly Ordained a Presbyter At Rome he became acquainted with some Noble Matrons and amongst the rest with Marcella all whom he inflamed with the desire of studying the Sacred Scriptures yea himself became an Interpreter thereof unto them especially to Marcella who so profited under him that afterwards when any controversie arose about the testimony of Scripture in such and such points they repaired to her to be a Judge therein By these means the fame of Hierom grew so great that every one judged him worthy to succeed Damasus in the Bishoprick of Rome But as there is never a shadow but when the light is present so the eminency of this holy man wanted not envy There were not some wanting who calumniated him for his first departure into Syria and in his absence wounded him with the darts of their viruâ—ent tongues Notwithstanding which he was very dear to and highly prized by Damasus the present Romane Bishop and living three years in strict friendship with him and Paula a Noble Matron he procured the greater envy to himself thereby which at length brake forth into open burning For certain of the Arian Faction were closely crept into Rome who the better to conceal themselves had taken upon them the name of Origenists These men that they might the better strengthen themselves screwed themselves into familiar acquaintance with sundry Noble Matrons amongst whom they secretly spred the poyson of their Doctrines and because Hierom was much taken with Origens wit and had highly commended him they sought to make him a partner of their Faction being so much the more dangerous by how much under a pretence of friendship they plotted his ruine so that he began to consult about leaving Rome of which himself in a certain place speaks thus I was accounted a scandalous person a turncoat and inconstant a lyar and one that deceived by Satans artifice They kissed my hands whilest like Vipers they detracted me behinde my back they seemed to grieve for me with their lips whilest in their hearts they rejoyced at my hurt One jeared at my gate another at my laughter another under my simplicity seemed to fear some mischief He had many reasons to induce him to leave Rome The remembrance of his former ease and freedom from the troubles and distractions of the City then the troublesome celebrity of the City the more troublesome delights together with the pride and luxury which attended the same For about this time the riches of the Church increasing Christian simplicity began to decrease Also the malice and envy of the Origenists against him grew daily more violent especially Ruffinus living in the City at this time who as he never was a sincere friend to him so now he was a secret yet pestilent adversary against him Upon these and such like reasons Hierom left Rome and went back to Syria concerning which journey himself thus writes When saith he I touched at Cyprus I was entertained lovingly by the venerable Bishop Epipâ—anius when I came to Antiochia I enjoyed the society of that excellent Confessor Paulinus and departing from him in the midst of Winter the weather being extream cold I came to Hierusalem where I veiwed all things and saw those places with mine Eyes which I had only read or heard of before From thence I went into Egypt where I saw Asps lurking in the Monks Cels Lastly I returned to Bethlehem I saw also the famous Lake neither did I indulge my self but by travelling up and down learned many things which before I knew not In this journey he grew acquainted with Gregory Nazianzen whom he cals his Master and prosesseth that he learned much out of the Scriptures by his assistance He also often heard Apollinarius at Antioch and had much familiar society with him by whose perswasion he went to Alexandria and there compleated his studies in Divinity by the help of Didymus Lastly by the help of Barhanina a Jew he perfected his studies of the Hebrew tongue Thus by long experience having got much Wisdom and by the society of many Learned and Excellent men having attained to a great measure of Learning he buckled himself to the handling of Divinity Undertaking the Office of a Divine setling himself at Bethlehem which place by his Vertues and Writings he made famous all over the World and in which place he lived a very quiet and comfortable life in the company of some godly learned and faithful friends spending his time in Singing Psalms Translating the Bible and Preaching to his Auditors Very many resorted to him out of all Countries all whom according to his ability he entertained lovingly and bountifully driving none from his house but such as were branded for Heresie He wrote much against the Heresies of those times so that there was no chief Heretick but looked upon Hierom as his great Adversary And indeed there were never any times more full of Sedition and Confusion then those wherein the Hereticks had so diffused their Errors that it was a peice of great Art to be Orthodox Especially the Arians by their writings weapons and countenance of the Emperours had not only disturbed the Peace of the East but almost of all the World And when that Heresie was in some measure â—ulled asleep it revived in the Origenists who were crept into Rome it self and there secretly and cunningly spread abroad the poyson of their Doctrines The Captain of whom was Ruffinus of Aquileia who in his childehood had been very intimate with Hierom But afterwards these great friends became great enemies though the first breach betwixt them was pieced up by the Prudence
the Eastern Churches and seeking the glory of God and the good of the People regarded not the reproaches of evil tongues whilest his Minister did that which himself was less apt and fit to do By this means Augustine like a bright candle set in a candlestick gave light to all that were in the house The fame of this thing flying abroad was the occasion that many Presbyters being allowed by their Bsishops Preached the good Word of God to the People in the Bishops presence At this time the Manichaean Heresie had infected many both Citizens and Strangers in the City of Hippo being deceived by a certain Pestilent Heretick by name Fortunatus a Presbyter remaining in that City Hereupon many of those Citizens and Strangers both Catholicks and Donatists come to Augustine requesting him to confer and dispute with this Manichaean Presbyter whom they judged a learned man about his opinions who willingly imbraced the motion being ready to render a reason of the Faith and Hope that was in him to every one that should ask it as also not only to exhort with wholesome word of sound Doctrine but to convince the gainsayers But he enquired whether Fortunatus was willing to do the like Hereupon they hasted to Fortunatus exhorting perswading and earnestly intreating him to imbrace the motion But truly Fortunatus was very fearful to encounter with Augustine whom he had formerly known at Carthage infected with the same Error But being overcome by their importunity and ashamed to decline the encounter he promised to give Augustine a meeting and to dispute with him The time and place being appointed multitudes flocked to it publick Notaries were appointed to write down what passed the Disputation continued two days the event was that this Master of the Manichees was neither able to overthrow the Catholick Faith nor to defend his own Erroneous opinions and so wanting an Answer he which before was accounted a great and learned man was now judged of no value nor ability to defend his Errors which did so fill him with confusion and shame that presently after he forsook Hippo and never after returned again And so through the blessing of God upon Augustines labors many who before were infected with that Error were reclaimed and imbraced the true Catholick Faith Augustine continued to Preach the Word of Truth frequently both in the Church and from house to house confuting the Heresies of the times especially the Donatists Manichees and Pelagians The same also he did by his writings the Christians wonderfully admiring and rejoycing in it so that through Gods blessing the Catholick Church in Africk began to lift up her head which formerly had been wonderfully corrupted and dejected by reason of Hereticks especially through the Rebaptizings of the Donatists whereby they had infected and seduced many Augustines Books also and Tractates being dispersed filled with Learning and the Authority of the Holy Scriptures so prevailed through the Grace of God that not only the Catholicks but many Hereticks flocked to Hippo to hear him and every one that could write or get others to do it for them wrote forth his Notes for their future benefit so that the sweet smell of the Doctrine of Chirst was by this means dispersed all over Africk which the Churches beyond-Sea hearing of much rejoyced therein for as when one member suffers all the members suffer with it so when one member is honoured all the members rejoyce with it At the same time the African Bishops holding a Synod at Hippo by their command Augustine being yet but a Presbyter disputed before them of Faith and the Creed which he performed to the joy of them all especially of the good old Bishop Valerius who gave much thanks to God for his mercy vouchsafed to him therein and fearing least some other City which wanted a Bishop should choose Augustine and so get him away from him which indeed had come to pass unless Valerius hearing of it had caused Augustine to go to another place and there hide himself so that when they sought him he could not be found wherefore this good old man fearing the like again and finding himself much weakned by Age wrote privately to the Primate of Carthage alleadging the weakness of his body and the infirmities of his old Age and therefore desired that Augustine might be made his Coadjutor in the Bishoprick of Hippo which by his importunity he also obtained So that the Primate coming to visit the Church of Hippo and bringing some other Bishops with him Valerius before them all and before all the people which were assembled together declared publickly his desire which they all approved very well of and the People earnestly desired that it might be effected but Augustine refused the Bishoprick being contrary to the custom of the Church whilest his own Bishop lived But many perswaded him that it was not such an unusual thing producing many examples both of the forreign and African Churches for it so that he was forced to yeeld his consent and was ordained to the charge of the Bishoprick And when he was thus ordained a Bishop he Preached the Word of Life more frequently fervently and with greater authority then he did before and that not only in his own City and Country but in all places where he was requested whereby the Church of God exceedingly encreased Many also of the Donatists frequented his Sermons took Notes and carryed them to their Bishops which when they had read they used to contradict but they that carryed them either answered them themselves or else carryed their answers to Augustine who with much meekness and gentleness confirmed the Truth and reselled their Errors He also wrote many private Letters to the Bishops and many principal Laymen of the Donatists admonishing and exhorting them that they would either reform their Errors or come to a publick Disputation but they distrusting their own cause would never write back to him again but being enraged with anger used to exclaim against and both publickly and privately to rail upon Augustine as a deceiver of souls and that as a Wolf he ought to be slain in defence of the Flock and without all shame neither fearing God nor men they proclaimed that whosoever would murther him should without all doubt have all their sins remitted unto them These Donatists had in their Churches a perverse and violent kinde of men who went up and down under the pretence of chastity who were called Circumcelliones and there were very great numbers of these who were dispersed through all the Regions of Africk These being instructed by evill Teachers were so inflamed with Pride and grew to such audacious boldness that many times they neither spared their own nor other men requiring them to do things against all right and reason and if any one opposed them he was sure either to be soundly beaten or basely murthered by them they being usually armed with sundry weapons raging up
ways to be beset by which these two Fathers used to go to instruct the people and it pleased God that as these two walked by the way they fell into these watchmens hands who presently loaded them with Irons and carried them to the Arian Priest Faelix when he saw that he was like to be apprehended threw away some money into a bush which he happened to have about him for the Brethrens sustenance The Arian Priest when they came before him used them very roughly demanding of them why they came out of their own Country to subvert his Christian hearers And as they were about to answer he would not hear them but first commanded them to be scourged whereupon Faelix requested that his Brother Fulgentius might be spared For saith he he cannot endure the extremity of the torment but in all likelihood will breath forth his innocent Soul under your hands But 〈…〉 let your wrath be wholly wreaked upon me who am most guilty of that which you charge us with Faelix therefore was mostcruelly beaten but not that Fulgentius should be spared who being of Noble Parentage was of a tender constitution and so the blows with the staves were the more grieveous to him whereupon he earnestly desired to be heard having somewhat to say and so the stripes and bastinadoes being intermitted he began with his Eloquent mouth to relate the cause of their travel into those parts causing his very Adversaries to wonder at his Eloquence and flowing Language So that the Priest had almost forgotten his cruelty and shame of the injury was ready to embrace his obdurate heart Yet least he should appear to be overcome with his words he cryed out Lay him on lustily and multiplying your blows ren◠this pratler What Thinks he by his words to seduce me also Hereupon he was again beaten most mercilesly then were both of them shaven deformedly their clothes pulled off and so they were sent packing all naked Forth then from the Arians house they departed no otherwise then as from a glorious combat and as crowned with Lawrels of Victory In their return they found the money which Faelix had hidden which was a great refreshing to them The fame of this detestable fact gave great offence to many and in particular to the Arian Bishop of the Diocess who had a good opinion of Fulgentius and much favoured him and would have punished the Priest if Fulgentius had desired it of him and indeed many urged him to seek revenge but he gave them this humble denyal saying It is not lawful for a Christian to meditate revenge our Lora Christ well knoweth how to repay the injuries inflicted on his servants If my case be avenged then lose I the reward of my patience especially seeing it might scandalize many little ones if I a Catholick should require judgement at an Arians hand A while after Fulgentius having heard and read much of the strict lives of the Monks in Egypt had a great minde to see the same and so leaving his Monastery he took shipping for Egypt but a storm meeting him by the way he was driven into the Haven of Syracuse the chief City of Sicily At this time Eusalius was Bishop there who very curteously entertained Fulgentiu and upon converse finding his sufficiency enquired the cause of his voyage and understanding by him the cause he much disswaded him from it and perswaded him to continue at Syracuse that winter which when he consented to he maintained him all that time and Fulgentius out of that little allowed him carefully ministred somewhat to the necessities of others Summer being come he failed to Rome where beholding the glory of the Romane Nobility the triumphant pomp of King Theodorick and the universal splendor and joy of the City he was so far from being taken with such worldly toys and delights that it raised up his desires after heavenly joys saying thus to some of his friends that accompanied him How beautiful may the Caelestial Hierusalem be when Terrestial Rome so glittereth If such honour be given to lovers of vanity what glory shall be imparted to the Saints who are lovers and followers of Truth Then did he return into Africa to the incredible joy of his Brethren but after a while finding the distractions which necessarily attended his abode there partly by reason of his care in Government and partly by reason of much resort of Noble men and others that dayly repaired to him his fame being now spread abroad he privily stole away and went to another Monastery far off amidst the shelly Rocks of the Sea destitute in a manner of all humane solace and necessaries where being with all courtesie received as much as he excelled others in Learning and Eloquence so far subjected he himself to all in humility and obedience Many Books he there copied out fair with his own hands and for his recreation made many necessary implements for the house of Palm-leaves But at last his old society gained knowledge of the place of his abode and presently sent to request his return Hereupon great contention arose between the two houses whilst one sought to retain the other to regain him The Controversie at last came before Bishop Faustus who Decreed his return to his first place and that he might be imployed for the publick good he ordained him a Presbyter At which time sundry Cities wanting Pastors for the King had forbidden the Ordination of any more Bishops many of them sought and sued to Fulgentius to undertake that charge and some proceeded to Elect him outright yet thought he himself secure by reason of the Kings prohibition till at last the persecuted Bishops who yet survived resolved rather to incur the displeasure of the King then to suffer the people any longer to want Bishops and thereupon meeting together they Decreed that Bishops should be ordained for all the vacant places and forthwith least the Arian King hearing of it should prevent them they sought out godly Presbyters whom they might appoint to this Office but then Fulgentius who was most of all sought for could no where be found for he had hid himself to avoid that imployment and so continued till all the solemnities were over passed and then returned hoping now to live in quiet But it pleased God otherwise to dispole of it For it so fell out that the City of Ruspa remained as yet unfurnished the Citizens whereof getting inkling that Fulgentius was discovered they came unto him laid hold upon him carryed him with them and not request but constrain him to be their Bishop Yet in this dignity he nothing forget his former integrity he still used mean and simple attire went many times barefoot wholly abstained from Flesh Wine and Oil and always kept about him some of his former associates But he with his fellow Bishops enjoyed not long their places for that fell out which was easily
this he called for a sum of money which as a faithful Steward he daily used to distribute amongst the Poor willing it all to be presently divided and reciting by name the Widdows Orphans and Poor he allotted to every one his portion Soon after in the midst of his Prayers dyed this blessed servant of God and famous Doctor of the Church in the 65. year of his Age Anno Christi 529. having been Bishop about 25 years He was very powerful in Prayer as may appear by this example Some time before his death the Moores invaded the Territories of Ruspa filling all places with Rapines Murthers Burnings and Devastations not sparing the Churches themselves but murthering such as fled to them for refuge But yet so long as Fulgentius lived the City of Ruspa remained in safety and when all the rest of the Province was under miserable Captivity that City alone enjoyed an happy Peace He wrote many excellent Treatises against Hereticks besides sundry Sermons and Epistles His moving and affectionate Eloquence was such as that the Bishop of Carthage hearing him Preach two days together in his Church could not refrain from tears Rejoycing that God had given to his Church in those afflicted and comfortless times such a worthy Instrument of his Glory He used to say Christ dyed for Men and Angels for Men that they might rise from sin and for Angels that they might not fall into sin And If they go to Hell that do not feed the hungry cloath the naked c. what will become of them that take away bread from the hungry cloaths from the naked c. If want of charity be tormented in Hell what will become of covetousnass His Mother having committed the charge of her house to him in his youth he so mannaged it that he gat this testimony that he was Matri praefidium domesticis solatium c. A safeguard to his Mother a comfort to the Family and to all with whom he conversed a rare example In the midst of his greatest sufferings he used to say Plura pro Christo toleranda We must suffer more then this for Christ. His Works are Printed at Lyons Anno Christi 1633. GREGORY Y E GREAT The Life of Gregory the Great who dyed Anno Christi 605. GRegory the Great was born in Rome his Father was a Senator by name Gordianus his Mothers name was Sylvia a woman Noble by birth but both of them more Noble for their Piety Our Gregory in his tender years was carefully educated by his Parents being instructed both in Religion and Literature and as he grew in years so he encreased in Learning which he retained with a firm Memory whereby he was enabled afterwards to make good use of it for the profit and benefit of the Church of God Having gone through the study of other Arts he spent two years in reading of Pythagoras but finding little satisfaction therein he at last with much diligence breathed after more Divine studies And after his Fathers death having more freedom in disposing of himself and his estate he gave all his riches towards the relief of the Poor and betook himself to a Monastical life first under Hillarion and afterwards under Maximianus who both of them were famous for their Piety and Learning He was very abstemious in his Dyet frequent in Fasting and Prayer and so studious of the Sacred Srriptures that he could scarse finde leasure to eat his food till necessity urged him thereunto And indeed his abstinence was so great that he much impaired his health thereby yet would he not give over his imployments spending all his time in Prayer Reading Writing or Dictating to others His humility was very exemplary for though he came of Noble Parents yet had he so little respect to his discent that with tears he would often say That all Earthly Glory was miserable if the owner of it did not seek after the Glory of God He was very exact in spending his time saying that he was to give an account of it unto God Neither was he less charitable to the souls of others For on a time when many Merchants were met to sell their commodities at Rome it happened that Gregory passed by them and saw many young boys with white bodies fair faces beautiful countenances and lovely hair set forth to sail whereupon going to the Merchant their owner he asked him from what Country he brought them The Merchant answered from Britain where the Inhabitants were generally so beautiful Then said Gregory Are they Christians or Heathens Heathens replyed the other whereupon Gregory deeply sighing said Alass for grief that such fair faces should be under the power of the Prince of Darkness and that such beautiful bodies should have their souls void of the Grace of God Then did he again ask the Merchant by what name that people were called He answered Angli Truly said he they may be called Angli quasi Angeli for they have Angles countenances and its fit they were made fellow-Citizens with the Angels Again he asked What was the name of the Province whence they came The Merchant answered Deiri well may they be of Deiri for its fit they should be pulled De ira Dei from under the wrath of God and called into the grace of Christ. Again he asked him what was the name of their King The Merchant answered Alle whereupon Gregory alluding to his name said Well is their King called Alle for its fit that Alleluja to their Creator should be sung in those parts And so going strait to Benedict who was Bishop of Rome at that time he earnestly requested him to send some Ministers into Britain for the Conversion of the Inhabitants thereof and when none could be found that would undertake that journey himself would have gone if the Bishop would have permitted it And indeed at the length by his importunity he prevailed for leave and set forwards on his journey but within three days the people of Rome so complained to Benedict of the loss of Gregory that he sent for him back which occasioned his return though with much sorrow that he was hindered in so good a work Not long after he was sent upon some Ecclesiastical affairs to the Emperour at Constantinople where though the splendor of the Court was troublesome to him yet intermitted he not his private studies and devotion and during his abode there at the request of a Bishop who was Embassador for the Visigoths he wrote a Comment upon the Book of Job Also whereas Eutychius Bishop of Constantinople had taught and writ that our bodies at the Resurrection should be impalpable more subtle then the air Gregory confuted that Error both by Reason and by the Example of Christs Body after his Resurrection whereupon ensued an hot Disputation betwixt them This the Emperour Tiberius hearing of sent for them both to him heard the
cause on both sides read over diligently the Book writ by Eutychius and being convinced of the Error by that which he had heard from Gregory he adjudged the Book to be burned Shortly after Eutychius fell very sick and a little before his death retracted his Error and acknowledged the Resurrection of our flesh Gregory having dispatched the business about which he was sent to Constantinople returned to Rome about which time the River Tiber swelled to such an unmeasurable height that it ran over the Wals of the City and drowned a great part of it and break into many great houses overthrew divers ancient Monuments it overthrew also the Granaries belonging to the Church and carried away many thousand measures of Wheat Presently after which inundation of Tiber there came down the River an innumerable company of Serpents with one monstrous great one as big as a Beam which when they had swum into the Sea were there choaked and their carkasses being all cast upon the shore there rotted which caused such an Infection of the Ayr that presently a great Plague followed in Rome so that many thousands dyed of it Yea Arrows were visibly seen to be shot from Heaven and whosoever was stricken with them presently dyed amongst whom Pelagius Bishop of Rome was one and this judgement so raged in the City that many houses were emptyed of their Inhabitants After the death of Pelagius the Clergy Senate and People of Rome made choice of Gregory to be their Bishop though he opposed it all that possibly he could crying out that he was altogether unworthy of such honour fearing least the splendor of worldly glory which he had formerly layd aside should in such an Office creep upon and infect him But the importunity of the People being so great he seemed to consent to them but privately under-hand wrote to the Emperour Mauritius earnestly requesting him that he would not consent to the Election but that by his Authority he would free him from it But Germanus the Praefect of the City meeting with the messenger took his Letters from him and reading them detained them sending word to the Emperour of the unanimous consent of all in the Election of Gregory Whereupon the Emperour returning thanks to God for that they had made so good a choice confirmed the Election so that Gregory could no longer evade it In the mean time the Pestilence raging exceedingly Gregory called the people together and shewed them the justice of God in his Judgements who used not to punish till by sin he is provoked thereunto telling them that they might read the greatness of their sins in the greatness of the Plague and thereupon exhorted them to repentance by the Precepts of God and by the example of Ninâ—veh appointing them to lay all their worldly businesses aside and to meet together the next day to spend it in Fasting and Prayer which accordingly they did yet whilst they were together Gods hand was out against them so that fourscore of them fell down dead in the place But Gregory being not discouraged hereby continued his Sermon telling them that God would at length be found of them if they would forsake their wicked ways and turn unto him with all their hearts and with all their souls and accordingly not long after the Pestilence ceased Gregory observing that many customs were lately crept into the Church which were not warranted by the holy Apostles he first extirpated them out of the Church of Rome and then calling a Council of many Bishops he endeavoured to root them out of the whole Church Then removing from about him all secular persons he chose Presbyters and other Learned men in their stead whereby Learning was much advanced in his days He was very charitable and much given to hospitality insomuch as when very many Inhabitants from divers parts flying from the barbarous cruelty of the Longobards came to him he entertained and relieved them inviting dayly to his house many of those Exiles He made also large distributions unto others giving them Corn Wine Flesh Fish Cheese and many other refreshings in their several seasons Many times also he sent large relief to the sick lame and impotent persons not only in Rome but in many other Towns and Villages round about insomuch as all that he had seemed to be the common Granary of the Church In the fourth year of his Bishoprick having in some good measure setled the affairs of the Church he now began to think how he might advance the Conversion of the English which he had formerly been so sollicitous for had never since been forgotten by him For which end he sent Austin and some other Ministers from about him to Preach the Gospel unto them But they had not gone many days journey before they began to be a weary of undertaking so difficult and dangerous a task as to go to Preach to a fierce barbarous and unbelieving Nation whole Language they did not understand whereupon they stopped and sent Austin back to Gregory desiring that they might have leave to return that they might be freed from so laborious difficult and dangerous a work Gregory having received this message wrote thus back to them again Beloved Brethren seeing it had been better that you had never begun a good work then that you should recede from it it behoves you through the assistance of Almighty God to go forwards with it Neither let the labor of the journey nor the tongues of wicked men deterre you from it I have sent back Austin whom I would have you to obey knowing that he will counsel you nothing but what shall be for the good of your souls Almighty God give you his grace and grant that I may see of the fruit of your labors though I cannot join with you therein With this Exhortation Austin did so encourage his Companions that passing through France where they found kinde entertainment by the good Bishops in every place they at last arrived in Britain and came to Ethelburg the King of Kent where through Gods mercy they did not only obtain leave to Preach but had habitations and maintenance allowed them in Canterbury his chief City Whosoever desires to see the success of this business may read it in my English Martyrologie Pag. 11. c. Gregory dyed Anno Christi 605. having been Bishop of Rome 13 years 6 moneths and 10 days He lived under the Emperour Mauritius and dyed in the second year of Phocas Johannes Trithemius gives him this testimony Gregorius Vir in Divinis Scripturis eruditissimus in secularibus literis utique doctissimus Theologorum Princeps splendor Philosophorum Rhetorum lumen vita conversatione integer atque sanctissimus He was of an acute wit whereby he overthrew Eutiches Pelagius who dyed in his time of the Plague at Rome and divers other Hereticks He severely reproved the Bishop of Constantinople who would
mercies sake In degrading him they pared off the Crown of his head and the skin with a pair of shears and to justifie their proceedings against him because the Emperour had given him his safe Conduct the Council made a Decree That Faith was not to be kept with Hereticks The Roman Agents persecuted him with such eagerness that his Works were condemned to be burnt with him When he was brought forth to be burned they put on his head a Tripple Crown of paper painted over with ugly Divels But when he saw it he said My Lord Jesus Christ for my sake did wear a Crown of Thorns why should not I then for his sake were this light Crown be it never so ignominious Truly I will do it and that willingly When it was set upon his head the Bishops said Now we commit thy soul unto the Divel But I said John Huss lifting up his Eyes towards Heaven do commit my spirit into thy hands O Lord Jesus Christ unto thee I commend my spirit which thou hast redeemed As he was going to Execution they burned his Books before his face at which he smiled and said unto the people Think not good people that I die for any Heresie or Error but only for the hatred and ill-will of my Adversaries When he came to the place of Execution he kneeled down and with his Eyes towards Heaven he prayed and repeated certain Psalms and with a merry and chearful countenance cryed often Into thy hands O Lord I commend my spirit As he listed up his head in Prayer the Crown of paper fell off but a Souldier taking it up said Let us put it on again that he may be burned with his Masters the Divels whom he hath served When he rose from his knees he said Lord Jesus Christ assist and help me that with a constant and patient minde by thy most gracious help I may bear and suffer this cruel and ignominious death whereunto I am condemned for the Preaching of thy most holy Gospel And as they tyed his neck with a chain to the stake smiling he said That he would willingly receive the same chain for Jesus Christ's sake who he knew was bound with a far worse chain When the fire was kindled he began to sing with a loud voice Jesus Christ the Son of the living God have mercy upon me and at the third time that he repeated it the winde drove the flame so into his face that it choaked him The heart that was found amongst his bowels being well beaten with staves and clubs was at last prick't upon a sharp stake and rosted at a fire till it was consumed His ashes were diligently gathered up and thrown into the River Rhene He suffered Martyrdom Anno Christi 1415. He told them at his death That out of the ashes of the Goose for so Huss in the Bohemian language signifies an hundred years after God would raise up a Swan in Germany whose singing would affright all those Vultures which was exactly fulfilled in Luther just an hundred years after Upon his death the Bohemians under Ziska rose in Arms and had admirable success against the Emperour and the Papists And this pompous act of theirs had a very tragical event the Bohemians maintaining war against the Emperour Sigismund for 17. years after wherein he spent abundance of treasure lost many brave Armies and gallant men and during these Wars a thousand Monasteries were overthrown many Castles demolished and Cities burnt all which was a just revenging hand upon him for his perfidiousness and cruelty Before his going to Constance Mr. Huss set up this Epistle upon the Gate of the Kings Palace Unto the Kings Majesty the Queen and to all such as are of his Council and to all other Nobles and Magistrates which are now in the Kings Court I John Huss do signifie and publish that being certainly informed that Letterâ—s are come from the Pope to the Kings Majesty the contents whereof are these That the King should extirpate all such Hereticks as are lately sprung up in his Kingdom and Dominions But I trust in God that this fame is blown abroad without any desert And it shall be our part to foresee and take heed that neither the Kings Majesty nor the Noble Kingdom of Bohemia shall suffer any trouble or reproach and slander for my sake Wherefore now of late I have sent my Letters to and fro which with great labor anâ— diligence I 〈◊〉 caused to be set up openly with this intent that â—â—ight thereby cause the Archbishop of Prague to be careful and diligent about the matter signifying openly that if there were any man in Bohemia which did know me to be a follower of any falle or 〈◊〉 Doctrine he should appear in the Archbishops Court and there declare what he thought And forasmuch as there would none be found or come forth which would accuse me the Archbishop commanded me and my Procters to depart in peace Wherefore I require and desire the Kings Majesty which is the Defender of the Truth also the Queen and their Counsellers and all other Nobles and Magistrates that they would give me a true Testimonial of this matter forasmuch as I have oftentimes willed and attempted this and no man bath either accused or molested me I do it moreover to be known to all Bohemia and all Nations that I will with the first be present at the Council of Constance in the presence of the Pope and of all others that will come to that famous place and that whosoever hath any suspition of me that I have either taught or defended any thing contrary unto the Faith of Christ let him come thither also and declare before the Pope and all the Doctors of Divinity what erroneous or false Doctrine I have at any time maintained or holden And if he shall convince me of any Error or prove that I have taught any thing contrary to the Christian Faith I will not refuse to suffer Whatsoever punishment shall be due to an Heretick But I hope and trust even from the bottom of my heart that God will not give the victory to unfaithful and unbelieving men which willingly kick and spurn against the Truth At the same time also Mr. Huss sent his Proctor to the Bishop of Nazareth who was Ordained by the Pope Inquisitor for Heresies in the City and Diocese of Prague requiring him that if he had found any Error in him he would declare it openly but the said Bishop in a publick Assembly answered that he had often talken with John Huss and that he never found any thing in him but such as becometh a godly and faithful man which also he attested by his Letters in writing Shortly after also all the Barons of Bohemia being assembled in the Abby of St. James the Archbishop of Prague being present also John Huss presented a supplication to them wherein he most
the day and year of their abolishing the Popish Religion upon a Pillar in Golden letters that an everlasting memorial might remain there to future Posterities The like Reformation was effected at Basil. Not long after Quarrels arose between the Popish and Protestant Cantons of the Switzers and Armies were raised on both sides They of Zurick publishing the causes why they took Arms As first that the Popish Switzers beat their men when they came to require their debts Then that the Vnderwalds hung the Arms of Bern Basil and Strasborough upon the Gallows Then that they had made a League with their ancient Enemy King Ferdinand to oppress their Religion Whereby they violate not only the Law of Nature but also their own Covenants But when the Armies drew neer by the mediation of their neighbors the differences were composed and Arms laid down for the present Anno Christi 1529. Philip Landgrave of Hess endeavoured to reconcile the differences between the Saxon and Helvetian Divines concerning the Eucharist For which end he called from Wittenberg Luther Justus Jonas and Melancthon From Helvetia Zuinglius and Oecolampadius From Norenberg Osiander from Hall John Brentius From Strasborough Bucer and Hedio At their coming all were courteously entertained by the Landgrave After dinner Oecolampadius and Bucer went to salute Luther who spake friendly to Oecolampadius but being saluted by Bucer he answered You are naught and a Knave The Disputation continued many days but in the beginning of it Luther told them that he would not depart an hairs bredth from his opinion and when they could not agree yet the Helvetians desired Luther that he would account of them as of Brethren which he would by no means assent unto then did Zuinglius Oecolampadius and Bucer Protest before the whole Assembly that Luther had not defended his Opinion by the Word of God that his Error had been clearly shewed him and that the Truth of their cause had been abundantly demonstrated both out of the Word of God and the most Ancient Fathers And so the Sweating Sickness breaking out the Disputation ended and they returned home Yet it pleased God that this fruit the Conference had that they agreed in thirteen other Articles and promised mutual love each to other and to join in Prayer to God to discover his Truth to them The Landgrave of Hess also was converted to the true Opinion hereby so that he was hardly drawn to subscribe the Augustine Confession protesting that he was not satisfied about the tenth Article Also Francis Lambert his Preacher who had formerly been much addicted to Luther being now overcome with the Truth of Gods Word changed his Opinion about the Sacrament signifying his Opinion to the whole Church by a Confession which he wrote and delivered it to the Ministers of Strasborough when he lay upon his death-bed who after published it About that time there arose up the Cata-baptists which denyed the Baptism of Infants and re-baptized themselves and fell also into many other abominable Errors and Heresies with these Zuinglius at first dealt very mildly and brotherly but when they began to asperse him with lyes to seduce his hearers and make a Schism in the Church he was forced to oppose them more strongly in his publick Ministry and by Disputations but though he had silenced them they raged the more against him whereupon the Senate imprisoned some proscribed others and for falsifying their Faith put some to death The first father of them was Balâ—hasar Hucmâ—rus an Apostate and one that for Zuinglius his kindeness loaded him with lyes and reproaches The Monks and Fryars being cast out of their houses and brought to pensions sought to ensnare him and for that end suborned sometime some to seize upon him and to carry him away others to kill him so that he could not stir abroad in safety in the night whereupon his friends guarded him when he was abroad at supper and the Senate were fain to appoint a guard about his house in the night time Anno Christi 1531. They of Zurick and Bern stopped Provision from being carryed to the five Popish Pages and withall set out this Declaration That being compelled by the wrongs of the five Cities they had barred them from Provision and because they refused the conditions of Peace which were propounded by the Intercessors violating the Covenants of the former years by which order was taken that no mans Religion should be prejudicial to him wherefore say they it is lawful for us to deny them food and if any contest should arise about it it ought to be imputed to them who desire nothing but dissentions But when by reason hereof those five Cities were pinched with want they levyed Troops and came forth with Banners displayed and sooner then was expected entred into the bounds of them of Zurick where was a Garrison of above one thousand men placed This Garrison discerning its own weakness sent messenger after messenger into the Town to hasten help to them but such was the speed of the Enemy that the succors came late yet when they came to the top of the Mountain they saw their Souldiers fighting and in present danger whereupon exhorting and encouraging one another they ran down the hill with all speed but the passage was so narrow that they could go but single so that wanting time to ranck themselves they were oppressed with multitude about three hundred and eighty of them were slain and the rest escaped by flight Zuinglius was in this battel for it is the custom of the Switzers that their chief Minister goeth out with them to battel And Zuinglius being wise couragious and valiant considered with himself that if he should stay at home and the battel prove ill he should be exposed to much envy as if he had encouraged others before danger approached and then proved faint-hearted himself The truth is he never approved this cutting off Provision from the five Pages and when he saw the Magistrates would needs do it he went to them and craved leave to depart from Zurick because his counsel was not obeyed but they being troubled at this motion sent certain choice men to him to request that he would not forsake their Church which at last he assented to though said he it be to the danger of my life About fourteen days before the fight in a Sermon he foretold his own death and a Comet appearing about that time he told a friend privately that the Comet was fatal to him and one other meaning as was supposed Oecolampadius Zuinglius in the battel was overthrown thrice and yet still gat up again the fourth time being wounded with a spear he fell on his knees and said Well they can kill the Body but they cannot kill the Soul As the souldiers were spoiling the slain Zuinglius was found alive lying upon his back his arms folded and his Eyes lift up
and Naples there to spread his Doctrine privately whereby also he might have the better opportunity of spreading it in Spain but said he we will first go to Trent where are many excellently learned men and from thence into Italy I beseech you therefore Brother go with me and I will furnish you with all things necessary for your journey John Diazius being glad of this presently wrote to Bucer and others at Ratisbone for their advice what he should do They counselled him by no means to stir or go with his brother Then Alphonsus being frustrate of his hope intreated him at least to bear him company to Auspurg But in the interim Bucer coming to Neoburg would not suffer him to stir a foot neither would leave him till his brother Alphonsus was gone Alphonsus hereupon three days after came to take his leave of his brother where he had much conference with him exhorting him to charity and constancy in the profession of the true Religion and at last would needs thrust fourteen Crowns into his brothers hand willing him therewith to buy new cloths and so they parted not without tears Next morning the wagon being ready to depart wherein Alphonsus and his cut-throte were to pass to Auspurg the two brothers again took their leaves with tears and so Alphonsus set forward and came to Auspurg but privately the next day he and his cut-throte returned to Neoburg and by the way they bought an hatchet of a Carpenter and so stayed all night at a Village near Neoburg and the next morning very early went thither disguised that they might not be known and leaving one to hold their horses under an hedge they entered into the City so soon as the gates were open and going strait to the Ministers house where Iohn lodged the Executioner knocked at the door and when a youth came he asked him for Iohn Drazius the youth answered that he was in bed Go said this villain and tell him that I have brought him Letters from his brother Iohn hearing this being in bed with Senarcleus his intimate friend presently leaped up cast a cloke a bout him and so went into a stove which was over against his chamber door then calling for the messenger he went in to him leaving Alphonsus at the stair-foot and presented the Letters to him the effect whereof was the assoon as he came to Auspurg he understood that he was in great danger and therefore out of his brotherly love to him to advised him to beware of Malvenda such as he who being Enemies to Christ went about to shed his blood c. Iohn being busie in reading these Letters the Executioner that stood at his back plucked forth his hatchet and stroke it into the temple of this holy man in the right side of his head even to the helve which in a moment so deprived him of sense that he made no noise and least the fall of his body should make a noise this villain caught it in his arms and laid it own and so went down the stairs softly to his Master Alphonsus and both of them immediately repaired to their horses and fled They of Neoburg hearing of this horrible fact sent out certain Horsemen to pursue the murtherers who coming to Auspurg and hearing that hey were passed the City being out of hope to overtake them returned only one more zealous then the rest would not return but pursued them still and in the City of Oenopont caused them to be apprehended and cast into Prison And Otto the Palatine being informed of all these passages sent to the Magistrates requiring Judgement against them The Magistrates at first seemed very forward But in conclusion through the practice of the Papists and crafty Lawyers suborned by them judgement was deferred from day to day till the Emperours Letters came in post haste to stop their further proceedings pretending to reserve the cause to his own hearing And thus this terrible murther of Cain and his fellow was slipped over by man yea this unnatural act was highly commended by the Papists But the Lord would not suffer such an unnatural villany to go unpunished for not longer after he was so dogged and haunted by the Furies of his own Conscience that being at Trent when the Council was held there he hanged himself about the neck of his own Mule fix years after the murther was committed viz. An. Christi 1551 GASPER CRVCIGER The Life of Cruciger who dyed An. Chri. 1548. GAsper Cruciger was born at Lipsich in Misnia An. 1504. His Fathers name was George a man who was endowed with many virtues but especially to be commended for that in those perillous times he did not onely embrace the Celestial Truth himself but brought up this his son in the knowledge and study of it to the great benefit of the Church His Mother also was eminent for piety This Gasper was melancholy by nature and of a retired disposition much in meditation and of few words Being principled in the Latine he learned Greek and profited much therein and so went to the University of Wittenberg that having studied Divinity there he might be the more useful to the Church He studied also the Hebrew tongue and grew very exquisite therein From thence he was called to govern the School at Magdeburg where he taught with much profit and applause to Anno Christi 1527. In somuch as many of riper years yea some Clerks came to be his hearers So that his School growing too little for his Auditory he was removed into a larger But after a while he was called back to Wittenberg where he preached and expounded the Scriptures with so much dexterity the he was graced with the degree of a Doctor In that University he studyed and practised Physick also and was so much delighted therewith and he endeavoured to know the nature of Herbs and Plats and what Diseases they were good for whereupon he planted two Gardens with his own hands which with singular industry he furnished with variety of Simples and made many excellent Medicines which did much good By reason of his Learning and candid nature he was very dear to Luther and was very helpful to him in his Translation of the Bible He wrote so swiftly that he was chosen Scribe at the Disputation at Worms Anno Christi 1540. and yet withall suggested to Melancthon many things for answer to Eccius his subtilties insomuch that Glanvel who supplyed the Emperours room said of him That the Lutherans has a Scribe that was more learned then all the Pontificians Hee took by characters a great part of Luthers Lectures and Sermons which afterwards he wrote out a large and faithfully printed them after Luthers death He published also some Commentaries of his own upon the Psalms and the Gospel of Saint Iohn which are of excellent use to the learned He was a fine and smooth Orator and always abhorred
Raymund the Popes Legate he was made first Licentiat then D of Divinity and afterwards the Popes Legat took him with him towards Rome being affected with his learning but falling sick of a Fever by the way he returned to Basil. Whilst he thus continued a Frier hee was of great esteem amongst them because of his learning and integrity But it pleased God at last that by reading Luthers Bookes and conference with learned and godly men hee began to dis-rellish the Popish errors and so far to declare his dislike of them that he was much hated and persecuted for a Lutheran But about the same time the Senate of Basil chose him Lecturer in Divinity in that City together with Oecolampadius where he began to read first upon Genesis then on Proverbs and Ecclesiastes Anno Christi 1526. he was by the means of Zuinglius sent for to Zurick and being come was most courteously entertained by him There he laid downe his Monks Coul and married a wife by whom he had a Son which he named Samuel being then preaching upon the History of Samuel That wife dying he married again but had no children by his second wife He was present at the Disputation at Bern about Religion After Zuinglius his death there were chosen into his room Henry Bullinger for Pastor and Theodore Bibliander for Divinity-Reader who was an excellent Linguist and began to read upon Isaie to the great astonishment of his hearers for that he was not above 23 years old Pellican at the earnest request of learned men Printed all his Lectures and Annotations which were upon the whole Bible excepting â—nely the Revelations which portion of Scripture he not intending to write upon caused the Commentary of Sebastian Meyer upon it to be bound with his to make the work complete He translated many books out of Hebrew which were printed by Robert Stevens as also the Chaldee Bible he translated into Latine He wrote also an exposition in Dutch upon the â—eutateuch Joshua Judges Ruth Samuel Kings Isay and Jeremy to convice the Jews for which end also he translated the learned disputation of Ludovicus Vives with the Jewes into Dutch As also many books of Aristotle and Tully that so ingenious persons might learne Philosophy in their own language as the Grecians and Romans in former times were wont to doe He judged it also necessary to learne the Turkish language who were now growne their neer neighbours that by the helpe thereof he might be the better able to bring them to the Christian Faith Then with extraordinary labour hee made Indexes to divers books He also compared the Bible of Munster printed at Zurick and that other of Leo Judae and Bibliander with the Hebrew text word by word lest any thing should be omitted And thus having been Hebrew Professor at Zurick for the space of thirty years wherein he was most acceptable to all not onely in regard of his excellent learning and indefatigable pains but also in regard of his sweet and holy Conversation At last falling into the pain of the stone and other diseases he departed this life upon the day of Christs Resurrection Anno Christi 1556 and of his Age 78. Lavater saith that he heard this Conrade Pellican often say that when he first beganne to study the Tongues there was not one Greek Testament to be gotten in all Germany and that the first which hee saw was brought out of Italy and that though a man would have given a great sum of gold for a Coppy of it it could not be obtained How happy are we in these latter Ages that have them at so easie rates He was a candid sincere and upright man free from falshood and ostentation The Life of John Bugenhagius who died A no Christi 1558. JOhn Bugenhagius was born at Julin near to Stetin in Pomerania Anno Christi 1485. His parents were of the rank of Senators who bred him up carefully in learning till he had learned the Grammar and Musick Instructing him also in the principles of Religion and so sent him to the University of Grypswald where he profited in the study of the Arts and the Greek tongue Being twenty years old he taught School at Trepta and by his learning and diligence made the School famous and had many Scholars to whom also hee read daily some portion of Scripture and prayed with them and meeting with Erasmus his book against the Histrionical carriage of the Friars and the Idolatry of the times he gat so much light thereby that he was stirred up to instruct others therein and for that end in his Schoole he read Matthew The Epistles to Timothy and the Psalmes to which he added Catechising and also expounded the Creed and the ten Commandements unto which exercises many Gentlemen Citizens and Priests reforced From the School he was called to preach in the Church and was admitted into the Colledge of Presbyters Many resorted to his Sermons of all ranks and his same spread abroad Insomuch as Bogeslans the Prince of that Country employed him in writing an History of the same and furnished him with money books and records for the enabling him thereto Which History he compleated in two years with much judgement and integrity Anno Christi 1520 one of the Citizens of Trepta called Otho Slutovius having Luther's book of the Babylonish Captivity sent him gave it to Bugenhagius as he was at dinner with his Colleagues who looking over some leaves of it told them that many Hereticks had disquieted the peace of the Church since Christ's time yet there was never a more pestilent Heretick then the Author of that book shewing in divers particulars how hee dissented from the received Doctrine of the Church But after some few daies having read it with more diligence and attention hee made this publick Râ—cantation before them all What shall I say of Luther All the world hath been blinde and in â—immerian darknesse only this one man hath found out the Truth And further disputing of those questions with them he brought most of his Colleagues to be of his judgement therein Insomuch as the Abbaâ— two antient Pastors of the Church and some other of the Friers began zealously to discover the deceits of the Papacy and to preach against the superstitions and abuses of humane Traditions and to perswade their auditors wholly to trust to the merits of Christ. After this Bugenhagius read Luther's other works diligently whereby he learned the difference between the Law and the Gospel Justification by Faith c. and taught these things also to his hearers perceiving that the opinions of Augustine and Luther agreed together about all those matters But the Devill envying the successe of the Gospel alienated the minde of the Prince from them and stirred up the Bishop to persecute many of the Ministers Citizens and Students of Trepta for speaking
enemies rose up against him and his Congregation for differing from them about Christ's presence in the Sacrament especially one Westphalus who wrote bitterly against them calling them Zuinglians and affirming that all those which had suffered about that point in Belgia England or France were the Divels Martyrs At last Lascus returned into his owne Country from which he had been absent twenty years There he found Gods harvest to be great and the labourers to be very â—ew His coming was very unwelcom to the Popish Clergy who sought by all means to destroy him or to get him banished and therefore they accused him to the King for an Heretick beseeching him not to suffer him to stay in the Kingdom To whom the King answered That though they pronounced him an Heretick yet the States of the Kingdom did not so esteem him and that he was ready to clear himselfe from those aspersions When they thus prevailed not they cast abroad reproaches and all manner of lies as if hee would stir up a civil war in the Kingdom But it pleased God when he had spent a little time in instructing his friends that he sickned and dyed An Chr. 1560. He was of an excellent wit and judgement and tooke much paines to have composed that difference in the Churches about Christ's presence in the Sacrament though it succeeded not The King of Poland had him in such esteeme that hee made use of his advice and help in many great and difficult businesses His Works are these Liber de Coena Domini Epistola continens summam controversiae de Coena Domini breviter explicatam Confessio de nostra cum Christo communione corporis sui in Coena exhibitione Epistola ad Bremensis Ecclesiae Ministros â—ontra Mennonem Catabaptistarum Principem De recta Ecclesiarum instituendarum ratione Epistolae tres Epistolae ad Sigismundum Regem Poloniae Purgatio Ministrorum in Ecclesus peregrinis Francofurti Forma ratio totius Ecclesiastici Ministerii Edvardi sexti in peregrinorum maxime Germanorum Ecclesia The Life of Augustine Marlorat who died A no Christi 1562. AUgustine Marlorat was born in Lorrain Anno 1506. His parents dying whilst he was young and his kindred gaping after his estate thrust him at eight years old into a Monastery of Augustine Friars by which means God so ordering it he was brought up in Learning and became a Preacheâ— and being addicted to the study of the Tongues and the Reformed Religion he would no longer live amongst those idle Drones and Slow-bellies but leaving them went to the University of Lausanna in the Country of Bern where he profited much in Learning and came to the knowledge of the Truth and from thence was chosen to be the Pastor at Vivia near to the Lake of Leman and from thence hee was called to Roan where was a populous Church which he instructed and taught so holily and with such prudence that his honesty protected him against the rage and malice of his adversaries Anno Christi 1561 he was present at the conferenc at Possy between the Cardinal of Lorrain and Theâ—dore Beza where he acquitted himself with much courage appearing on the Protestants side against the Papists The year following when the Civil Wars brake forth in France the City of Roan was besieged and after a hard siege was taken by storm at which time this August Marlorat the chief Minister of the City was taken also and carried before Monmorency the Constable of France who grievously chid him and cast him into a streight prison and the next morning the Constable and the Duke of Guise went to the prison and calling for Marlorat the Constable said to him You are he who hath seduced the people Marl. If I have seduced them it 's God that hath done it rather then I for I have preached nothing to them but Divine Truths Const. You are a seditious person and the cause of the ruin of this great City Marl. As for that imputation I referre my self to all that have heard me preach be they Papists or Protestants whether I ever medled with matters of the Politick State or no but contrariwise I have according to my ability laboured to instruct them out of the holy Scriptures To this the Constable with an oath replyed that he and his abettors plotted together to make the Prince of Condie King the Admirall Coligni Duke of Normandy and Andelot Duke of Britaine To this Marlorat answered professing his own innocency and the innocency of those noble personages But the Constable swearing a great oath said We shall see within a few daies whether thy God can deliver thee out of my hand or no and so departed in a great rage Not long after at the instance of Bigot Advocate for the King an Indictment was drawn up against him and some others whereupon they were condemned for high Treason for that he had been as they said the author of the great assemblies which were the cause of Rebellion and Civill Warres and therefore as a punishment to satisfie the Law for these things the Court adjudged and condemned the said Marlorat to be drawn upon a sled and to be hanged upon a gibbeâ— before our Ladies Church in Roan This done his head to bee stricken off from his body and set upon a pole upon the bridge of the same City his goods and inheritance to be confiscated to the Kings use and shortly after this sentence was executed viz. Anno Christi 1562 and of his age 56. Hee was excellently learned and of a most unblameable life and had the testimony even of the Papists themselves that heard him that in his Sermons he never uttered ought that tended to Sedition or Rebellion Yet his malitious adversaries were not content onely to see him drawn upon an hurdle but the Constable also loaded him with a thousand disgraces and outrages as also a sonne of his called Monbrun who shortly after was slaine in the battel of Dreux One Villebon also gave him a switch with a wand adding many reproachfull speeches thereto But this meek â—amb bare all those indignities with admirable patience and meekness When he was come to the place where he should suffer he made an excellent speech as the time then permitted him exhorting two that were to suffer with him to stand stedfast to the end which they also did When he was now dead yet the rage of his adversaries ceased not there but one of the souldiers with his sword struck at his legges Yet Gods judgments found out his adversaries very speedily For the Captain that apprehended Marlorat was slaine within three weeks by one of the basest souldiers in all his company Two of his Judges also died very strangely soon after viz. the President of the Parliament by a flux of blood which could be by no means stanched The other being a Counsellor voyding
his Urine by his fundament with such an intollerable stink that none could come near him The aforenamed Villebon also that switcht him escaped no better For a while after the Marshall Vielle Ville coming to Roan about publick affairs invited Villebon to dinner and after dinner lamenting the miseries of that City he exhorted Villebon to endeavour the redress of many abuses being the Kings Leiutenant there which Villebon took so ill that hee said If any man dare to taxe me for not carrying my self as I ought in my place I would tel him to his face that hee lyed which words he repeated so often over that the Marshall being urged very much therewith strake with his sword at him with such violence that had he not received the blow with his hand his head had been cleft to his teeth so that for the present he escaped with the losse of his hand wherewith hee had so dishonourably smitten Aug. Marlorat at the place of execution Marlorat collected out of the best Writers of his time adding the names of the Authors and sometimes inserting his own opinions Commentaries upon all the New Testament As also upon Genesis Psalmes Canticles Isaiah He left also a Thesaurus of the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles i. e. Totius Canonicae Scripturae in locos communes dogmatum phrasium ordine alphabetico digestum P. MARTYR The Life of Peter Martyr who died Anno Christi 1562. PEter Martyr was born at Vermile in Florence Anno Christi 1500 of an antient and honourable Family His parents were very sollicitous and carefull for his Education and his Mother being well skilled in Latine trained him up in it from his childhood and read Terence his Comedies to him Afterwards they placed him forth under the choicest Schoolmasters and he being of a pregnant wit and ingeniout disposition gave great hopes in his minority of excelling in future times He was exceeding studious and painfull spending no time idle And finding that in the rich and flourishing City of Florence hee met with many tentations to Luxury and Riot at sixteen yeares old he entered into a Monastery of Regular Cannons of Saint Augustine in Fessula hard by Florence This action of his much displeased and grieved his Father well knowing that the seeming holyness of those Fryars was but meer hypocrisie And besides having no other son he much desired that this Peter by Marriage should have preserved and propagated his name and family But that which moved Peter Martyr to choose this course of life was that he might have leisure to serve God to follow his study and to benefit himself by the full and famous Library which was in that Monastery There he spent three yeares in the study of the Arts and holy Scriptures part whereof he learned by heart Then he went to Padua where entering into a Monastery of the same order he continued there almost eight years in which time he almost wholly employed himself in the study of Philosophy spending both night and day in meditating thereupon in Reading Writing and Disputations There hee heard also the daily Lectures of famous Philosophers which were Professors in that University as Branda Genua Confalionerius c. And finding that Aristotle was in many places not appositly translated into Latine hee resolved to study the Greek Tongue which accordingly he did with great pains wanting fit Masters to assist him therein spending whole nights in the Library of the Monastery with Benedict Cusanus the companion of all his studies By which diligence of his he attained to such readinesse that he was able without help to understand the Greek Orators Philosophers and Poets also who differed in their Dialect from the former During his abode there he also heard the constant Lectures of three Divines When he was 26 yeares old the fraternity of that Monastery called him to the office of Preaching whereby he might put in practice his former private studies be serviceable to them and make himself famous and upon triall his learning and abilities appeared to be such that he was honoured with the degree of a Doctor He beganne first to preach in the Church of Brixia and afterwards in the most famous Cities of Italy In Rome Bononia Firmum Pisa Venice Mantua Bergomum and Montferrat And all the time which hee could gaine from Preaching he spent in the study of Philosophy and Divinity He preached also privately and read Lectures in the Colledges at Padua Ravenna Bononia and Vercellis Hitherto he had mostly applyed himself to the study of the Schoolmen yet had spent some time in reading of the Fathers but now he began to spend most of his time in searching the Fountains the Old and New Testament and finding that to enable him thereto the knowledge of the Hebrew was very necessary whilst he was Vicar to the Prior in Bononia he gat him one Isaac a Jew for his Master and applyed himself to the study of that Language and though hee had little help from his Master yet by his singular diligence and industry hee attained good skill in the Hebrew And his name grew very famous in the chief Cities of Italy whereupon the Superiours of his Order approving his diligence resolved to advance him to some greater dignity and so by the consent of all he was made Abbat of Spoleta which Office when he had once undertaken he carried himself so excellenâ—ly therein that he was admired of all considering that hitherto he had been onely employed in his studies and yet now shewed such admirable wisdome and dexterity in managing the affairs of his Monastery His prudence appeared notably in these two examples There were in Spoleta two Nunneries and one Monastery of Augustinian Cannons Regular where Martyr resided These houses through the negligence of former Abbats were so corrupted with Luxury and uncleannesse that they were extreamely hated by all men Doctor Martyr seeing this by the authority of his Office reduced them quickly into order by teaching admonishing exhorting and sometimes by using severe castigation so that he procured great credit to himself and love to his Order The other example was this The Common-wealth of Spoleta as most others in Italy was divided into factions and feuds whereupon not onely quarrels but muâ—ther often ensued and though the former Abbats had endeavoured yet could they never reconcile these differences Our Martyr was not ignorant hereof and yet looking upon it as his duty resolved rather to hazard the loss of his life then to suffer Christians thus to intertear one another and it pleased God so farre to blesse his labours that all the time of his living in that City his authority prudence and eloquence so farre prevailed that there was neither fight nor murther no nor the least footsteps of Faction appearing amongst the people At Spoleta he continued three years at the end whereof by a publique convention of the Superiours of the
more obdurate in wickednesse and therefore more opposite to the Truth He was often in great perill of his life and yet by special providences preserved So that perceiving that in that place he could neither enjoy safety nor freedome in the service of God as he desired he resolved to leave the Monastery and to goe elswhere which resolutions he communicated to some of his friends But in the mean time the Prior died and he by common consent of all was chosen to succeed him Musculus looked upon this as a designe of the Devill by these baits of honour pleasure and profit to withdraw him from his zealous purposes of propagating the Truth and to tie him to that kind of life that he was resolved against And thereupon he refused the choice and put it upon another He also married a wife called Margaret Bart an honest and vertuous Virgin At his departure the new Prior gave him a supper after which he bade him and the rest of the Friers farewell who were now but six three also of which shortly after followed him At this time he had but four Florences to which the Prior added four more and so about midnight that he might the more safely escape his enemies he departed being accompanied with a Kinsman called Nicholas Wagner directing his course to Strasborough whether also he came Anno Christi 1527 and of his age thirty and was entertained by the Minister Theobald Niger who also made him a Wedding-feast But his money waxing short and seeing little hopes to be called to the work of the Ministery he placed his wife forth as a servant to Mr. Theobald Niger and agreed with a Weaver to teach him his trade comsorting himself in the mean time with this Distich Est Deus in coelo qui providus omnia ouraâ— Credentes nusquam deseruisse potest A God there is whose providence doth take Care for his Saints whom he will not forsake But it fell out that this Weaver was an Anabaptist and kept one of their Teachers in his house who according to their usual custome laboured not at all but spent his time in eating drinking and sleeping With him Musculus could not agree but often objected that of the Apostle to him He that will not labour ought not to eat This occasioned his Master to fall out with him and having paid him his wages at two months end he turn'd him out of doors contrary to his former bargain Musculus now not knowing how to supply his wants it fell out that at that time the Senate at Strasborough were mending their fortifications about the City Thither he went and was hired to labour in that work amongst oth râ—bâ—t the same nightgoing to set his wife she told him that an Officer had been there to request him to come to the great Church where the Consul and Bucer would speak with him He not knowing the occasion was much troubled at it yet went to the place appointed and when he came thither the Consul commanded him to goe to the Village of Dorlitzheim and there to preach every Sabbath and to teach the people who were prone to Sedition peace and obedience Musculus with joy taking this as a call from God went every Sabbath thither being but three miles off and preached to them and all the wâ—ek lived with Bucer who writing so bad a hand that the Princers could not read it yea many times himselfe could scarce read what he had written imployed Musculus to transcribe his Comments on Lephany which were then in Printing After certain months preaching in that Village and hiâ— wife growing near the time of her travel 〈◊〉 Magistrats sent him and his wife to live there where his bearers entertained him kindly and provided necessaries for his family onâ—ly himself was fain to lie upon the ground in a little straw whilst his wife lay in Thus this man of God waâ— willing to suffer poverty for Christ's cause who amongst the Papists might have lived in much plenty In that Town he preached a whole year without receiving anything for his pains but afterward the Senate at Strasborough allowed him a stipend out of the publick treasury for the supply of his wants There also he began to teach School wherein he carried himselfe with so much industry and affability that he won much love Not far off there was a Monastery in which one a year there was a Feast and a Sermon to which at the request of his neighbours Musculus went The Fryer that preached chose this Text Without Faith it 's impossible to please God In his Sermon he inveighed bitterly against the Lutherans and in particular against them of Strasborough as Apostates c. wherewith many of his hearers were much pleased The Sermon being ended and the Fryer coming downe out of the Pulpit Musculus called to him saying Thou wicked wretch hear me a little and I 'le make thy wickedness appear to all the Congregation And going up into the Pulpit he took the same Text opened the words and preached excellently of the nature and benefit of saving faith and vindicated them of Strasborough from those aspersions which the Fryer had cast upon them wherewith the people were much pleased but the Fryers shrunk away Then came the Steward of the Monastery running in and interrupted him saying Sirrah give over who set you upto preach in this place To whom he answered Who gave you authority to set up a lying Fryer to preach and traduce the Senate and people of Strasborough whom I am bound to defend and vindicate from such false aspersions and so he went on in his Sermon but then the Steward began to entreat him to give over least he caused a tumult but he â—ad him hold his peace and entreated the people to be quiet and so went on to the end of his Sermon without any distraction The fame of this action begat him much credit amongst all good men at Strasborough so that at the years end he was sent for to Strasborough and made a Deacon though he in modesty would have refused it as judging himself unfit and unworthy of it And thus he continued two years longer in that place And whereas in Dosna a Village belonging to Strasborough the people would by no means suffer the Mass to be abolished hee by one Sermon there so wrought upon them that presently they cast it out of their Church together with all the Popish trumpery At Strasborough whil'st he was a Deacon he was a constant hearer of Capito and Bucer and finding his own defect for want of Hebrew fell to the study of it wrote out a Lexicon with his own hand and profited so much therein that he did not onely understand the Bible but the Rabbins also Anno Christ 1531. the Citizens of Ausburg sent to Strasborough to request the Senate to send them Musculus to be their Pastor
This request he himself opposed with all his might as judging himself unfit unable thereunto had not Bucer and the Senate interposed their authority to require his acceptance When he came thither he preached six years before the dregs of Popery where wholly purged out of that City yea the state of it was very troublesome not onely by reason of the Popish partie who with all their might opposed the Reformation but also by reason of some Anabaptists who like serpents had crept in to disturbe the growth of the Gospel and the peace of the Church Yea they carried themselves very impudently and tumultuously coming into the Church at Sermon-time stepping up into the Pulpit and labouring to diffuse their errors and to poyson the people therewith insomuch as the Magistrates were forced for the publick peace sake to cast them into prison Thither Musculus went daily to them and though they called him a Viper a false Prophet a Wolfe in Sheep's cloathing c. yet he bore all with patience and carried them food and other necessaries not speaking a word about their opinions till he had so far insinuated into their affections that they began to love him exceedingly Then began he to confer familiarly with them to hear them with patience and with solid arguments to convince their errors whereupon by degrees he converted them all and brought them to make publick recantations which by more rugged dealings they would never have yeelded to He had also many conflicts with the Popish party and wrought so far with the Senate that Anno Christi 1834. they cast out the Mass and Idolatry out of most of the Churches onely allowing to the Papists eight to say Mass but not to preach in And afterwards Anno Christi 1537. he so prevailed that Popery was cast out of those Churches also and the City wholly imbraced the reformed Religion There he studied the Greek Tongue and profited so much therein that he translated diverse parts of Chrysostome Basil Cyril Athanasius c. At that time also by his owne industâ—y he learned Arabick not having so much as a Grammer to help him onely by observing the proper names which are the same in all languages he found out the Letters and so attained to the reading and understanding of that tongue He taught at Ausburg eighteen years with much diligence and profit His Sermons were very piercing like a two-edged sword both in comforting the afflicted and convincing the obstinate Anno Christi 1536. there was a Synod appointed at Isenac in Thuringia to which Luther and many other Divines out of upper and lower Germany resorted about composing the difference concerning the Lords Supper to which Musculus was sent by the Senate of Strasborough as also to a Diet at Wormes and Ratisbone where he was Scribe at the Disputation between Melancthon and Eccius which afterwards he published Anno Christi 1544. the Inhabitants of Donavert embracing the Gospel sent to the Senate at Ausburg for one their Ministers to assist and further them in their Reformation who thereupon sent Musculus to them and when he came thither he preached every day for a quarter of a year together and so returned to Ausburg Anno Christi 1547. Charls the fifth having ended the Smalcaldian war called a Diet at Auspurg whither himself his brother Ferdinand the Electors Cardinals and Bishops came Then was Musculus put out of his Church yet did he not cease to preach in another during that Diet with as much zeal and freedom of speech as formerly which procured him much hatred from the Popish party who set spies to intrap him They also accused him to the Emperor as one that stirred up the people against the Clergie by reason whereof he was in such danger that the Senate was fain to appoint three men to guard him to and from the Pulpit Tumults were raised before his door his windows broken and himself rail'd upon yet he bore all with a stout courage and sent the Senate word That if they would stick close to the cause of God he would venture his life with them The year after the Senate embraced the Interim which he wrote and preached boldly against insomuch that he was hated and lived in great danger hereupon he resolved to leave the City and acquainting the Consul with his purpose one evening with one only Citizen in his company he left his wife and eight children and departed out of the City and changing his apparel at a friend's house that he might pass unknown he went to Zurick where he stayed a while with Bullinger and from thence to Busil his wife and children following him within a few days but they staying at Constance he went thither to them and the Sabbath following he preached to the Citizens of Constance upon that Text Joh. 6. 66 67 68 69. From that time many of his Disciples went back and walked no more with him c. Out of which words he shewed how grievously those Cities had sinned which to please men had basely deserted the Gospel of Christ. Then he exhorted them of Constance not to follow such examples but rather after the examples of the Apostles in this Text constantly to adhere unto Christ who onely hath the words of eternall life The very next day the Spaniards coming to besiege Constance he with his family removed to Zurick Thither Cranmer sent for him to come into England but being grown aged and his wife sickly he excused his going thither After six months stay there he was called to Berne to be the Divinity Professor in their Schools whither he went and where he discharged his place for fourtâ—en years together with much diligence and praise He Printed many works all which he wrote out with his own hands wherby his great labour and sedulity may easiâ—y be discerned He so loved his present imployment and place of habitation that though he had many invitations to places of more eminency and profit yet he wouâ—d never imbrace the same but continued at Bern till his death He lived in much peace and concord with his fellow Ministers and Professors and was very loving to his wife and children in domestical troubles most patient very mercifull to the poor especially to exiles and strangers of a sparing and temperate dier whereby he lived in health to his latter end He used much walking and holy meditation therein He went very upright had a fresh colour sharp sight admirable strong teeth and lastly his hands and feet well performing their office But the year before his death he beganne to be crasie partly by reason of his great age but especially being worne out with infinite cares and labours as also by reason of a great cough which of a long time had been troublesome to him By these means he had many fits of
not onely to disgrace it but as much as in them lay utterly to have subverted it But the Lord was wiser and stronger then Sathan as the event shewed For Calvin with his Colleagues in a publick and free Disputation did with that gravity out of the Word of God confute the Anabaptists March the 18 1537 that which is seldome seen from that time forwards there never appeared any of them in that Church But the other disturber of their Churches peace Peter Caroli caused greater and longer troubles where of this is a brief account This impudent Sophister was bred in the Colledge of Sorbon from whence at last he was cast out for an Heretick whereupon he went fiâ—st to Geneva then to Lausanna and from thence to Neocom but so infected and inflamed by the Devill that wheresoever be came be left an impression of his foul spirit And when he saw himself opposed by the Protestants he went to the Papists and from them to the Protestants again And at last brake forth into open railing against Mr. Farell Viret and Calvin as if they held some corrupt opinions about the sacred Trinity Hereupon there was a full Synod assembled at Berne in which Peter Caroli was condemned for his calumny and thereupon removed But shortly alter he went to Mediomatrice that he might hinder the work of the Lord happily there begun by Mr. Farell From thence writing an Epistle he railed upon the godly giving hope to the Papists that he would return to them againe Yet was hee sent to Rome that he might give satisfaction to the Pope himself There he was received with scorn and being opperessed with poverty and infected with the French-pox at last with much adoe he gat into an Hospital where shortly after he died miserably and this truly was his unhappy end About the same time Mr. Calvin observing that there were many in France that knew and were convinced of the Truth and yet indulged themselves as if it were enough that they reserved their hearts for Christ though they were present at the Popish Services published two elegant Epistles One to exhort the flying of Idolatry directed to Gerard Russus whom we mentioned before The other of the Popish Priesthood directed to the same man who was now made a Bishop and was fallen from his former zeal But whilst Mr. Calvin was thus employed he met with grievous seditions at home The Gospel indeed was entertained and Popery abjured in Geneva but many were not reformed of the prophane and scandalous courses in which they had been indulged and which they had learned of the impare Popish Clergy and those ancient feuds which had sprung up by reason of the Savoyan Warrs amongst the chiefest Familes were not yet layd aside These at first were gently admonished and when that prevailed not more sharply reprehended and when yet they continued to be stubborn and refractory and that the City by the factious of certaine private persons was divided into parties so that by no means they would endurâ—â— to be brought into that order to which they had been swoâ—n Mr. Farel Calvin and Caroldus inspired with an heroicall spirit did openly professe that they could by no meanes administer the holy Sacrament of the Lords Supper to persons who were at such bitter enmity amongst themselves and so utterly averse to all Ecclesiastical Discipline Another evill that fell out was this A difference there was in some Ecclesiastical Rites between the Bernates and the Genevians The Genevians using common bread at the Sacrament and a different sort of Fonts they also abolished all holy daies but the Lord day whereupon the Bernates assembling a Synod at Lausanna decreed that Waters should be used in the Sacrament and required that in Geneva the same practise should be observed But the Colledg of Ministers at Geneva desired that first they might be heard and for this end appointed a Synod at Zurick Upon this occasion the Syndics which were chosen for that year at Geneva who for the time are the chiefest Magistrates assembling the Captains of the seditious persons so farr prevailed though Mr. Calvin and his Colleagues interposed and desired first to be heard the greater part overcoming the better that these three worthy servants of Christ were commanded within two daies to depart the City because as was alledged they refused to administer the Sacrament of the Lords Supper When this Decree was brought to Mr. Calvin he said Truly if I had served men I should have had but an ill reward but it s well that I have served him who doth alwaies perform to his servants what he hath once promised Who would not now have thought that this business must needs have brought destruction upon the Church of Geneva but the event shewed the wonderfull wisdom of God in turning it to good partly by employing the labours of these his servants elswhere by variety of experiences to fit them for greater employments partly that the seditious persons in Geneva overthrowing themselves by their own violence that Church might be purged from many pollutions So wonderfull doth God shew himself in all his waies especially in the admirable government of his Church At the time appointed these three worthy Fathers to the great grief of all good men left Geneva and went to Zurick where gathering a Synod of the Helvetian Churches the Synod decreed and by the intercession of the Bernates tyred the mindes of the Genevians for their re-admission but when that prevailed not Calvin went to Basil and from thence to Strasborough where by the desire of the Senate and the importunity of those bright Stars which at that time shined in that Church Bucer Hedio Capito Niger and their Colleagues he was designed to be the Professor of Divinity with a competent salary allowed which place he discharged with the great applause of Learned men and by the consent of the Senate he planted the French Church there and setled Discipline in it Thus was the expectation of Sathan frustrated Calvin setled in another place and a new Church erected for the former subverted Yet in the mean time did not the Devil cease to endeavour wholly to eradicate the Church of Geneva for which end he stirred up some wicked men yet under the pretence of piety to bring in that Decree of changing common bread into Wafers indeed onely to stirre up new controversies Wherein also Sathan failed not of his purpose many godly men upon this occasion abstaining from the Sacrament till Mr. Calvin by his holy Letters had perswaded them not to contend for a thing so indifferent in it self By this means unleavened bread was again brought into use in the Genevian Church Concerning which Calvin being afterwards restored would never contend and yet withall did not dissemble his judgement about the same But behold presently after fell out a farre greater evill Anno Christi 1539 which yet by the
into High-Dutch English Scottish Low-Dutch Spanish yea and Immanuel Tremelius turned it into Hebrew and Henry Stevens turned it into Greek also His ordinary labours were these Every other Sabbath he preached twice Munday Tuesday and Wednesday he read his Divinity Lectures Every Thursday he assisted in the Consistory for the exercise of Ecclesiasticall Discipline On Fridaies he read a Lecture for the clearing of some hard places of Scripture Besides which he wrote many Commentaries upon the Scriptures Answered many adversaries to the Truth wrote many Letters to sundry places of advice and direction in weighty businesses So that we have cause to wonder how it was possible for one man to undergoe so many businesses He made very much use of Farel and Viret and yet himself contributed much more to them And truly their familiarity as it was much envyed by the wicked so it was very gratefull to all good men And it was a very pleasant sight to behold these three men so famous in the Church and all agreeing in the Work of the Lord and yet so excelling in severall gifts of the Spirit Farell exceeded in a certain greatnesse of mind whose thundering Sermons could not be heard without trembling and whose ardent prayers would lift a man up into Heaven Viret did so excell in sweet Eloquence that he chained his hearers to his lips Calvin look how many words he spake with so many grave and pithy sentences he filled the minds of his hearers So that saith Mr. Beza I often thought that the gifts of these three men meeting in one would make up a compleat Pastor Besides the â—orementioned labours of Mr. Calvin he had also the charge and businesse of a Family to look after 〈◊〉 besides many forraign businesses for God so blessed his Minister that from all parts of the Christian World hee was sought to partly for advice in matters of Religion and partly to hear him prâ—ach So that at the same time there was an Italian Church an English Church and a Spanish Church besides the Church of Geneva that that City seemed too â—â—tâ—le to entertaine all that came to it for his sake Thus though he was loved of the good and feared of the wicked and things were excellently setled Yet hee did meet with many oppositions for the exercise of his Graces For as soon as he returned to Geneva being mindful of that saying of our Saviour Seek first the Kingdom of God â—nd his righteousnesse and all other things shall be added unto you His first and chiefest care was by the consent of the Senate to settle such an Ecclesiasticall Polity as was most consonant to the Word of God From which afterwards it should not bee lawfull either for the Ministers or people to recede But before proof was made of it not onely some of the common people but even of the chief men that had cast off Popery and given their names onely to Christ shewed their hatred against it Yea some of those Ministers which continued there when these 3 good men were cast out though the chiefest of them afterward left their stations being found guilty of sundry wickednesses although being convinced in their consciences they duâ—st not oppose it yet underhand they manifested their dislike of it and would by no meanes be brought into order and that pretending the example of other Churches wherein no Excommunication was used Yea some of them cryed out that it would introduce the Popish tyranny again But Mr. Calvin overcame these diffiâ—ulties by his constâ—ncy joyned with singular moderation shewing that not onely the true Doctrine but Ecclesiasticall Discipline was also to be fetched out of the Word of God and that his had the approbation of the most learned men of that age as Oecolampadius Zuinglius Zuichius Melanthon Bucer Capâ—to and Myconius which he proved out of their writings Withall telling them that other Christian Churches were not to be condemned which had not proceeded so far not those Pastors which found that their people needed not such a bridle And lastly shewing what a vast difference there was between the Popish Tyranny and the easie yoak of the Lord So that he at last obtained that his Discipline was written read and confirmed by the Suffrages of the people and generally received Novemb. the twentieth 1541. But though these things were so happily carried on yet Mr. Calvin considering that he was like to meet with some difficulties in the exercise of it did his utmost endeavour that Viret who was only lent them by the Bernates for a time and Farel who was now setled at Neocom might be joyned with him as his perpetuall Fellow-Pastors but he could not possibly effect it Viret presently after returning to Lausanâ—â— and Farell remaining at Neocome so that the whole praise of seâ—â—ing the Genevian Church is due to Mr. Calvin alone The year following viz. 1542 Mr. Calvin met with many afflictions some at home but especially by the enflamed fury of the adversaries of the Truth abroad in France and Italy whence they dâ—â—ve away many Professors of the Gospel for the comforting of whom he layd out himself excedingly writing many encouraging Letters every way both to those that were escaped and to those also that yet remained within the reach of the Lions jaws The same year also there fell out two other great evils 〈◊〉 and Pestitence its usuall companion and at this time the custom of Geneva was that such as were infected with the Pestilence should bee removed into an Hospitall out of the City where being in need of a constant and sedulous Pastor when by reason of the danger most men refused it there were three that offered themselves viz. Calvin Sebastian Castaliâ— and Blanchet and Lots being cast between these three it fell upon Castalio who notwithstanding his former forwardnesse now shamefully drew back and refused it and when Calvin would have cast Lots again the Senate and Blanchet who now took this work upon him would not suffer it About this time also other mischiefs fell out for Peter Tossanus the Pastor of Montbelgard was much troubled about the controversie of the Lords Supper And at Basill where the foundation of Church Government was scarce layd do Myconius what he could to the contrary it was by some evill affected persons subverted and both these men had recourse to Mr. Calvin for his counsel And at Neocome though Mr. Farel laboured with good successe yet the work of the Lord was much obstructed partly by open force and partly by that Apostate Peter Caroli of whom we spake before about which businesse we may discern Mr. Calvins labours partly by his printed Letters and partly by the testimony of such as were eye-witnesses of it But there was a farre more audacious act of the Sorbonists at this time who neither having authority from God nor man yet dared to impose sundry Articles of Christian Religion as they called them but
which was not laid aside notwithstanding that judgement of God amongst them Good men assented to this which Master Calvin spake but some there were of the great men of the City which hindred the reformation hereof till at last they ruined themselves thereby And to all these evils this was added to compleat them that now though very unseasonable the controversie about the priviledges of the City sprang up neither could the faithfull Pastors be suffered to dispose of the Ecclesiasticall goods taken from the Pontificians as they ought to be About this business were many clamours many complaints and much pains taken by writing and conference but they proved all in vain whereupon Master Calvin did publickly profess that he could not endure so many sacriledges which he knew would at the length be severely punished by God yet withall he acknowledged the justice of God in that the goods which were formerly so unjustly gotten by the Masâ—-Priests God would not suffer them to be brought into the Churches Treasury Master Calvin yet met with two more things which did afflict him this year A wicked fellow was returned to Geneva his own Country who for a time had lived as an Hermite in France This man pretending to the reformed Religion Master Calvin who was very acute in prying into mens minds and manners taking notice of him admonished him first gently and afterwards more freely and at last reproved him for carrying himselfe more proudly in the Congregation then beseemed him The man not bearing this easily found out such as had been reproved for their wickedness by Master Calvin by whose favour and help he might be assisted so that a Pastor being to bee chosen in the room of one that was dead this man by the help of his companions sought the place and so far prevailed that the Senate commanded that in the Election regard should be had of him Master Calvin with his Colleagues opposed it shewing how far this his seeking to intrude himself was dissonant from the word of God and at length obtained of the Senate that they should proceed in their Election according to the Ecclesiasticall constitutions so merly agreed on At this same time also there were many in France who being falne at first through sear of persecution began at last to please themselves with this conceit that it was no sin to be present with their bodies at the Popish services so they kept the true Religion in their hearts This pernicious error was long since condemned by the Fathers Against these Master Calvin wrote and confuted that error and because these persons thought him too rigid he adjoyned to his own the opinions of these learned and godly Divines Philip Melancthon Bucer Peter Martyr and the Church of Zurick so that the name of these Nicodemites stark amongst all good men for so were they called who cloaked their errors with his example The next year being 1546. proved nothing milder then the former For frequent intelligence came of the preparations of the Emperor and the Popes frauds against the Protestants Wherefore Mr. Calvin judged it necessary to confirm the mindes of the Citizens against the terrour of these reports especially considering the impudency of many wicked men who were so farre from being curbed by all the bridles of Ecclesiasticall Discipline that on the contrary they raged the more and sought to break them all in sunder These men having gotten one Amedius Perrinus a vain bold and ambitious man for their Captaine for indeed he had long before procured to be chosen the Captaine General by the Suffrages of the people This man supposing as the truth was that neither he nor such like himselfe could stand whilst the Ecclesiasticall Laws were in force and especially whilst Mr. Calvin did so thunder against their lasciviousnesse beganne now to discover what he and his associates had been long contriving which being taken notice of and speedily prevented by the authority of the Senate hee indeed held his peace but the contrived wickednesse presently brake out more openly For shortly after one of the Senators in a publick assembly of the people blamed Calvin as one that taught false Doctrine subâ—â—ned as was supposed hereunto privately by two of the Colledge of Pastors both of them being Drunkards and therefore no whit lesse fearing the severity of the Laws then the others forementioned But Mr. Calvin made little account of this barking Yet this man that thus accused him was called before the Senate and his cause being heard was condemned for slander and those two drunken Ministers which had set him on were removed out of their places being forbidden going into Taverns Whereby we see that the wickedness of the wicked returns upon his own pate The troubles of this year being thus ended the next year which was 1547 proved far world indeed that Age saw not a more calamitous time then that was The Churches of Germany seeming utterly subverted the Protest in Princes taken and Cities yeelding up themselves after so grâ—at labour used and so great difficulties passed through in planting the Gospel amongst them with what great grief the godly soul of Mr. Calvin was afflicted for the desolations of the Churches is not easie to express especially if we consider that great affection which he bore to them though farre remote from him which indeed was no other then if he had bore them all upon his shoulders And indeed he was wonderfully grieved when he heard of those holy men his worthy friends Philip Melancthon Bucer Peter Martyr c. in so great danger that they seemed nearer death than life But yet that Mr. Calvin bore up with a valiant mind in this tempest appeares both by his writings and by his carriage for being much vexed at home by sundry wicked men yet would he not start at all from his fixed course To speak somewhat of his domestick troubles Mr. Calvin wholly imploying himself to shew that the life of Christianity did not so much consist in vain speculation as in practise he necessarily met with those enemies which did not onely oppose all piety and honesty but threatened warre to their own country The chief of these was that Perrinus before mentioned who with his companions had brought themselves into this condition that they must needs use extremity for which end they appealed from the Presbytery to the Senate The Presbytery on the contrary pleaded their Ecclesiastical Constitutions agreeable to the Word of God and setled by Authority and therefore they desired the Senate that their priviledges might not be infringed The Senate concluded that the Ecclesiastical Laws being established ought not to be violated But when this audacious fellow would not otherwise be ruled the Senate decreed that he should be deposed from his Oaptainship and live a private life Though all these things were transacted before the Senate yet was Mr. Calvin wonderfully afflicted by them
what profit came to the people thereby Another decree for the abolishing of Christmas-day and that no holy day should be observed but the Sabbath onely which did so offend some loose persons that they bruited abroad that Master Calvin had abolished the Sabbaths to bring the greater odium upon him This offence taken by some occasionâ—â— Calvin to write his book of Scandals dedicated to Laurenâ—â— Normendius his intimate friend Anno Christi 1551. great contentions brake out in the Church and this year was begun with the death of Bucer to the great grief of the whole Church and of Master Calvin especially who alwayes highly prised him About the same time dyed Joachim Vadian a Senator of Geneva a man endowed with singular learning and piety Whereupon the wickedness of the factious persons brake forth again which had slept a great while These men would by no means suffer the exiles which fled thither for Religion to injoy the priviledges of the City and not content therewith Mast. Calvin having been forth to Preach beyond the Rhodanus as he came home they entertained him with scorns and one Raimund his Colleague having occasion one evening to pass the bridge over the Rhodanus they had almost cast him into the River and lastly they raised a great tumult in the Church of Saint Gervase because a child being brought to be baptized the Minister refused to give him the name of Balthazar which name had beenf or some reason forbidden by their Law Neither could Master Calvin tel how to cure these evils but by his invincible patience About the same time another mischief invaded the Church of Geneva which was occasioned by one Jerome Bolsec a Frier Carmelite of Paris who had indeed laid aside his Coul but not his Monkish mind This man first fled to the Dutchess of Ferrara whom he deceived till being found out he was driven from thence Then pretending to be a Physician he came to Geneva but the learned Physicians there rejecting him that he might manifest himselfe a Divine he vented some false and absurd opinions about Predestination first in private and then in the publick Congregation Him therefore did Master Calvin confute first with a moderate reproof only then sending for him to him he laboured to instruct him better but he either puffed up with his Monkish pride or provoked by the seditious persons seeking by him to provoke Master Calvin took the boldness upon the sixteenth of October to preach upon this Text He that is of God heareth the words of God and they which hear them not are not of God whence he took occasion to preach up Freewill and that Predestination was out of works foreseen withall reproaching the true doctrine and shewing himself seditiously proud and he became the more bold because seeing Master Calvins seat empty he judged him to be absent But indeed Master Calvin coming late sate behind some others and when the Frier had done Master Calvin suddenly standing up though he had thought of no such thing before then truly if at any time he shewed what a man he was confuting the Frier with so many testimonies of Scripture with so many places out of Saint Augustine and lastly with so many weighty arguments that all were ashamed of what he had taught but only the impudent fellow himself Insomuch that one of the Magistrates of the City apprehended him and committed him to prison for a seditious person and after hearing and examining his cause the judgement of the Senat of the Helvetian Churches being also requested upon the 23th day of Decemb. he was publickly condemned for sedition and Pelagianisme and banished the City being rhreatned with severe punishment if he were afterwards found either in the City or territories belonging to it After this going into a neighbour Town he was the cause of many and great stirs there till he was twice expelled the Country of the Bernates From thence going into France he sought to get into the Ministry in the Reformed Churches which he found in a peaceable condition first in Paris then in Orleans pretending great penetency for his former miscarriages and of his own accord seeking reconciliation with the Church at Geneva But presently after when he saw the Churches under affliction he fell back to his Popery loading the reformed Churches with many reproaches At the same time the Colledge of Ministers at Geneva in a publick meeting asserted the true Doctrine of Predestination which Calvin put into writing So that all the Divel gat by these contentions was that that head of Christian Religion which before which was very obscure was now very clearly opened to the understanding of all that were not contentious The year following which was 1551. it further appeared what a flame this wicked Varlet had kindled though condemned by the common judgement of so many Chuâ—ches For the difficulty of the question having not been sufficiently explicated by the Ancients did stir up especially curious wits to make inquiry into the same By which means the factious persons supposing that they had gotten an excellent advantage against Master Calvin thought that by removing him they might subvert all things So that it cannot be imagined what stirs arose not onely in the City but also in other places as if the Divell had set all his engines on work to raise contentions For though there was a sweet agreement amongst the chief Pastors of the Churches yet there were not some wanting in the Country of the Bernates which accused Calvin as if he had made God the Author of sin Being forgetful how far he had professedly opposed that cursed Tenet when he had confuted the Libertines At Basil Castalio a good and simple man though he did all things closely yet it was discerned that he defended Pelagianisme and Melancâ—â—hon had so bâ—gun to write of these things that though he had formerly subscribed Calvins book against Pighius yet he seemed to brand the Genevians as if thâ—y held the Fate of the Stoicks The Pontificians also though they had been a thousand times confuted yet renewed their old slanders These things did much trouble Master Calvins mind and so much the rather because the efficacy of error was so great at this time that thâ— mouth of truth in some places seemed to be stopt by publick Authority Neither was this a controversie of a few years This same year that good Hermite whom we mentioned before appeared publickly to dispute with Calvin who had suffered a repulse when some years before he had sought tâ— creep into the ministry whereupon he turned Lawyer and the Patron of the factious persons Their cause came to be heard before the Senate with a great contention on both sides the first fighting with impudâ—ncy and the favour of the wicked but M Calvin defending his Doctrine only with the authority of truth And the truth prevailed M. Calvins writings being judged pious and
but an honest young man of the Citizens advised Perinus that Mr. Farell the common Father of the City might be no way wronged joyning also with himself another honest young man they gave notice to the well-affected Citizens that they should stand by Mr. Farell at the day of hearing which also they did so that his adversaries being astonished and deterred hereat of their own accord craved pardon and Mr. Farell was dismissed About this time a grievous calamity befell the Church of England by the immature death of that godly Prince King Edward the sixth which was a grievous wound to all the Reformed Churches Yet at this same time Mr. Calvin wrote his learn-Commentaries upon the Gospel of St. John Geneva as we heard before having inflicted deserved punishment upon Servetus not as upon a Sectary but as upon a monster for his horrible impieties and blasphemies by which for thirty years space he had infected the Christian world both by his teaching and writings It cannot be imagined how this stirred up the rage of Sathan such a flame arising from hence as set Poland first then Transsylvania and Hungary all on a fire which himself seemed to foretell by the spirit of Sathan when in the beginning of his book he set this sentence out of the Revelation There was a great battle in heaven Michael and his Angels fighting with the Dragon For his ashes being scarce cold a great controversie sprung up about the punishing of Hereticks Some holding that they ought to be restrained but not to be punished with death Others thinking that it could not be clearly stated out of Gods word what was Heresie thereupon said that it was lawfull to hold either part in all the Heads of Religion and that all men though holding a wrong opinion were to be left to the judgement of God This latter opinion some good men inclined to fearing that the contrary Tenet might kindle the cruelty of Tyrants against the godly The principall of these were Sebastian Castalio and Laelius Socinus therein pleading their own cause The former indeed more closely and the latter more openly as one that studyed to vindicate the clear authority of the Scripture in a certain Preface to the perverting of the holy Bible and in his Annotations upon the first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians had endeavoured to draw men from the written Word of God as an imperfect Rule as if Paul had taught to some of his Disciples that were more perfect then the rest a certain more hidden Divinity then that which he had committed to writing Hereupon Mr. Calvin Anno Christi 1554 set forth a copious confutation of all the Doctrine of Servetus which was subscribed by all his Colleagues adding many reasons why and how farre a Magistrate might proceed in punishing such an one as was lawfully convicted of Heresie The adversaries on the contrary published a Rapsody collected partly out of the writings of the ancient Fathers which they perverted to their own ends and partly out of the writings of certain unknown Fanaticks and under the name of Martin Bellius which indeed was Castalio though afterwards he forswore it and falsifying also the name of the City in which they falsly pretended that it was published To this book swarming with many other Errors and Blasphemies Mr. Beza answered thereby to free Mr. Calvin from that labour who was now busie in writing his learned Commentaries upon Genesis and in diverting other dangers from the Church For the factious went on to innovate things in the City and though the Amnestie was again renewed before the Senate upon the second of February yet they daily grew worse and worse so that Master Calvin was much busied both in blaming and reproving them for their wickedness and in endeavouring to strengthen the godly against the poison of their impiety for they had proceeded to such a height of wickedness that they turned part of the sacred Scriptures into obscaene songs and used to beat strangers whom they met in the night and sometimes also to rob them They also privately used the books of Bolsecus Castalio and other corrupt men that they might renew the controversie about Predestination yea they proceeded to scatter abroad a false and scandalous libell wherein they grievously aspersed that worthy servant of Christ Master Calvin Castalio also sent another Latine Book to be privately Printed at Paris to which Master Beza answered and Master Calvin also confuted some of the fooleries of the same kind About this time the care of the English exiles lay heavy upon him some of which were come to Vesalia others to Embden and others to Franckford all sending to Master Calvin for advice and counsel Neither was he a little troubled for the andaciousness of some of the Pastors encouraged by the secret favour of others of the French-Church long since planted by him at Strasborough And in short how great pains he took this year for severall Churches may appear by the multitude of Epistles wrote by him by which he stirred up many Noble-men to imbrace the Gospel and strengthned many of the Brethren some of which were in extream danger and others already cast into bonds We spake before of the sweet Harmony that was between the Helvetian and Rhetian Churches about the Doctrine of the Sacrament This concord did exceedingly displease the spirit of error therefore he easily found out one that might easily reinkindle the fire which before was extinguished viz. Joachim Westphalus who was seconded by Heshusius then a Minister of the word but afterwards a Bishop of whom wee shall speak more afterwards Hereupon Master Calvin published an explication of that agreement which by how much it imbittered their spirits by so much the more it satisfied all good men that were lovers of the truth The year following viz. 1555. by the speciall mercy of God brought peace along with it to the Church of Geneva which was now quiet from its domestick stirs for the factious ruined themselves God discovering their horrible treason to the State by the means of one of the conspirators who in his drunken fit discovered it whereupon some of them were beheaded others of them were banished who though a while after they vexed the City yet perished shamefully in the end leaving an example of the just judgement of God upon such persons though it may be deferred for a time Thus the Commonwealth was freed from these Pests To which another mercy was added by the answer of the four Helvetian Cities to whom the question about the Discipline which we spake of before had been proposed who unanimously confirmed the Ecclesiasticall Polity as it had been before settled contrary to the expectation of the factious Yet something was not wanting whereby Mr. Calvin might be further exercised For he took great pains in constituting the Church in Polonia by the will of the King In comforting the afflicted
which place he continued all his life and carried himself with much sedulity pioty and prudence in the same alwaies maintaining love and concord with his Colleagues And in his Sermons he preached over the Pentateuch and the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. And whereas one Peter a Soto a Spaniard wrote a Confession of the Roman Faith and made some Annotations upon the forementioned Confession of Wirtemburg labouring to bespatter and traduce it Brentius answered this out of the Scriptures and Fathers defending the Doctrine of the Protestants against the opinions of the Papists and the Decrees of the Councill of Trent which he confuted so that a blind man might perceive the Idolatries of the Romanists to be condemned by the Word of God Anno Christi 1557 he was sent by his Prince to the Conference at Worms which came to nothing because the Popish party would not suffer that the Scripture should be the Judg of their Controversies In his old age hee wrote upon the Psalmes And whereas there were many Monasteries in Wirtemburg out of which the Friars were driven he perswaded his Prince to turne them to Schooles for the training up of youth in learning which was accordingly done and once in two years Brentius visited those Schools and took notice how the Scholars profited in Learning and encouraged them to make a daily progresse therein He had almost finished his Comment upon the Psalms when as his old age worn out with studies and labours put a period unto the same and his end was hastned by grief for the immature death of his Prince for whom he professed that he would willingly have sacrificed all his estate his own life also Falling into a feaver whereby he perceived that his end approached he made his Will wherein he set down a Confession of his Faith And sending for the Ministers of Stutgard hee caused his sonne to read it to them and requested them to subscribe their hands as witnesses to it He also received the Sacrament and exhorted them to unity in Doctrine and love amongst themselves He was exceeding patient in all his sickness neither by word nor gesture shewing the least impatience alwaies saying That he longed for a better even an eternall life The night before his death he slept sweetly and when he awaked the Minister repeated the Apostles Creed and asked him whether he dyed in that Faith to whom he answered Yea which was his last word and so he quietly resigned up his spirit unto God Anno Christi 1570 and of his Age seventy one He was buried with much honour and had this Epitaph Voce stylo pietate fide candore probatus Johannes tali Brentius ore fuit With voice stile piety faith and candor grac'd In outward shape John Brentius was thus fac'd He was of a bigge stature of a sirm health in which hee continued to his old age had strong fides a clear and full voice had many excellent virtues went through many great dangers with an undaunted spirit His piety to his Parents was very singular and his love to God and his Church exemplary He wrote many things which are printed in nine Tomes Most of which are mentioned before in his life The Life of Peter Viretus who died A no Christi 1571. PEter Viretus was born at Orba in the Country of the Bernates brought up in learning at Paris where he beganne to be acquainted with Farel whom afterwards he helpt much in setling the Churches in those parts But principally the Church of Lausanna where he spent many years in the Ministry and writing books to his great praise And when Calvin was sent to the Conference at Worms An. Chr. 1541 and from thence to Ratisbone he obtained of the Senate of Lausanna that Virete should supply his place at Geneva till his return and when he came back he much importuned that Virete might still continue there affirming that it would much conduce to the good of the Church at Geneva to enjoy his labours but he would needs return to Lausanna to his former charge Afterwards at the earnest entreaty of the French-Churches he went to Lions where in the middest of the Civill Warrs and the Pestilence which followed he with his Colleagues governed the Church with much prudence till by the Jesuits means Anno 1563 there was a Proclamation sent abroad that none but such as were Native French should be Preachers in the Protestant Churches upon which occasion many forraign Ministers were driven out of France and amongst the rest Master Virete Then at the earnest request of the Queen of Navarre he went to Bern where hee continued untill his death which was Anno Christi 1571 and of his Age sixty He was much bewailed of all good men Whilst he lived he was of a very weak constitution and the rather by reason of poyson which a Priest had given to him at Geneva as also because of some wounds that he had received from a Priest that lay in wait for him in another place where he was left for dead He was very learned of a sweet disposition and so exceeding Eloquent that he drew many to be his hearers which were no friends to Religion and they were so chained to his lips that they never thought the time long wherein he preached but alwaies wished his Sermons longer At Lions which was a populous City he preached in an open place and turned some thousands to the Truth and Faith in Christ yea some that passed by with no purpose to hear his Sermon Yet did he so work upon them that they neglected their other businesse to hearken to him At that time France enjoyed those three excellent Preachers Calvin Farel and Virete Calvin was famous for his Learning Farell for his earnestnesse and Viret for his Eloquence Whereupon Baza made these verses Gallica mirata est Calvinum Ecclesia nuper Quo nemo docuit doctius Est quoque te nuper mirata Farelle tonantem Quo nemo tonuit fortius Et miratur adhuc fundentem mella Viretum Quo nemo fatur dulciùs Scilicet aut tribus his servabere testibus olim Aut interibis Gallia Scripta Viretus reliquit Commentarios in Acta Apost De origine novae veteris Idololatriae lib. 5. Qua Imagines Reliquiae verae aut falsa sint Quis verus Mediator De origine continuatione usu authoritate atque praestantia Ministerii Verbi Dei Sacrament orum c. De vero Verbi Dei Sacramentorum Ecclâ—siae Ministerio lib. 2. De Adulterinis Sacramentis De Theatrica Missae saltatione c. De usu salutationis Augelicae c. Epistola ad fideles agentes inter Papistas Epistolae consolatoriae De officio hominis necessitate inquirendi de voluntate Dei ex ejus verbo c. Physicae Papalis Dialogi 5. Christianarum Disputationum Dialogi 6. Instructio Christiana
Pulpit alluding to that of Vespasian Oportet Imperatorem stantem mori And thinking upon that of his Master Happy art thou my servant if when I come I find thee so doing His text whereon he preached at Lacock was Walk in the Spirit and presently after Sermon his disease growing more and more upon him hee was forced to take his bed In the beginning of his sicknesse he made his Will and gave most of his estate to his servants to scholars and to the poor of Sarum The Saturday following calling all his houshold about him he expounded the Lords Prayer Cantater â—ygnus funeris ipse sui Wherein hee said It hath alwaies been my desire that I might glorifie God and honour his name by sacrificing my life unto death for the defence of his Truth But seeing God hath not granted my desire yet I rejoice that my body is exhausted and worn away in the labours of my holy calling c. And now that my hour is at hand I earnestly desire you to pray for me and to help me with the ardencie of your affections when you perceive me through the infirmitie of the â—esh to languish in my prayers Hitherto I have taught you but now the time is come wherein I may and desire to be taught and strengthened by every one of you Then hee desired them to sing the 71 Psalm himself also joyning as well as he could somtimes also interposing some words of particular application to himself in the end he said Lord now let thy servant depart in peace Break off all delaies Lord receive my spirit c. Then one standing by prayed with tears that if the Lord pleased he would restore him to his former health Juel over-hearing him seemed to be offended and said I have not lived so that I am ashamed to live longer neither do I fear to die because we have a mercifull Lord. A crown of righteousness is laid up for me Christ is my righteousnesse Father let thy will be done thy will I say and not mine which is imperfect and depraved This day quickly let me see the Lord Jesus c. And so after a few fervent inward prayers and sighs of longing desire the soul returned to him that gave it Anno Christi 1571 and of his Age 50. Concerning his Apology for the Church of England Peter Martyr thus wrote to him Tua Apologia frater charissimè non tantùm mihi omnibus modis numeris satisfecit verùm etiam Bulingero ejusque filiis generis nec non Gualthero Wolphio tam sapiens mirabilis eloquens visâ— est ut ejus laudandae nullum modum faciant nec arbitrantuâ— quicquam hoc tempore perfectius editum fuisse c. i. e. Thy Apology dear brother hath not onely fully satisfied mee but it seems also so wise admirable and eloquent to Bullinger and his sonnes as also to Gualter and Wolphius that they can never make an end of praising it and they believe that there hath not been so compleate a book published in this Age c. The Life of Zegedine who died A no Christi 1572. STeven Kis sirnamed Zegedine from the place where hee was born which was a Town in the lower Pannonia was born Anno Christi 1505 brought up in learning first in the School of Zegedine under the eye of his Parents then was sent to Lippain and after a while to Julia in all which places he made an excellent progresse in Learning and profited to admiration And his parents being dead he betooke himself to teaching a School and for his admirable dexterity therein he procured to himselfe great favour and authority amongst all sorts of persons About which time hearing the fame of Luther and Melancthon he had a great mind to goe to Wittenberg but wanting opportunity in sundry regards he went to the University at Cracovia where having studied a while he was made a Reader to others and grew very famous and having gotten some money there Anno Christi 1541 hee went to Wittenberg where hee studied Logick and Divinity three years being a diligent hearer of the Lectures of Luther and Melancthon all that while and so at the end of that terme returned into his own country where hee was received by the Hungarian youths with great applause in every place And being hired in the City of Thasniadine he not only instructed youth in the knowledge of the Arts but he preached Jesus Christ also to the people before unknown unto them This comming to the ears of the Kings Treasurer he sent for him fell upon him beat him and drove him out of the City There he lost two hundred books and was so barbarously kicked by this Tyrant with his Iron spurs that he was almost slain Thus wandring up and down as an exile Anno Christi 1545 hee was called to Julia where he was made Governour of an illustrious Schoole and hee began to live comfortably but on a sudden came news to him of the death of Luther which was a very great grief to him The year after hee was sent for to Cegledine where he was hired to preach publickly in the Church and with the leave of the Schoolmaster he read Melancthons Common places in the Schooles discovering many of the Popish errors to his hearers and God was pleased so to blesse his labours that many learned young men went out of those Schooles Having continued there about two yeares and an half Anno Christi 1548 hee married his first Wife called Ursula after which leaving Cegledine hee was earnestly sent for by the Governour of Temeswert to govern the School there which indeed was the most famous School in all those parts where he not onely performed the office wherewith he was intrusted but preached weekely to the people But that Governour dying there succeeded him one that was of a most rugged disposition being a souldier and a strong Papist who drove Zegedine from thence togegether with divers other Protestants Being again an exile he wandered up and down till hee was called to govern the School at Thurin where he was received with great honour Anno Christi 1551 and according to his former custome preached to the people who eagerly embraced the Truth and loved him exceedingly From thence Anno Christi 1553 he was called to Bekenese where he preached to the people and read Lectures in the Schools Whilst he was there some Italian souldiers were commanded by their Captain to kill Zegedine out of an hatred to his Religion but it pleased God that a Country man who heard the command running hastily to Zegedine said to him Sir what doe you here when there are some souldiers comming upon you to slay you therefore flie hence speedily if you will save your life and if you have any thing of worth commit it to my custodie who promise faithfully to keep it
for theft was hanged by the heels with his head downward in a village hard by having not seen that kind of punishment he went to the place where he found him hanging between two Dogs that were alwaies snatching at him tearing and eating his flesh The poor wretch repeated in Hebrew some verses of the Psalms wherein hee cried to God for mercy whereupon Andreas went nearer to him and instructed him in the Principles of the Christian Religion about Christ the Messiah c. and exhorted him to believe in him and it pleased God so to blesse his exhortation to him that the Dogs gave over tearing of his flesh and the poor Jew desired him to procure that he might be taken down and baptised and hung by the neck for the quicker dispatch which was done accordingly The same year Charles Marquesse of Baden beganne a Reformation of the Churches within his dominions and to assist him therein he sent for divers Divines and amongst the rest for Dr Andreas by whose help he cast out the Popish Religion and Ceremonies and established the true Religion according to the Augustane Confession The like he did in Brugoia About the same time also Doctor Andreas was sent for by the Senate of the Imperiall City of Rottenburg because the Pastors in their jurisdiction used divers Ceremonies so that they feared least contentions should arise about the Substantials in Divinity whereupon by the advice of Andreas they were united in one Confession of Faith consonant to the Word of God and certain Ceremonies were agreed on which all the Ministers should unanimously use for the time to come Yea he was of such esteem that he was sent for by divers Princes to reform the Churches in their jurisdictions Hee was present at divers Synods and Disputations about Religion Hee travelled many thousands of miles being usually attended but with one servant yet it pleased God that in all his journyes he never met with any affront Anno Christi 1552 the Chancellors place in the University of Tubing was voyd by the death of Beurlin whereupon Prince Christopher consulting with the Heads of the University made Doctor Andreas Chancellor in his stead About which time he was sent into Thuringia to compose the difference between the Divines of Jenes Flacius Illiricus aud Strigelius about the power of Free-will Anno Christi 1580 came forth the book of Concord which was approved and subscribed by three Electors twenty one Princes twenty two Counts four Barons thirty five Imperiall Cities and eight thousand Ministers This was set on foot by the Elector of Saxony but carried on by the excessive labours of Doctor Andreas who carried it from one to another resolving all doubts and answering all objections till he had got all those subscriptions The year before his death hee used often to say that hee should not live long that hee was weary of this life and much desired to be dissolved and to be with Christ which was best of all Falling sick he sent for James Herbrand saying I exspect that after my death many adversaries will rise up to asperse me and therefore I sent for thee to hear the confession of my faith that so thou mayst testifie for me when I am dead and gone that I died in the true Faith The same Confession also he made afterwards before the Pastors and Deacons of Tubing The night before his death he slept partly upon his bed and partly in his chair When the clock struck fix in the morning he said My hour draws near He gave thanks to God for bestowing Christ for revealing his Will in his Word for giving him Faith and the like benefits and when he was ready to depart he said Lord into thy hands I commend my spirit and so he fell asleep in the Lord Anno Christi 1590 and of his age 61. In the discharge of his office he never spared any labour hee never shrunk under any trouble He wrote many Epistles to severall men upon several arguments A learned and rich man of Tubing after Doctor Andreas his death said that he had in his Library fifteen hundred bookes of his writing upon severall Arguments H. ZANCHY The Life of Hierom Zanchius who dyed A no Christi 1590. HIerom Zanchius was born at Atzanum in Italy Anno 1516. His Father was a Lawyer who brought him up at School and when Zanchy was but twelve years old his Father died of the Plague Anno Christi 1528 at which time Zanchy was at School where he was instructed in the Liberall Sciences When he came to the age of fifteen years being now deprived of both his parents observing that divers of his kindred were of the order of Canons Regular amongst whom he judged that there were divers learned men being exceeding desirous of Learning he entered into that Order where hee lived about twenty years and studied Arts and School-Divinity together with the Tongues He was very familiar with Celsus Martiningus joyning studies with him was a diligent hearer of Peter Martyrs publick Lectures at Luca upon the Epistle to the Romans and of his private Lectures upon the Psalmes which he read to his Canons This drew his mind to an earnest study of the Scriptures He read also the Fathers especially St. Augustine with the most learned Interpreters of the Word of God And thereupon he preached the Gospel for some years in the purest manner that the time and place would suffer And when Peter Martyr left Italy so that his godly Disciples could no longer live in safety there much lesse have liberty of Preaching about twenty of them in the space of one year left their station and followed their Master into Germany amongst whom Zaâ—chy was one Being thus as he used to say delivered out of the Babylonish captivity anno Christi 1550. He went first into Rhetia where he staied about eight moneths and from thence to Geneva and after nine moneths stay there he was sent for by Peter Martyr into England but when he came to Strasborough he staid there to supply Hedio's room newly dead who read Divinity in the Schooles which was in the yeare 1553. He lived and taught Divinity in that City about 11 yeares sometimes also reading Aristotle in the Schools yet not without opposition old James Sturmius the Father of that University being dead Yea his adversaries proceeded so far as to tell Zanchy that if hee would continue to read there he must subscribe the Augustaâ—e Confession to which hee yeelded for peace-sake with this proviso modò Orthodoxâ—e intelligatur declaring his judgement also about Christs presence in the Sacrament wherewith they were satisfied And thus he continued to the year 1563 being very acceptable to the good and a shunner of strife and a lover of concord At the end whereof the Divines and Professors there accused him for differing from them in some points about
Nowel was born in the County of Lancaster Anno Christi 1511 of an ancient and worshipfull Family and at thirteen years old was sent to Oxford and admitted a member of Brasennose Colledge where hee studied thirteen years and grew very famous both for Religion and Learning In Queen Maries daies he amongst many others left the Kingdom that he might enjoy his conscience and returning when Queen Elizabeth of blessed memory came to the Crown she made him Dean of Pauls where he was a frequent and faithfull Preacher By his writings he defended the truth against some English Popish Renegadoes For thirty years together he preached the first and last Sermons in Lent before the Queen wherein he dealt plainly and faithfully with her He was a great Benefactor to Brasen-nose Colledge where hee had his first education Hee was the enlarger of Pauls School made the threefold Catechism which was much used long after He was very charitable to the poor especially to poor Scholars A great comforter of afflicted consciences He lived till he was ninetie years old and yet neither the eies of his mind nor body waxed dim And dyed peaceably in the Lord Anno Christi 1601. D. TOSSANVS The Life of Daniel Tossanus who dyed A no Christi 1602. DAniel Tossanus was born at Mombelgart in Wirtemberg Anno Christi 1541. His Father was Minister in that town about six and thirty yeares who carefully brought up this his son in learning and 〈◊〉 fourteen years old sent him to the University of Basil where he continued two years and then he commenced Batchelor of Arts From thence Anno Christi 1557 he went to Tubing and was there mainâ—ainâ—d to his studyes for two yeares more by the bounty of 〈◊〉 Châ—istopher who did it for his Fathers sake who for many years had deserved so well of the Church of Mombelgart Our Daniel whilst he was at Tâ—bing applyed himself to the study of humane Arts and Philosophy in which he profited so eminently in a short space that at the end of two years he was made Master of Arts and then was sent for â—ack by his father to Mombelgaâ—t where hee preached for a while and then went to Paris to learne the French Tongue and to proceed in his other studies Anno Christi 1560 he went from Paris to Orleance where he read Hebrew publickly and after a while was made Deacon in that Church and two years after Minister An. Christi 1562 and of his age twenty one which place he undertook there rather than in his own country partly because of the great want of Pastors in the French Churches as also because he agreed with them in his judgement about the manner of Christs presence in the Sacrament At this time there was the most flourishing Church in all France in Orleance consisting of above seven thousand persons that had excellent Pastors over them Into the number of which our Daniel being admitted not long after hee resolved to marry and accordingly viz. 1565 hee married Mary Covet of Paris whose Father had been Advocate to the Queen Mother in the Parliament of Paris and whose Mother being a Widdow and having embraced the Reformed Religion transplanted her self with her two daughters to Orleance for the freer exercise of her Religion Whilst he was there the Civil Wars brake out between the Papists and Protestants and Francis Duke of Guise besieged the City of Orleance where Monsieur de Andelot brother to the Admiral of France commanded in chief Tossan continued there all the time of the siege and took extraordinary pains in instructing exhorting and encouraging both Citizens and souldiers and when the City was in great danger to be lost one Poltrot who had devoted his life for his Countries safety went out and slew the Duke of Guise under the walls whereupon the siege was raised and the Church there preserved almost miraculously from ruin Anno Christi 1567 there brake out a second Civill War at which time the Papists in Orleance conspired together to destroy all the Protestants so that they were every hour in danger of being butchered but it pleased God seasonably to send Monsieur Novie with a small party of souldiers who entring the City and joyning with the Protestants drave out some of the Papists and disarmed the rest But after that famous battel at Saint Denis wherein so many of both sides were slain and wounded Peace was againe concluded Yet did the Papists quickly break it and a great company of Souldiers entering into Orleance beganne to breath forth threatnings against the Church of Christ especially against the Ministers of it Hereupon Tossan was in great danger insomuch that when he went into the Church to preach he knew not whether he should returne alive and that which most troubled him was the fear that he had of his wife and two small children Besides he never went to the Congregation but some threw stones others shot bullets at him and their rage grew so great that they burned down the barn wherein the Church used to meet together and every day he heard of one or other of their members that were slain so that he was compelled severall times to change his lodging yet one day the souldiers caught him and pretended that they would carry him out of the City but indeed intended to have Murthered him whereupon his wife great with child ranne to the Governour and with much importunity prevailed with him that her husband might stay in the City And not long after brake out the third Civill War at which time the Popish souldiers that besieged Orleance were so enraged that they burned all the places where the Church used to meet and barbarously slew above eighty of the faithfull servants of Christ in them yet it pleased God miraculously to preserve the Ministers in that great danger and Tossan with his Colleagues by the help of some of the faithfull was conveighed privately away out of the City in the night but whilst hee sought to hid chim in a wood he fel into an ambush and was taken and carried prisoner into a Castle not far off from Orleance His wife which stayed behind in the City hearing this sad news left no means untried for his delivery and at last for a great summe of money shee procured his release whereupon he went to Agrimont and his wife putting her self into the habit of a Maid-servant went towards Agrimont after him where Renata the daughter of Lewis the twelfth of France and Dowager of Ferrara lived in a very strong Castle and was a great friend to the Protestants entertaining many that fled to her for succour But as his wife was going thitherward after him she was taken by some Souldiers and carried back to the Governour of Orleaence but it pleased God to stir up the Governours wife and daughters to intercede for her
by whose importunity she was set free and had leave to goe to Agrimont whither it pleased God to carry her in safety through a thousand dangers and where she found her husband And whilst she was there she was brought to bed of a daughter to which the Dutchesse was Godmother But the King of France hearing that his Aunt the Dutchesse had sheltered many of the Protestants sent to her to turn them all out of her Castle or else he would presently besiege it and slay them all Upon which message Tossan with his wife and three children went presently to Sancerra which was the nearest place of safetie There went also a long with him two or three hundred Waggons loaden with children and in their passage there lay many Troops of the enemies especially at a River over which they were to passe purposing to destroy them but it pleased God to stir up some Protestants thereabouts to horse and arm themselves and to proffer themselves as a guard to these Waggons who fought often with their enemies and by Gods special providence conducted them all in safety to Sancerra There Tossan continued a year and then with his wife and one or two of his children he went to Mombelgart to visit his Father and friends and because the wars being but lately ended in France the Church of Orleance could not suddenly gather themselves together he continued and preached in his Fathers place who was now grown old for a year But some Ministers of Stutgard accused him for preaching Calvinism and Zuinglinism and would have him to revoke and recant the same or else he must preach no more in publick They also summoned him to appear at Stutgard to give an account of his opinions and by conference with them to reform the same framing himself wholly to their mindes upon which onely condition they would let him live in his own country and preach therein Hereupon he wrote an Apology to the Senate at Stutgard shewing the reasons why at that time he could not goe thither and Anno Christi 1571 when it had pleased God after those terrible storms to restore peace to the Church at Orleance he was called back thither Yet the times were not so peaceable that he could preach there but he preached to his people in a Castle not far from it which belonged to Hierom Groslotius a most godly Noble man and there repaired to hear him out of the City a very great multitude of people whom the Popish party at their return home received with many scornes and reproaches threatning ere long to fire the Castle and all that were in it yet did the faithfull overcome all dangers with their constancy and Tossan living with that Nobleman performed his Pastoral office with all diligence and fidelity though at that time he was very sickly Anno Christi 1572 brake forth that abhominable Massacre at Paris wherein Charles the ninth falsifying his faith caused the Admirall of France with many Noblemen and Gentlemen Doctors Pastors Advocates and Professors to be so inhumanely butchered that a more horrid villany was never heard of in the world before it At which time amongst others this Hieronimus Groslotius was also murthered The newes of this Massacre comming to Orleance the Papists rejoyced and sung seeking to murther and destroy all the Protestants that were in and about that City Tossan at this time was in the Castle with the wife of Groslotius who heard 〈◊〉 the Massacre and the Murther of her husband at Paris and it pleased God so to order it that a certaine Popish Nobleman as he was travelling towards Paris was turned aside into this Castle to enquire after news just at the same time when this sad news was brought thither But he supposing that it was impossible that the Protestants which were so numerous there could be so easily suppressed and thinking rather that they stood upon their defence resolved to return home again and took with him this Lady with Tossan and his wife and children Thus it pleased God that he was delivered from certain destruction by the humanitie and industry of a Papist For the very next Morning the inhabitants of Orleance came to that Castle brake open the Gates slew some maids that were left to keep it plundered all and amongst the rest Tossans goods and Library raging extreamely that they had missed their prey which they most sought after This Noblemans House that carried them with him was near to Argimont But Tossan apprehending himself not safe there with his wife and children removed to another place where he was acquainted and presently after the Dutches of Ferrara sent for him and his Family his wife being again great with childe and hid them in a Turret in her Castle and sustained and sed them there And when the rage of the Papists was somewhat abated hee with his wife and children travelled through many dangers into Germany and shortly after was sent for by that pious Prince Frederick the third Elector Palatine to come to him to Heidleberg whither he went with his Family and where he found so much love and bounty from the Prince and his Courtiers and the Academicks that he almost forgot his former miseries All the while that he lived in Heidleberg he was Preacher to the Elector shewing such Faithfullnesse Diligence Candour and other Virtues as became a faithfull Minister of Jesus Christ whereby he was very deare to the Elector who often consulted with him about the waitiest matters of Religion And Anno Christi 1575 he sent him with some other of his faithfull Counsellors to Amberg to visit the Churches and to compose some controversies which were sprung up amongst them about matters of Religion which trust he performed with singular zeale and diligence But the world being unworthy of such a Prince it pleased God to take him away Anno Christi 1576 four years after Tossan came thither And his Son Lodwick a Lutherane succeeding him Tossan amongst some others was dismissed But Prince Cassimire Lodwicks Brother who knew the impostures of the Vbiquitarians better then his brother and who had undertaken to defend that faith whereof his Father had made a confession in his Will called him to Neostade and placed him over the Churches there And after Ursins death made him Professor in that University In which place he interpreted the holy Scripture He also undertook the caâ—e of the Church which was collected of the Exiles who wanted a Father and Preached to them in the French Tongue Anno Christi 1578. He waâ— Moderator in a Synod at Neostade And Prince Cassimire did alwaies esteem so highly of his advise and Counsell that he sent for him often neither would determine any thing in Ecclesiasticall affaires without his assent and when Prinâ—e and Ambassadors came to Neostade being moved with his same they would alwaies visit him and
adspectu primo augustissimum illud caput In principio erat verbum c. When I opened the New Testament I first light upon Johns first Chapter In the beginning was the word c. I read part of the Chapter and was suddenly convinced that the Divinity of the Argument and the Majesty and Authority of the writing did exceedingly excel all the Eloquebce of humane writings My body trembled my mind was astonished and I was so affected all that daie that I knew not where and what I was Thou wast mindfull of me O my God according to the multitude of thy mercies and calledst home thy lost sheep into thy foid And from that day forward he fervently bent himself to the study and practise of piety to the great joy and comfort of his father Who presently after sent him to Geneva giving him onely so much money as would bear his charges intending to sent more after him But the Civill wars presently beginning in France he was hindred of his purpose So that Junius when he came to Geneva had onely so much money left as would buy him fourbooks a Bible Calvins Institutions Beza's confessions and an Hebrew Grammer which for a year together he studied with much diligence At the end whereof he was sollicited by some of his chamberfellowes to travell with them into Helvetia which he assented to and went with them having but little mony remaining In this jorney he spent three weeks and at Bern saluted Musculus and Hallerus At Zurick Martyr Bullinger and Gualter and at Neocom Farrel so returned to Geneva again Not long after hee began to be pinched with want and thereupon resolved each other day to dig in the Town-ditch to supply his necessities withall But it so fell out by Gods providence that a young man a Tailor whose Mother had formerly lived over against Junius his Mothers house in France and had often been relieved by her profered him both mony and lodging in his house With him therefore he lived almost seven months yet with much inconvenience to his studies till a peace being made in France his Father sent Mony to him Whilst he lived with his hest to prevent his being burthensom to him for four moneths together he fasted from his dinners spending that time in walking meditation and prayer And at supper he never eat but two eggs But by this abstinence he so weakned and dried up his body that his strength was much decaied till by the advice of his friends changing his custome and mending his Commons he by degrees recovered it again His Father not willing that he should study Divinity sent for him home but he wrote to him desiring that for the improvement of his studies hee would be pleased to allow him a longer stay But before his letter came his Father was cruelly murthered which sad newes coming to him he wrote to his Mother not to be sollicitous for him for that he would maintain himself by his own labors And thereupon hee taught Latine Oreek and Hebrew to some youths and so followed his studies besides that he brought his bodie into a dangerous distemper It fell out also that about that time the Head-School master of Geneva dying the Minister of Nosoâ—om was sent for to supply his room and Junius was profered to Preach in his place which he refused excusing himselfe for that as yet hee had not so fitted himselfe by his studies for the work of the Ministry as he desired Shortly after there came a Messenger from Antwerp desiring that a Minister might be sent to the French Church that was gathered there and Junius being judged fit for that service he was sent thither which fell out to be just at that time when the Navie went from thence to fetch a Bride for Alexander Farnesius Prince of Parma by which meanes there was great expectation of good both in Flanders and Brabant But it proved far otherwise for the Navy shortly after returning brought together with the Bride the King of Spaines letters Patents for the setling of the Spaâ—sh Inquisition in the Belgick Provinces For the preventing of which yoke some of the Nobility met together at Bruxels sending for Junius to come to them who coming found but about twenty men together to whom he Preached and prayed that they might be delivered from that cruell yoke After which they entred into consultation how they might free â—emselves frmo it which was Anno Christi 1565. This first meeting was in the house of two Noblemen brothers for which two yeares after they lost their heads and their house was pulled down to the ground Junius was afterwards sought for at his lodging in Antwerp but it pleased God that just at that time he was gone to Breda to visit the Church there by which meanes God delivered him from that danger Yet the enemies laid another snare for him pretending a disputation at a certain City in Flanders at which Junius was requested to be present but he was no sooner come thither and gone into his Inne but a Townsman came running to him to tell him that the Officers were coming to seize upon him Whereupon he was conducted out at a back door and led from one place to another by which meanes he escaped the unjust violence of his adversaries Afterwards at Gaunt he was in like danger yet the Lord wonderfully delivered him so that he got to Antwerp in safetie When hee came backe to Antwerp he was not suffered to continue in his Pastoral Office Whereupon by the advice of the Brethren he went to Limburg leaving his Clothes and Library behind him all which he there lost Yet neither was he there in safety but so many snares were laid for him that he escaped death very narrowly several times the Almighty Lord still protecting him There was near that place an old woman having manie children that for thirteen years together had conflicted with grievous despair crying out that shee and all her children were damned The Priests had often by their exorcisms sought her cure The neighbours had bound her in chaines and beaten her yet all in vain for she brake the chaines and run into the Woods hiding her self from the society of all men insomuch that she was thought to be possessed with the Divill Shee being brought to Junius he examined her in private of the cause of her distemper Shee told him that all her Neighbours said that she was damned because she had come so seldome to Mass whereas indeed she was hindred from it by the care of her many small children Junius hereupon informed her out of Gods word that she had not sinned at all therein for that it was according to Gods will that shee should take care of her children who preferr's mercy before sacrifice And also that the Mass was not the service of God c. By which meanes she was
quieted in her conscience and went away satisfied to the great astonishment of all her neighbors About this time the peace of the Church at Lâ—mburg was much disturbed by the Anabaptists and Papists Junius went often to the Anabaptists and reasoned with them peaceably and calmly whereupon they quickly decreased both in their number and credit But the Papists cast aspersions upon him to make him odious and amongst the rest that he was a Monster and had cloven feet They came also to Church to disturb him in his Sermons but notwithhanding all their endeavours his auditory stil increased And when they had challenged him to Disputations they allwaies pretended one excuse or other when the time came to evade the same But from secret plots they brake out into open violence where upon the Magistrates perswaded him to retire himself from the danger and in a dark rainy night they conveyed him â—â—t of the City and so he went to Heidleberg where he was courteously entertained by Prince Frederick the third and afterward chosen Pastor of the Church of Schaenavia which was near unto that City But the year after the pestilence greatly afflicting â—hat Church he was sent though against his will to the Camp of the Prince of Orange who was going into the Low-countries and when meeting with many inconveniencies in that employment he would have returned into Germany the Pr. of Orange would not consent but detained him to preach still to him yet at last he returned to Heidleberg and endeavoured to compose some differences that in his absence were sprung up in the Church of Schaenavìa The Prince Elector Palatine often perswaded him to goe back to the Prince of Orange and he as often excused it but at last he commanded him peremptorily to goe but it so fell out that as he was going over the bridge of Heidleberg he was grievously bitten in his right leg by a dog and so he obtained leave to stay He continued there to the year 1592 and assisted Tremelius in Translating the Bible out of Hebrew The Elector being dead hee was sent for by Prince Cassimire to Neostade and afterwards was sent for by the same Cassimire being Guardian to the young Prince to Heidleberg again Yet not long after with the consent of the Prince hee left Heidleberg to goe into his own country But when with his family he came to Leiden he was much importuned both by the Magistrates and the University to stay there and though he would fain have excused it yet at last they prevailed and made him the Professor of Divinity in that University which place he discharged with much diligence and commendation for ten yeares space At the end of which a great plague spreading all over Holland he fell sick of it and quietly resigned up his spirit unto God Anno Chr. 1602 and of his age 57. When Gomarus his Colleague came to visit him in his sickness and had spoken comfortably to him Junius told him that he quieted himself in God who would doe for him that which was most for his glory and his own good His Works are these Commentarius in Danielem In Psal. 101. In Apocalypsin In Jonam Prophetam With many others set down by Verheiden The Life of Luke Trelcatius who died A no Christi 1602. LUke Yrelcatius was born at Erinum Anno Christi 1542 and brought up by his Aunt who was Abbesse of a Nunnery His first Education was in the School at Doway where being of an acute wit he profited exceedingly in the knowledge of the humane arts From thence he went to Paris and whilst he studied there it pleased God that he fell into acquaintance with John Mercer the Hebrew Professor and with Peter Ramus by converse with whom hee was exceedingly affected with the love of the reformed Religion so that he forsooke his Aunt and was maintained by the bounty of some Merchants of Flanders From thence he went to Orleance and from thence to Sancerra in the 28th yeare of his age and being driven from thence by the tempest of Civill Wars he came into England and at London he taught a School by which he maintained himselfe eight yeares Then was hee called by some Merchants into Flanders to be their Pastor but enjoying little peace there he went to Bruxels where hee continued in the exercise of the Ministry six years and then meeting with opposition he went to Antwerp and that City being presently after besieged he was forced to stay there for eight moneths After which being sent for to divers places at length he was by the consent of his brethren in the Ministry fixt at Leiden where hee was made Pastor of the French Church which place he supplied faithfully for the space of seventeen years He had scarce been there two yeares when for his cellent parts and learning hee was chosen Divinity-Professor in that University also and at last having acquired much honour in both his offices hee dyed of the Plague Anno Christi 1602 and of his age 60. W. PERKINS The Life of John Whitgift who dyed A no Christi 1603. JOhn Whitgift came of the ancient Family of the Whitgifts of Whitgift in Yorkshire his Father was a Merchant of great Grimsby in Lincolnshire He was born Anno Christi 1530. His Uncle Robert Whitgift was Abbat of the Monastery of Wellow in the County of Lincoln who would often tell him when he was a boy that neither he nor his Religion could stand long for that he had often searched the Scriptures but could never find there that his Religion was of Divine institution and therefore according to Christs speech Every plant which his heavenly father had not planted must be rooted up which also came to pass shortly after when King Henry the eighth demolished the Abbeyes By this Uncle he was trained up in Learning in his childhood who finding him of a prompt and acute wit sent him to London to Saint Anthonyes School in Bennet Fink parish when he had made a good progresse in Learning there he went to Cambridge and studied a while in Queens Colledge but not liking that house he removed to Pembrok-hall where Nicolas Ridley was the Master and Master Bradford was his Tutor who informing Doctor Ridley of the ingenuity diligence and piety of this young Whitgift he procured for him a Scholarship Anno Christi 1555 he was chosen Fellow of Peter-House where Doctor Andrew Pearn was Master who favoured him exceedingly and sheltered him from danger all Queen Maries daies He took all his degrees of Batchelor of Arts Master of Arts Batchelor of Divinity and Doctor of Divinity with great approbation When he commenced Doctor hee disputed upon this question Papa est ille Antichristus the Pope is that Antichrist He was also a famous Preacher and when Doctor Hutton was preferred to the Archbishoprick
c. by all whom he was kindly entertained and so dearly beloved that each seemed to live in the other At his first coming to that University that he might the better arme himselfe against those manifold perturbations which all men especially the godly are molested withall he often and seriously meditated upon the History of Abraham And as often as he had any leisure he went to Geneva to converse with Calvin by whom he was much quickned to improve his parts for Gods glory and the Churches good And upon this he undertook that truly golden work begun by Marot but finished by him of turning the Psalms into French Metre which hee finished Anno Christi 1561 and which were often printed in sundry parts of France About this time many godly men and women flocked out of France to Lausanna which occasion Beza taking as sent from God expounded to them the Epistle to the Romans and afterwards the two Epistles to Peter which were the foundation of that excellent work which afterwards he compleated of turning the New Testament into Latine with Annotations upon the same About that time the Plague waxing hot in Lausanna Beza fell sick of it but Christ who intended him as an instrument of his glory in his Churches good restored him to health again Shortly after which he wrote a book de Haereticis à Magistratu puniendis occasioned by the aspersions raised by Laelius Socinus against Calvin and the Magistrates of Geneva for burning Servetus for his Heresie and Blasphemy He also wrote an explication of Christianity out of the Doctrine of eternall Predestination He also answered Joachim Westphalus about the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and afterwards published two learned Dialogues upon the same argument He answered Sebastian Castalio who sought to overthrow Eternall Election Anno Christi 1557 when the Sorbonists in Paris had raised that persecution against the Church of Christ wherein four hundred of them being met together in the night to hear the Word and receive the Lords Supper seven of them were afterwards burnt in the fire and the rest cast into chains and prisons The best means thought on to procure their release was by obtaining the Protestant German Princes to become Intercessors for them to Henry the 2d of France And thereupon Beza with some others were sent to the German Princes to engage them herein which also he obtained from them though it proved to little purpose in regard of the implacable malice of the French Courtiers against the servants of Christ. In that journey hee grew acquainted with Melancthon and they took much delight in the society of each other Having spent ten years at Lausanna as the Greek Professor with the good leave of the Senate of Bern he went to Geneva Anno Christi 1559 and lived with Calvin from whose side he seldom parted and was his great assistant both in matters of Doctrine and Disciplineâ— and that in the mean time he might not be wanting to the Schools he publickly interpreted Demosthenes Orations and part of Aristotle to the young Students And not long after upon the death of Claudius Pontanus he was chosen Pastor into his room He was also chosen the first Rector of the School in Geneva at which time he made an excellent and eloquent Oration in commendation of Learning in the presence of many grave and learned men both to encourage youths to the love of it and the Senators of Geneva to make a further progresse in the advancement of it For whereas the City of Geneva did at this time conflict with innumerable difficulties both at home and abroad which did almost swallow it up yet by the perswasion of thaâ— great Calvin it took so much courage that in that verâ— juncture of time the Senate founded and endowed thaâ— publick School which was a great ornament to the City and out of which issued abundance of godly and learned men to the great benefit of the Churches of God Shortly after at the request of certain Noblemen of France Beza was invited to visit Anthony King of Navar who at this time was at Nerac in Aquitane to conferre with him about some weighty matters but especially if it were possible through Gods mercy to confirm his mind in the true Religion For it was hoped that if that King who was the principall man of the Royall blood and like to govern the affairs of State in the minority of King Francis the second could be confirmed in the truth it would much conduce to the peace of the Churches and to the preservation of the lives of many who were cruelly burned by the Papists in sunday parts of the Kingdome Neither did this design want effect For Anno Christi 1561 the King of France dying at Orleance the King of Navar joyning with the Prince of Conde the Admirall Coligni d' Andelot and other Noblemen caused the Popish party to give over the butcheries and executions which they had formerly done upon many of Christs faithfull servants Charles the ninth coming to the Crown there were various actings about Religion whilst the Pontificians would advance their own and root out the Refoâ—med and on the contrary they of the Reformed Religion contended with all their might to promote their own and therefore lest these severall parties should cause commotions there were Edicts published in the Kings name requiring all upon severe penalty to abstain from arms and to keep the peace till certain select persons of each party at a certain time and place nominated should meet together to consider of the fittest way and means to preserve the publick peace many not onely of the common people but of the Nobility inclining to the Reformed Religion Hereupon the King of Navar sent Letters and Messengers to the Senate of Geneva requesting that Beza might be sent to that great meeting where such weighty matters should be transacted The Prince of Conde also requested the same Beza upon this set forward and came to Paris August the twentieth And the Queen Mother wrote also to the same purpose to the Senate of Zurick to send Peter Martyr to her which accordingly they did and Martyr came to Paris The chief of the Pontificians also repaired to this meeting though they had declared that such as had been long agoe condemned for Heresie ought not to be conferred withall There came also many Ministers of the Reformed Churches in France as Nich. Gallasius August Marlorat Jo. Raimund Merlin Francis Sampaulius Francis Morellus Jo. Malotius Jo. Spinaeus Claudius Bossierus Nich. Folius Mat. Virellus John Tornaeus and N. Barbastus For they had the publick Faith given them for their safe coming stay and return at their pleasures August the three and twentieth they met together at Saint Germans where the Protestants dâ—bating who shou'd speake for them they unanimously chose Beza as a man every way fitted for that employment and
illud corpus quod pro nobis mortuum est ut simus ossa de ossibus ejus caro de carne ejus ut eo vivificemur eaquae ad salutem nostram necessaria sunt percipiamus Et quoniam fides innixa verbo Dei res perceptas facit praesentes per illam verum naturale corpus sanguinem Jesu Christi per virtutem Spiritus Sancti comedi bibi fatemur eoque respectu praesentiam corporis sanguinis Christi in S. Coenâ agnoscimus Both parties had agreed that not a word of this writing should be divulged till it was communicated to the great Personages at Possie but contrary thereto divers coppies were immediately dispersed through the Court and were received with much applause as if now both parties were agreed in the chiefest point of the controversie And the Queen sending for Beza thanked him and told him that what they had agreed on was very gratefull to her She also with joy shewed it to the Cardinall of Lorrain who when he had read it said That he never beleeved otherwise and that he hoped all the rest of the Great ones at Possie would readily embrace the same But it fell out far otherwise for when on the fourth of October it was exhibited to them they rejected and damned it reproaching Espensaeus for consenting to it and Lorraine for not opposing it And thereupon presently drew up another form which if Beza and his associates should defer to subscribe they declared that it was a great wickedness to treat with them any further and that as incorrigible they were to be excommunicated and punished by the King This was the issue of that great conference at Possie so famous all over Europe which yet answered not mens expectations And so every one returned to his own place Onely the Queen stayed Beza saying Since you are a Frenchman France desires your help to stop future troubles as much as may be But Beza tho he foresaw the seeds of those factions which shortly after brake out and his singular love to Geneva continually put him upon a desire of return where also he was earnestly desired and much longed for yet was hee necessitated to stay there whether he would or no. From that day forward there was a wonderfull encrease of the Gospellers in France and Sermons began to be preached publickly every where yea in some places they took away Churches from the Papists till by the Kings command and their Ministers intreaty they restored them again Beza in the mean time preached often sometimes in the Queen of Navars house sometimes in the Prince of Condies and other sometime in the suburbs of Paris And in January following there was an Edict procured that the Protestants might freely meet together for the service of God in the suburbs of all Cities This provoked the Guisian Faction who by all means sought the hinderance of it But the first thing they attempted was to draw the King of Navar to their party which Beza suspecting and finding him wavering endeavoured by all means to confirme and keep him in the true Religion to whom the King answered Quod Pelago se non ità commissurus esset quin quando liberet pedem referre possit That he would not launch so far into the sea but that when he pleased he might return safe to the shore again And accordingly he fell off from the Protestants and Beza went to him no more Another Disputation was appointed by the Queen Mother about Images the result of which was that the Popish Doctors condemned the making of the Images of the Trinity or of the Father or Holy Ghost and agreed that all Images should be removed out of the Churches but that of the Cross and that no Images should be worshiped But presently after the Civil War began to break forth which was occasioned by this means Whereas many Protestants were met together at Vassi to hear the Word preached the Duke of Guise with a paâ—ty of souldiers set upon them â—lew forty five of them and wounded many more Hereof Beza made complaint but without any redress whereupon both parties betake themselves to Arms and the Prince of Conde by his importunity prevailed with Beza to stay with him in those dangerous times Beza's earnest longings to be with his people at Geneva disswaded him but the importunate desires of so godly a Prince prevailed so that he stayed with him all those first Civil Wars At which time Orleance was the chiefest place of the Protestants refuge and for the better regulating of Ecclesiastical Discipline in those troublesome times a Synod was called in that City at which Beza was present Shortly after the pestilence waxed hot in Oreleance whereof many dyed and amongst the rest Conrade Badius a Pastor in Orleance who from his very childhood had been most dear to Beza yet did not Beza intermit his publick preaching nor private visiting of the sick A few moneths after fell out that memorable battel in Druiden fields where Beza was present and by his prayers and exhortations did much encourage the souldiers yet they lost the day and the Prince of Conde was taken prisoner whom Beza by his Letters much comforted and exhorted the rest not to give way to despondency but to persevere in the defence of the Cause and to commit the success of it unto God Not long after peace ensuing Beza got leave to goe back to Geneva from which he had been absent 22 moneths in which time he had gone through many troubles and dangers both of body and mind At his return to Geneva he fell upon his former employment in the Schools and Church Calvin undergoing the burthen one week and he the other and they continued in those mutual labours till Calvins death and then hee had Nicolas Collodonius for his Colleague and after him Lambertus Danaeus and after him Anthony Faius Presently after his return in the first sermon that he preached to the people hee â—illed the mindes of the hearers with incredible sorrow and grief by relating to them the miserable condition of the Churches of France whereof himself had been an eye-witness and which therefore he painted out to the life which he did for this end to stir up all to commiserate and heartily to pray for their brethren that suffered such great afflictions Shortly after he wrote an answer to Sebastian Castellio who had inveighed against his Translation of the New Testament into Latine He also published an answer to the railings of Francis Balduinus who followed the steps of Ecebolius both of them teaching that men might change their Religion as the state changed Then did he confute the errors of Brentius and James Andreas who held the Omnipresence of the Body of Christ After this he published an excellent Catechism Anno Christi 1567 the Civil Wars breaking out again in France he was
much affected with it and by writing admonishing and exhorting both at home and abroad endeavoured to assist with his counsell whom he could not by his presence Also Anno Christi 1568 that war waxing hot many out of sundry parts of France fled to Geneva as to a safe harbour amongst whom was Nicolas Beza Praefect of Vezelia brother to Beza by the Fathers side who living a while in Beza's house shortly after dyed of the Plague And not long after Beza's wife fell sick of it yet it pleased God to restore her to health again The same year in the midst of many troubles he wrote his books of Polygamie and Divorces against Bernard Ochin who a little before had published his Dialogues upon these subjects stuffed with errors He wrote also against Flacius Illiricus Anno Christi 1571 peace being setled he was sent for by the Queen of Navar the Admiral and the general vote of the Churches of France to Rochell to a Synod where he was made the Moderator and at which the Confession of Faith of the French-Churches was confirmed and subscribed by the Queen of Navar her sonne afterwards King Henry the 4th and the Prince of Conde And the year after he was sent for to Namures to another Synod where the book of the French Church-Discipline was established Anno Christi 1572 after that bloody Massacre at Paris many of the godly that escaped fled to Geneva amongst whom were the Pastors of fiftie Churches that were wholly dispersed These being stript of all and in great want Beza by his Letters into Germany and England procured such reliefe for them that for three years space in which they lived there they were plentifully and comfortably provided for In that Massacre God was pleased wonderfully to preserve Hen. of Burbon son to the great Lodwick Prince of Conde who thereupon retired into Germany for shelter and staying a while at Strasborough he sent for Beza and employed him to Prince Cassimire the Administrator of the Palatinate And afterwards as this Prince returned into France hee went by Geneva where he conferred with Beza about many weighty matters Beza went on indefatigably in his publick employments revised his Translation and Annotations upon the New Testament and enlarged them wrote against Pappus about the Hypostaticall Union against the railings of Holderus against the calumnies of Andreas Made his Harmony of the Law out the Books of Moses He wrote also of the Notes and Authority of the Catholick Church c. Shortly after the Plague breaking forth in Geneva Beza was much afflicted for the sad condition of the Common-wealth yet he cheared up himself much with the hearty and sincere love and societie which he had with all the Pastors thereof whose unity and unanimity was a great means under God to preserve the happiness of Geneva About the same time five Anabaptists Mechanicks began privately to sow the seed of their errors in Geneva whereupon Beza John Pinaldus Charles Perrot and Anthony Faius were chosen to confer with them and after confutation of their errors they recanted and reformed onely â—ne of them left the City and was heard of no more Anno Christi 1586 there was a Disputation appointed at Mombelgard between the German and Helvetian Divines about the difference betwixt them in some points unto which Beza was sent for and the whole Dispute was betwixt Dr. Andreas and him but in conclusion nothing was effected by it yet they parted lovingly without bitternesse This was after published by Beza The year after his wife dyed with whom hee had lived with much comfort forty years which was a great griefe to him yet afterwards by the advice of his friends he married another one Katharine Plania a godly Matron who was a great comfort to him all his life after About the same time he was called to a Synod held at Bern wherein divers controversies were debated and the errors of Alberius who said That we are justified at Gods Tribunal by inherent righteousness also of Huberus about Predestination and eternall Election were condemned Shortly after he wrote about the Sacraments against Hoffman Published in French his Sermons about the Passion of Christ also on the Canticles which he turned into Lyrick verse answered Genebrards calumnies and revised his translation of the New Testament Anno Christi 1589 France being full of bâ—oils Geneva also was molested by the same whereupon publick prayers were appointed twice a week extraordinary which burthen Beza willingly took upon himself whereupon the other Pastors freed him from his daily Sermonâ— which he used to preach before only he preached once on Sabbath mornings betwixt eight and nine a clock Not long after he began to be troubled with a dissiness in his head insomuch as being to preach on Whitsonday Anno Christi 1597 before the Sacrament as soon as he had made Confession of Sins after their usuall manner he was fain to give over and come out of the Pulpit whose place Faius presently supplyed The like happened to him the week following also whereupon he gave over publick preaching only now and then praying publickly yet would he not bee idle but went on teaching daily in the Schooles yet at last because of his dulness of hearing he abstained from the publick Disputations and Consistorial meetings And to satisfie some Noblemen Germans Bohemians and Polonians who would needs hear him read some Lectures he began a briefe Analysis upon the Epistle to the Romans but after he had done it twice he was fain to leave off Yet did he not wholly desist from preaching till the year 1600 when he preached his last Sermon in January being eighty one years old upon the third Petition of the Lords Prayer Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven He had often in his mouth that saying of Vespafian Imperatorem decet stantem mort Not long after being present at a Consistory he invited all his brethren to supper but they at first refused because there was to be a publick Fast that week and the Magistrates had forbidden all Feasting but he told them that he would get leave of the Magistrates and that he intended not a Feast but a frugal supper rather to feast their minds with their mutual love and society then their bodies with dainties Then they all assented and were entertained by him with all the expressions of brotherly love that could be Many Noblemen and others that came from other countries to study at Geneva would alwaies desire to sojourne with him that they might enjoy his societie That year there was a rumor spread abroad all over Europe by the Jesuits that Beza was dead and that he turned Papist before his death which lye the Pastors of Geneva and himself also by publick writings confuted And discoursing with his friends of it he said That the Jesuits
his substance encreased with his bounty Hee took much pains in composing the differences amongst his neighbours He was especially carefull to doe good to poor Ministers his fellow-labourers Some that lived near him tasted of his bounty oft to whom he sent Wheat or Malt in no scant proportion He was much given to Hospitality and Strangers out of other Nations hearing his fame resorted to him for his acquaintance About December Anno Christi 1621 having been at London as he was returning home his horse by the way stumbling threw him down in the fal brake his leg but being holpen up he rode to a town called Hodsdon where in an Inn hee sent for a Bonesetter by whom after his leg was set he was directed to keep his bed ten dayes which he willingly submitted to As he lay he imployed one of his sons who waited on him to write from his mouth some heavenly meditations upon the song of Hezekiah when he had been sick and recovered of his sicknesse Isaiah 38 especially upon the 9 10 13 and 15 verses Thus he continued to the tenth of December when early in the morning being awakened by the tolling of a passing bell which probably occasioned in him a strong apprehension of his own approaching death he fell into a discourse with his wife who lay in the chamber by him since that accident first befel him concerning death and our blessed hopes expected after death And amongst other things touching the mutual knowledge that the Saints have one of another in glory Which comfortable discourse being ended they began to sing an Hymn of his own composing giving thanks to God for their rest that night and praying for a blessing upon them and theirs in the day ensuing And then having repeated one verse of the 146 Psalm he presently brake out into these words Oh this a most sweet psalm and so went on but pausing at the end of every staff he delivered a short Paraphrase upon it and coming to these words ver 7 8. And loose the fetters strong and the lame to limbs restore he applyed both to himself calling the splints upon his legge his fetters and comforting himself with this that God would restore him from his lamenesse but having occasion for som ease to stir himself he suddenly fetched a deep groan and so fell into a trance His wife crying out and some coming in they used means and he began to rouse himself a little and to look about And uttered these his last words Let me alone I shall do well Lord Jesus and so gave up his soul to God Anno Christi 1621 and of his age 59 His Works are Synopsis Papismi A sixfold Commentarie upon Genesis Exodus Leviticus Samuel 1 2 Daniel Romans Ecclesia triumphans Thesaurus Ecclesiae A Comment upon the Epistle of Jude The Protestants Diet. D. PAREVS The Life of David Pareus who died A no Christi 1622. DAvid Pareus was born in Silesia Anno Christi 1548. His Parents were Citizens of good rank when he was about three years old he fel sick of the small pox whereof he was like to die and though it pleased God that he recovered yet he had thereby a blemish in one of his eyes which continued so long as he lived About that time his mother died When he grew up to riper yeares his Father perceiving a natural promptnesse in him to learning set him to School in his own City where one of his Masters was very rigid and severe in his carriage unto him and there he learned Grammar Musick and Arithmatick But when he was fourteene years old by the instigation of his step-mother his father placed him with an Apothecary at Uratislavia which course of life he could not well rellish and therefore after a moneths stay hee returned home againe which his step mother was much offended with yet his tender father resolved to keep him at school and when he disliked the severity of his former Master he sent him to Hirschberg to one Christopher Schillingus who was much affected with his ingenuity and towardlinesse The chief Magistrate also of that City took a great liking to him for some verses which he made at his sons Funeral so that he gave him his diet in his family When he had been there about two yeares the Pastor of that place who was a Lutherane fell out with his Schoolmaster for that in Catechising of his scholars he had taught them that Christs body being ascended into heaven was there to remain till his coming to judgement and that in the Sacrament wee feed upon it onely spiritually by faith c. And his spleene was so great that he would not be satisfied till he had driven him away from the City Pareus having to his great grief lost his Master returned home yet neither there was hee in quiet some talebearers suggesting to his father that his Schoolmaster had infected him with his errors and so far they prevailed that his father intended to disinherit him Hereupon Pareus resolved to go into the Palatinate which his father much disliked sought by all means to hinder yet at last through Gods mercy by importunity he got his fathers consent who sent him away with little money in his purse Thus forsaking his friends and fathers house he went to Hirschberg where hee met with his Master and some of his School-fellows and so they travelled together towards the Palatinate through Bohemia By the way his money failing he went to a Monastery to beg an Alms and the Abbat pittying him relieved him Going from thence to another Monastery he met with an ignorant Friar and asking an Alms of him in Latine he returned this answer Nos pauperifratres nos nihil habemus an piscimus an caro an panis an misoricordia habemus Yet at length it pleased God to bring them safely to Amberg in the upper Palatinate There his Schoolmaster stayed and sent Pareus with ten more of his Scholars to Heidleberg where they were admitted into the Colledge of Sapience There he was a diligent hearer of Ursin Boquin Tremelius Zanchy and the other Professors under whom he profited both in the Arts and Tongues to admiration Then he betook himself to the study of Divinity and having fitted himself for the work of the Ministry he was chosen by the Elector to preach in a village within his jurisdiction which he was then about to reform Not long after he was called back to Heidleberg and made a Publick-Lecturer where he continued till the death of Frederick the third and then by the Heterodox party he with the other Professors was driven from thence but most of them were entertained by Prince Casimire who erected a Universitie at Neostade appointing Ursin Zanchy Tossan Junius Piscaâ—or and others to be the Professors in it He appointed also a Synod therein to consider how to provide for the other
The Life of Anthony Wallaeus who died Anno Christi 1639. ANthony Wallaeus was descended of the ancient family de Wale in the City of Gaunt where his Predecessors had born sundry offices from the year 1345 to that present time his Father was James Wallaeus who was brought up in the Family of Count Egmond who lost his head by the Spanish tyranny His Mother was Margaret Wagenaer a beautifull and pious Matron of an illustrious Family and powerfull Kindred Our Anthony was born Octob. 3. Anno Chr. 1573 in the City of Gaunt just at the same time when the Duke de Alva after all his cruelties exercised in the Low Countryes returned into Spain His Mother in his childhood was very carefull to traine him up in the Rudiments of piety and good manners and his Father was as careful to give him liberall education For which end when he could read and write reasonable well at eight years old he committed him to the care of Titus ab Edingen a Minister to be taught the Latine tongue The boy was very beautifull of a ruddy colour of a sweet and pleasing conversation and therefore his Master loved him above all his other Scholars Not long after this Titus of Edingen was called into Holland to be Minister at Saint Hildegond near to Harlem whereupon our Anthony was necessitated to return to his parents at Gaunt and was by his Father committed to the care of Samuel Lansberg a Minister in that City to be by him further instructed in the Latine tongue About this time the City of Gaunt was full of factions and divisions so that his Father for favouring the Prince of Orange was clapt up in prison whereupon our Anthony returned home to his Mother and by his prompt obedience sweet manners childish blandishments was a great comfort to her during the time of her husbands close imprisonment But at last his Father was set free who considering the troublesom state of the City and not knowing what might be the issue sent away all his most precious moveables to Delph in Holland Shortly after Gaunt was besieged by the Prince of Parma which being foreseen by Jam. Wallaeus he had made such provision before hand that he lived quietly and comfortably during all the siege But at last the City was to be surrendred upon Articles amongst which this was one that six such Citizens should be delivered up to the Prince as he should nominate James Wallaeus upon good grounds suspecting that he should be one of the six a few dayes before the surrender privately stole out of the City and went to Walochrta His Wife Margaret staying at Gaunt to dispose of her goods was so vexed and abused by the Citizens that she resolved rather to leave part of them and goe her wayes then to stay there any longer and because all were forbidden to depart from the City taking her son Anthony who was now tenne years old and her two daughtets they stole away in the night and went on foot to Philippine And shortly after not onely the Citizens of Gaunt but of all the neighbouring places did so molest and abuse the Protestants that they forced them to leave their habitations and to seeke for refuge in other Countries most of which went into Zeland which of all other places shewed the most humanity bounty and hospitality to these pâ—oâ— exiles Yet lest under pretence of flight the enemies should mingle themselves amongst the Protestants and so make some ateâ—pt upon the Isles of Zeland the Zelanderâ— sent some ships of War to Philippine under the conduct of James Wallaeus with a special charge that none should be brought out of Flanders into Zeland but such as he should approve of In the mean time Margaret and our Anthony went to Delph in Holland to fetch away their goods which formerly were sent thither but their friend to whom they had sent them denyed that great part of them ever came to his hands and they wanting sufficient proof were faign to take such as he acknowledged and so they returned to Middleborough James Wallaeus had so well demeaned himself in the aforementioned imployment that the President of Zeland who had formerly known him at Gaunt committed to his care the custody of the Magazine for Provision and Ammunition and because he would not wholly trust his servants in so weighty a businesse he imployed his son Anthony to have an oversight of them who though he was but 11. years old yet was serious and prudent above his Age. His place was to see such things as his Father bought laid up the Publick Granary and Armory as also to see them delivered out and divided to the several Cities as he was appointed and to acquaint his Father where there was any want And thus he was imployed for two years at the end whereof his Father resolved to settle him with his Mother at Middleborough that he might be fitted for some honest course of life But having lost much of his Estate by his Exile and his Family being encreased by the birth of two sons he durst not think of training him up in Learning as formerly he had determined wherefore that he might be fitter for any future imployment he placed him with Jodocus Larenus a Publick Notary a man of much experience of a great judgement and of unspotted honesty with whom by his daily practise he attained to much swiftness in writing and as things were related to him he could readily apprehend fitly word them and draw them into a publick instrument in good order which some Merchants taking notice of each of them strove to get him into his Family profering him good pay for his pains But our Anthony being not yet resolved what course of life to follow continued three years with Larenus At the end whereof lying one night with his Father on the straw he had a sudden instinct that God had designed him for the Work of the Ministry and these thoughts did so follow him night and day wheresoever and about whatsoever he was that he could not blot them out of his memory Hereupon at last he resolved to dedicate himself to his studies and having gotten leave of his Father he went to the Grammer School in Middleborough the chief Master whereof was Iames Gruter a painful man and well versed both in Greek and Latine He had also for his assistant Iohn Murdison who was an acute and solid Philosopher This Murdison lived with Gruter who being desirous to finde out the ingenie of our Anthony he placed him at Gruters Table yet least he should be drawn aside by rude lads his Parents would have him daily to come home to supper With these Masters hee lived six years and profited so much under them that he could make elegant Verses and pronounce Orations publickly which Gruter thought fit both for his own and his Scholars credit to publish in Print Neither did he profit less in the
so at last they came to the Shepheards coats where they rested and the night following came to the bottom of the Mountain for they could not go so fast down as they went up Not long after Wallaeus taking along with him Adrian Mammaker who was afterwards President of Zeland went to swim in the Lake of Leman and as he was swiming he observed a stranger that was swiming a good way off suddenly to sink and ready to be drowned whereupon being very tender-hearted he hasted to him drew him out of the water and carryed him to the shore by whom after he was recovered he understood that he was a Cobler of Holland who as he was swiming fell into this disaster After a while having attained his end for which he went to Geneva he removed to Lausanna Anno Christi 1600. and finding nothing there that might occasion his stay he went to Bern from whence he went to Zurick and Schaphusen where he saw the Cataracts of the River Rheine like to the Cataracts of Nilus At Zurick the Magistrates being informed by their Ministers of the excellent Learning of Wallaeus to shew their respects to him invited him to a great Feast Whilst he was at Bern he grew into familiar acquaintance with Zendererus the cheif Praefect of the Colledge who gave him great hopes of preferment if he would stay there but Wallaeus having dispatched his business there hasted to Basil where James Grynaeus and Amandus Polanus were Professors of Divinity Grynaeus was a very wary and prudent man and of excellent Learning but one that much addicted himself to Civil affairs so that Basil seemed wholly to be governed at his discretion He read History Lectures which he had brought down to his own time Polanus was a very learned man and at that time was reading upon the Doctrine of Predestination But Wallaeus mostly applyed himself to the Lectures of John Buxtorf who was Hebrew Professor and was most skilful of the Genius of that Language and in the Antiquities of the Jews At this time he was expounding the Commentaries of the Rabbins upon the twelve minor Prophets Wallaeus observing that he was often frustrated in his expectation finding every thing less then he hoped for he resolved to adventure to do something publickly himself which he rather chose to do abroad then at home because in case there should be any miscarriage it might not blemish his credit nor hinder his future promotion And he chose Basil to perform it in because scarce in any other University were Students suffered to supply the place of Professors Therefore to give them some taste of his Learning he made some Verses and published them He made also some Theses about the Providence of God framed of Scripture phrases concerning which he disputed publickly with Polanus In which he did so orderly repeat appositely answer and solidly prove that by the paw they might easily know the Lyon whereupon he had the Professors chair allotted to him out of it publickly to dispute himself and to moderate at the Disputations of others which also he frequently performed in somuch as when Polanus or Grynaeus had any other business they presently had recourse to Wallaeus to dispute in their rooms whereby he procured so much love and esteem both from the Professors and Students that when he went away they would needs signifie the same to the Belgick Churches under the Seal of their University Wallaeus his course in his travels was this In the Summer time he used to go through Countries veiw Cities Fields Rivers Mountains and to enquire what in Nature or by Art was observable in them In Winter time he fixed himself in some City where he might promote his study of Divinity and learn the Government of the Province And accordingly having satisfied himself at Bâ—sil when the Spring came he went to Strasborough Spire and Heidleberg at which place he considered whether it was better to make his abode that Summer or to travel through Germany The fame of that University perswaded him to the former which was accounted equal with that of Leiden But above all the Library of Manuscripts perswaded his stay there into which he had free access by the curtesie of Janus Gruter his Countryman There were also Professors of Divinity deservedly famous viz. Daniel Tossanus and David Paraeus the former interpreted the New Testament who being grown old lived but a few months after and Pareus Interpreted the Prophet Hosea of which Scripture he had a little before heard Buxtorf He observed also that the Government of the Palatinate was unfit for the Low-Countries The power of Ecclesiastical affairs under the Prince was in the hand of eight Civil and eight Ecclesiastical Senators These chose Ministers placed them both in Cities and Villages removed them from one place to another and set bounds to all Theological Controversies whereby they provided well to uphold the Authority of the Prince and to preserve the Peace of the Church but little to the comfort of souls when many times they had Ministers imposed upon them against their liking and always such as they had no knowledge of Leaving Heidleberg he went to Franckfurt upon Main where he stayed awhile and then went to Hessen remaining awhile in the Lantgraves Court who often conferred courteously with him and so to Marpurg and from thence to Brunswick and Bremen And having thus travelled tbrough forreign Countries he resolved to be no stranger in his own wherefore from thence he went into Frisland Gelderland Vtrich Overisle and so at last came to Leiden to the house of Gomarus his old Host. But before he setled himself to his study there he went to Middleborough to visit his aged Parents having been now three years from them who received him with all the joy that might be yet after a short stay he returned to Leiden where he found the face of the University somewhat changed For Joseph Scaliger would needs have the precedency of all the Professors But all the Professors opposed him because the place did indeed belong to Junius and the States of Holland interposed their Authority For though they esteemed well of Scaliger yet they would not have Junius offended nor others who were of more solid Learning and more useful then himself wherefore the place was conferred upon Junius and instead of reading Hebrew Lectures he was appointed to write against Bellarmine Wallaeus now was not so diligent in attending Lectures as formerly But weighed every part of Divinity and observed how far he had pierced into the more abstruse parts of it and where he was defective he searches Authors meditates and by conference with Junius and Gomarus satisfies himself and being weary of reading Modern Authors wherein he found some things meanly handled and othersome foolishly and withall considering that they carryed no Authority with them he betook himself to the reading of the Ancient Fathers especially Augustine whom he
for him to suffer Persecutions Stripes and the Cross to maintain a lye That the Apostles who continually accompanyed him would not have conspired in the same lye and for it have suffered banishment torments and death That God would not have suffered such things as he foretold to have come to pass about his Death Resurrection and the destruction of Hierusalem if he had endeavoured to obtrude a false God upon the people That he would not have granted him the power of working Miracles of healing the Sick restoring the Lame curing the Blinde and raising the Dead That his Religion in a few years by Fisher men without any humane strength should have been dispersed through the whole World which God would not have suffered if he had brought a strange God and Idolatry with him This Villain being overcome by these Arguments his followers left him and he hid his head in a corner But these were but small velitations in comparison of those continual bickerings which he had with the Remonstrants all his life long which that we may the better understand take it thus When Reformation began in the Low-countries all that opposed Popery were not of one minde and nothing so united them together as their hatred of Popery But least the unsound Protestants should mingle themselves with the sound the Orthodox party Anno Christi 1566. published a Confession of their Faith which afterwards was called the Belgâ—ck Confession and to prevent infection from those which were Heterodox in a full Synod at Embden Anno Christi 1571. it was ordained that none should be admitted for a Minister till he had been examined and had subscribed this Confession and the Catechism of Heidleberg Which Decree was confirmed in all the ensuing Synods Anno Christi 1576. and 1586. and approved of by the States of Holland and accordingly practised Yet in the beginning considering the great want of Pastors this Examination could not be very strict by which means many crept into the Ministry who privately taught contrary things as Gasper Garlhasius at Leiden Herman Herbert at Gouda Gerard Blackhoven at Vtrich and Cornelius Wiggerus at Horn who differed in many things amongst themselves and all of them in the point of Predestination from the rest But whilst these opinions were confined within the bounds of their own Churches all things were reasonable quiet Only Theodor Cornhertius opposed himself against all the Reformed Churches who having been formerly of Councel to the States of Holland for fear of danger had deserted his place But it easily appeared that he was no great Divine and that choler which he durst not vent against the States he now discharged against the Churches whereupon he was restrained by the Publick Authority of the States Yet could not the contentions be so composed but they left doubts in some mens mindes whether all points held by the Reformed were equally certain and some were inclined to embrace Novelties especially about the Doctrine of Predestination And thus James Arminius found them when he was called to be Divinity Professor at Leiden Anno Christi 1603. This Arminius had formerly been a servant in a Publick Inn where many guests admired his prompt wit so that some took him from thence and set him to School where he was maintained out of the Publick Treasury of Amsterdam Hereupon in process of time the Magistrates of that City favouring their own nurcling called him to the work of the Ministry amongst them and he so shined by the excellency of his gifts that every one judged him worthy a Professors place For he was of a subtil Wit solid Learning and composed Carriage To this Election of his Gomarus opposed himself because he had written something that was unsound to Francis Junius yea and had publickly preached it at Amsterdam But when he denyed some things wherewith he was charged and extenuated others some thought that Gomarus opposed him out of envy least he should excel him which promoted the Election of Arminius and laid the foundation to future dissentions Arminius being thus setled thought to advance his credit by drawing a great Auditory to himself and this he thought to do by venting some new things in his Lectures which accordingly he did especially about Predestination yet in publick he did it sparingly and slenderly least he should offend the Churches remembring that by their Authority Coolhase and Wigger had been removed out of their places But in private he labored tooth and nail to instil them into his Auditors whereby he might gain Disciples and that he might the better secure himself against the Ministers by the means of Vtenbogard the Preacher at Hague he procured John of Oldenbarnevelt to be his Patron who was a man of great Authority being Syndic of all Holland to curry favour with whom he extolled the Authority of Magistrates in Ecclesiastical affairs Barnevelds design was to bring the Reformation in the Low-countries nearer to the Lutherans whereby they might hope to draw Auxiliaries out of Germany the better to resist the King of Spain or at least to make the better terms of agreement with him And whereas the States in the beginning of the wars had need of the multitude and these could not be better gained then by the help of the Ministers they therefore at first granted great Authority to the Pastors of the Church Now Barneâ—li seeking to undermine this Authority he nourished such dissentions as rose up in the Church and by the power of the Magistrates hindred their censures against the refractory He also rendred suspected the authority of the Prince of Orange and whereas it was only grievous to himself he would perswade the States that it was dangerous to them Wherefore knowing that he had offended the Ministers and therefore could expect no support from them he willingly undertook the Patronage of Arminius by whose followers he sought to â—rop up himself Yet at first he carryed this very privately whilst his Faction was small and might have been easily quashed Whence also it was that Arminius long concealed his opinions till the year 1608. at which time Gomarus accused him to the States of Holland and discovered that he dissented from the Reformed Churches about Justification Predestination Grace Free-will and Perseverance of the Saints Yet Arminius was not so long concealed from Wallaeus who knowing all the sculking holes of Sectaeries by his path wherein he walked easily discovered whereunto he tended and therefore from the year 1606. he had labored to bring him into the right way again which also he did all the year following by his frequent Letters to him To which Arminius sometimes answered but at last would answer no longer The same things that Arminius taught did Corvinus teach about twenty years after and was silenced with the same Argument by Wallaeus Arminius being thus discovered began to fear that he should be ruined by the Ministers for Barnevelt durst not as yet
presently disclaimed the choice who having never in his life sought after any place was now much more content with his present condition and would not so far offend his old Master as against his will to be chosen for his Colleague No injury did ever so disturb the mind of VVallaeus as to discompose it or make him unlike himself But in the mean time the people were very angry that their beloved Minister was thus disgraced by him who formerly by his publick testimony had attested the purity of his Doctrine But it so fell out about that time 〈◊〉 Lord of Plessiâ— called VVallaeus to Salmur who getting leave to depart went thither Anno Christi 1615 but stayed not long Upon this occasion they of 〈◊〉 being stirred up by Hugh Grotius would not suffer the City of 〈◊〉 to have an Illustrious School so that it was nipt in the bud and Meivartius returned to his Grammer School again Only the Magistrates of Middleborough requested Wallaeus that some times he would read Greek and Philosophical Lectures and would go on with his Common places that so they might still keep up the face of an Illustrious School which accordingly he did and yet neglected not his work in the Ministry Shortly after at the command and request of the Churches of Zeland and at the importunity of some of the chief Ministers of Holland he answered Vtenbogard wherein he shewed that the Authority which was granted by the Magistrates to the Belgick Church was agreeable to the sacred Scriptures and the custom of the Primitive Church By this Book Wallaeus everywhere gat the name of a very learned man and of one that deserved well of the Church because he had thereby freed the Church from that aspersion cast upon it by the Remonstrants that it was disobedient to Magistracy He deserved also thanks from many Polititians because he took away from some of their society that pretence whereby they oppressed the Churches Vtenbogard himself could not but acknowledge that the Book was learned and full of modesty yet he pretended that he would return a speedy answer for which cause he gate leave of the Deputies of the States to write again But though he easily obtained leave yet wrote he not only about thirty years after and seven years after the death of Wallaeus he would seem to return an answer though it contained nothing in it but glorious promises and empty performances Wallaeus was not content to have thus taken away the chiefest pillar to the dissention but endeavoured also to quiet the people and to moderate the Magistrates of Holland whereupon he set forth a treatise shewing the people how they should demean themselves when any difference sprang up amongst the Pastors about Religion The Magistrates he sought to reconcile to the Ministers by the means of Hugh Grotius a man very familiar with him because of his Learning who from an hope of succeeding Bâ—â—nevelt in his dignity was looked upon as his right hand From him he extorted this speech That he saw no better means to compose the difference then by a National Synod which if it was denyed God would punish them for it In the mean time the dissentions increased dayly in Holland and threatned the ruine of one if not of both parties Six of the Cities of Holland did openly oppose themselves against the Decrees concerning the Vocation of Pastors and of tolerating the Controversies of Religion on both sides The Ministers also refused to obey them yea the Remonstrants themselves especially those which were framed by Hugh Grotius at the instigation of Vtenbogard that set bounds to the Ministers from which in handling Controversies it was not lawful for them to deviate Yet the Magistrates would have them obeyed and such Pastors as refused were forbidden the exercise of their Ministry and such as were more pertinacious were cast out of their Cities and such Citizens as most favoured them were banished And though they were restored again by the Presidents of Justice who judged it to be not a correction but a faction yet the Magistrates would not suffer them to come into the Cities whereupon they were filled with animosities on both sides and at last the Magistrates not daring to trust their Citizens gathered souldiers But this dissention was no where more conspicuous nor hotter then at the Hague Vtenbogard who had sometimes stirred up his hearers to use all extremity would now seem moderate having gotten so much power in the Church which that he might hold he perswaded them to yeeld something to the Contra-Remonstrants But some sharp sights perceived that this was but a trick to deceive the Pastors and seduce the people whereupon Henry Rosaeus an eloquent and couragious man took heart to discover the fraud to the people shewing that poyson lay under this honey Upon this the Magistrates forbade him the use of his Ministry But the people who now saw the fraud would not hear Vtenbogard any longer but resorted to Sermons in the neighbor Village of Riâ—wick This the Magistrates sought to hinder On the contrary the people urged that either Rosaeus or some other Preacher of the Reformed Religion for which they had spent so much treasure and blood should be allowed them Against this Vtenbogard opposed himself and laying aside his pretence of moderation sought by all means to hinder the gratifying of the people in their request Prince Morice observing that not so much the Ministers as himself was aimed at and that by his connivence the power of Barnevelt and his adversaries was increased he began penly to favour the Contra-Remonstrants and requested the States of Holland that they might have a Church and Minister allowed them But the Nobles and the twelve Cities much opposed it yet still the Prince urged it and seeing the Contra-Remonstrants desired but reason he procured the English Church at the Hague to be allowed them which when it would not receive all the Auditors they took another Church brought in Henry Rosaeus and frequented his Sermons Barnevelt and his associates were much troubled at this as if violence was profered to their authority But seeing that the Contra-Remonstrants had no more granted them but what was equal they suffered that which they knew not how to prevent By this example the Contra-Remonstrants everywhere took courage and the people sided with them seeing the Prince to favour them who was so beloved and esteemed of them But the Contra-Remonstrants of the Hague thought it not enough to have a Church and Preacher but in so illustrious a place they must make it appear that their opinions and Doctrine was better then that of the Remonstrants But when Vtenbogard excelled Rosaeus in Learning and daily provoked him to Disputation some other must be sent for that might cool his boasting For which end none was judged fitter then our Wallaeus and therefore Anno Christi 1617. Deputies were sent from the
of London and Doctor Hackwell Tutor to the Prince of Wales yea and King James himself conferred familiarly with him February following An. Christi 1613. the Prince Elector being marryed sent Henry Alting with his Scholars before him into the Palatinate who in their journey travelled through Zeland Flanders Brabant Limburg Julâ—ers and Collen and so at last arrived at Heidleberg in April the new marryed couple being not long behinde them About four moneths after our Alting was called to be a Professor of Divinity to read Common places in the University of Heidleberg Into which he was admitted August the 16. which was the Princes birth day And because by the Statutes of the University none could be Moderator of the Disputations but a Doctor he was solemnly inaugurated into that degree November the 18. by Paraeus Dean of the University and Bartholomew Coppenius Doctor of Divinity And this was very remarkable that amongst all the tumults and pleasures of the Court his minde was never taken off from the study of Divinity But Gods Providence intended him to some further imployment then a Professors place For there was in Heidleberg an excellent Seminary of the Church endowed with large revenues called the Colledge of Wisdom The Prince therefore chose him Master thereof October the 15. An. Chri. 1616. together with two Colleagues to instruct and train up young Divines for the work of the Ministry and how much good he did therein they are able to relate who gratefully acknowledge what profit they reaped by his care and culture Whilst he was thus laboring in his double imployment Coppenius another Professor dyed whose place was divolved upon our Alting but by a rare and great example of modesty he chose rather to continue in his former imployments and by his favour and authority in the Princes Court prevailed that Abraham Scultetus should have that Professors place transferred upon him About this time a National Synod was called at Dort for the composing of the differences in the Belgick Churches by reason of the Arminians and when grave learned and godly men were chosen out of all the Reformed Churches to be present at it which was Anno Christi 1618 and 1619 our Altingius with two others was sent from Heidleberg to assist in that work where he approved himself to all that were present both for his excellent Learning in Divinity and his dexterity in explicating cases of greater difficulty Thus far we have heard the happier and more comfortable part of his life now follows the more sad and afflicted part of it For scarcely was the Synod ended wherein the Arminians were condemned and the Orthodox Truths established but Alting with his Colleagues returned to Heidleberg and at the same time the tumults in Bohemia began The Prince Elector is chosen King of Bohemia and Crowned Spinola breaks into the Palatinate the great battel was fought nere Prague the Bohemians are beaten which was An. Chri. 1620. And the year following the University of Heidleberg was dissipated the Students flying for fear and the Professors having liberty granted them to go whether they pleased Yet our Alting sending his family into a place of safety stays still in the Colledge of Wisdom keeping the Students in good order remaining unterrified in the midst of emminent dangers whilst he was serviceable to the Church satisfied his own Conscience and the earnest desire of the King who from the Hâ—gue had written to him desiring him not to depart from Heidleberg An 〈…〉 in the moneth of â—â—â—gust Heidleberg was besieged by 〈◊〉 and â—eptember the 6. was taken by storm at which time it suffered whatsoever Military licentâ—ousness could inflict by plunderings murthers and ravishing of Matrons and Virgins all being heightened by the hatred of Religion and the brutishness of the Croâ—â—s At this time our Alting was in his study who hearing of the surprize of the City bolted his door and betook himself to Prayer looking every moment when the bloudy Souldiers would break in to sacrifice him to God But the great Arbiter of life and death took care for his safety For Monsieur Behusius Rector of the School and his dear friend hiring two souldiers called him forth and conveyed him through a back dore into the Lord Chancellors house which Tilly had commanded to be preserved from plundering by reason of the Publick Monuments of the Commonwealth that were kept in that place This house was commanded to be guarded by a Lieutenant Colonel that was under the Count of Hohenzollem a man greedy of prey who least he should lose his share in the booty by his attendance upon that place sent forth his Souldiers as it were a hunting commanding them that if they met with any Citizens of note that under pretence of safe-guarding them they should bring them to him purposing by their ransom to enrich himself To this man Alting was brought who with his naked sword reeking with blood said to him This day with this hand I have slain ten men to whom Doctor Alting shall be added as the eleventh if I knew where to finde him But who art thou Truly such a countenance and such a speech in such a juncture of time might have affrighted the most constant minde But our Alting by a witty answer neither denying himself to be Alting nor unseasonably discovering himself answered as sometimes Athanasius in the like case I was saith he a Schoolmaster in the Colleâ—ge of Wisdom Hereupon the Leiutenant Colonel promised him safety who if he had known him to be Alting would surely have slain him Oh what a sad time had he that night which he passed without sleep hearing the continual shrikes and groans which filled the ayr of Women ravished Virgins defloured men some drawn to torments others immediately slain But when he saw that many fled to this house as to their only refuge fearing lest he should be discovered by some of them either through imprudence or malice he retired into a Cockloft where whilst he hid himself this Leiutenant Colonel was by the authority of Tilly presently commanded away not giving him so much time as to seek out his Schoolmaster that the house might be resigned to the Iesuites for whom it was appointed Yet under these new inhabitants our Alting should not have been one jot safer if God had not by a special providence provided for his safety For the kitchin of this house was reserved for Tillies own use and one of the Palatines Cooks was appointed over it who closely fed and maintained him and whilst the Iesuites were providing all things in a readiness in the Church for the Mass he hired three Bavarian Souldiers that kept guards in the streets to guard him to his own house When he came thither he found all things broken plundred and carryed away and in his study he found a Captain boasting that all things therein were his own yet saith
strugling he quietly slept in the Lord Aug. 25. Anno Christi 1644. His Works are mentioned before in his life The Life of Frederick Spanhemius who dyed Anno Christi 1649. FRederick Spanhemius was born in January Anno Chri. 1600. in Amberg the Metropolis of the upper Palatinate which year was famous for many things especially for that memorable battel of Newport wherein Prince Maurice overthrew the Spanish Forces His Father was Wigand Spanhemius an honorable and most pious man being Doctor of Divinity and a Counsellor to Frederick King of Bohemia in Ecclesiastical affairs For Church businesses in the Palatinate are not ordered by Presbyteries and Consistories as in other Reformed Churches but by certain Ecclesiastical and Civil persons chosen by the Prince to whom the whole care of Ecclesiastical matters is committed His Mother was Renata Tossana the daughter of that famous Divine Daniel Tossanus sometimes Minister in Orleance afterwards Pastor and Professor of Divinity in Heidleberg Our Frederick so soon as he began to speak shewed such towardliness and ingenuity that he gave hopes of excelling when he should come to riper years His parents therefore least so fruitful a field should lie untilled took care that he should be trained up in Religion and Learning first under their own wings till he was seven years old and then they procured him to be admitted into the Elector School in that City where as he grew in years he increased both in Learning and Piety so that when he was eleven years old falling into a Tertian Ague which held him long he made a vow unto God that if he pleased to restore him he would so soon as he was fit apply himself to the study of Divinity whereby he might be able to do him service in his Church all his life long An Chri. 1631. the Plague brake forth at Amberg which raging for seven or eight moneths together dissipated that School whereby his studies were hindred yet did his Father endeavor to make up that defect by his private instructing of him at home So that the year following his Father judging him fit for the University sent him to Heidleberg which at that time was the common Mart of Learning unto which Students resorted out of all parts when he came thither he first sojourned in the house of his Uncle Paul Tossan by whose converse and example he profited very much but after a while being examined by the Ecclesiastical Senate and judged fit he was admitted into the Colledge of Sapience where he spent four years and an half under those famous men Henry Alting and Conrade Decker to whom he approved himself both for his wit diligence and progress in Learning For indeed he spent no time idly imposing a task upon himself whereby he did not only equal but far exceed all his contemporaries First drinking down those more pleasant studies of the Arts then betaking himself to the study of Latine and Greek out of the most Classick Authors after which he proceeded to the Hebrew which he prosecuted with such fervor that in four moneths space he read over the whole Hebrew Bible He made also in that time three publick Orations First of the Life and praises of Saint Ambrose Secondly Of the authority of the Laws prescribed to him by Altingius and lastly of the four honorable Offices belonging to the Electoral family He also kept a publick Disputation De Mundo under Christopher Jugnitius After all which in January An. Chri. 1619. by the command of his Superiors he stood with five Competitors and underwent a private and publick examination in the Hebrew Greek and Latine Tongues as also in Logick Physicks Mathematicks and Ethickâ— and made Theams and Verses in all those three Languages and disputed concerning Judiciary Astroligie with one of his Competitors Examination being ended he was made Master of Arts and so returned with honor to his Parents with whom after he had staid a while he was by them sent to Geneva in regard of the eminency both of the Teachers and City For indeed that City was famous from the first Reformation in which Calvin and Beza flourished who derived the same excellent Genius wherewith themselves were adorned to their successors At his first coming thither he fell into acquaintance with Vedelius the Professor of Philosophy and Heidanus who afterwards made his Funeral Oration These men found in him such qualifications as drew their affections to him For they discerned him to be serious contemplative affable towards all and of elegant manners and abounding with profound speculations which as he did not ambitiously discover so neither did he conceal them where he might profitably make use of them The greatest part of his time he spent in his private studies and in learning the French Tongue with the elegancy whereof he was much taken so that in a few moneths he attained to good skill in it For the furtherance whereof they agreed amongst themselves at meals to give an account in French of what they had read that day An. Chri. 1620. he publickly disputed with Universal applause under Turretine concerning the five Articles controverted by the Arminians wherein he gave an Essay what might afterwards be expected from him in that kinde The year following things being in a deplorable condition in Bohemia and in the Palatinate he went to Gratianople that he might free his Parents from further charge in his maintenance and from thence to Ebrodune an Episcopal City in the upper Dauphaunie where he was Tutor to a Noble mans sons for three years during which time he conflicted with many diseases especially with a dizziness in his head for which by the advice of a Physitian he had a Fontinel made in his left arm which wholly freed him from that disease Whilst he was in this City he twice contested with the Pontificians First in the Jesuites Colledge with Father Hughes concerning Justification the authority of the Scriptures the Church c. And afterwards with a Franciscan Fryar in the presence of the Mayor of the City a Papist and many Popish Lawyers concerning the Sacrament of the Lords Supper In both which he found as he professed the special assistance of God so that though he was young and not much versed in those controversies yet he in the judgement of his very adversaries was not overcome At the end of the three years having with much difficulty obtained leave of the Noble man he returned to Geneva and after a while went from thence to Paris where he was most courteously entertained by Samuel Durant the Pastor of the Reformed Church his Kinsman with whom he lived till the death of Mr. Durant by whose advice he refused the Professor of Philosophies place at Lausanna to which he was invited by the Magistrates of Bern. During his abode at Paris he grew into familiar acquaintance with the learned Camero
who was so far affected with his sweet disposition that though he differed from him in some points especially about Universal Redemption yet did he endeavour to carry him along with him to Montalban whither he was called to be the Divinity Professor but prevailed not He sometimes also visited Tilenus and Grotius and had acquaintance with them An. Chri. 1625. in April by the approbation of Mr. Durant he came over into England where he stayd four moneths in which short time he took a survey of the Kingdom learned the Language gat acquaintance with the most learned men and observed many things that were worthy notice as the funeral of King James the arrival of Queen Mary the Parliament the Convocation of the Clergy the Act at Oxford and many other things But the Plague being at that time hot in Oxford according to his former engagement to his Cosen Durant he left England and returned to Paris where he set upon the study of the Chaldee and Syriack Languages and read over the Chaldee Paraphrase of the Prophets and the Evangelists and most of the Epistles in Syriack These were his Halcyon days which were broken off by the death of Mr. Durant who left unto him his whole Library after which he retired himself into the Family of the Noble Arnold Counsellor and Secretary of State who entertained him at his own Table being much delighted with the variety of his Learning and Piety And thus far he lived a private life but in July An. Chr. 1625. he was called by his friends to Geneva and indeed he delighted in that City above all others wishing that there he might fix his station whereupon he hasted thither upon this Call and often spake of the good Providence of God to him therein For when he came to Lyons being to pass over the River Araris he would needs go over in a Boat but by the violence of the stream his Boat was split against an Arch of the Bridge whereby with much difficulty he escaped drowning and so through Gods mercy coming at length to Geneva An. Chri. 1626. he found the Professor of Philosophies place to be void by the death of Gasper Alexius and so by the unanimous vote of all he was preferred before all his Competitors to it whereby after all his travels and troubles he aimed at a safe and quiet harbor Hereupon the better to bind himself to continuance in that place the year after he resolved to marry and pitching his affections upon Carlot a Portu the daughter of the Noble Peter a Portu with the good liking of her friends he marryed her and ever after carryed a tender affection towards her and indeed she well deserved it in regard of her vertues and innocency of manners joyned with Dovelike simplicity free from fraud and guile For she wholly depended upon her husband and was willing to be governed in all things by his advice which is the chief commendations of a wife and so had all things common with him And herein our Spanheim admirably shewed his wisdom who as he was famous abroad so he took special care that no domestick jars should infelicitate his life his endeavour also was not only to preserve but to encrease his outward estate well remembring that speech of the Holy Apostle whereby he requires that a Bishop should govern his house well and keep his children in subjection with all honesty For saith he If a man cannot govern his own family how shall he take care of the Church of God By this wife he had many children whereof some dyed in their infancy but he left seven behinde him all of great towardness especially his two eldest sons who are like to inherit their Fathers vertues But it was not fit that his excellent parts should be shut up within the Schools nor his light put under a bushel which ought so to shine that the Church of God might be illuminated thereby whereupon the Reverend Presbyterie often advised him to apply his minde to the study of Divinity which also he willingly did and so to the great rejoycing of all he was ordained a Minister and indeed so excelled that he exceeded all mens hopes both for his Eloquence and Doctrine And it pleased God to call him forth to the constant exercise of it Anno Christi 1631. at which time Benedict Turretain one of the Professors and his dear friend dying he was by the general consent of all chosen to succeed him at which time he lay sick in bed and dreamed of no such matter This place he discharged for eleven years space with great applause For then he discovered what was afterwards to be expected from him both by his Lectures and Disputations so that that University was never in a better condition then when it was illustrated by the light of Spanhemius An. Chri. 1635. he was chosen Rector of the University at which time he made that excellent Oration which was published in the name of Geneva Reformed being just an hundred years after that City first embraced the Gospel Hereupon the Bernates consulted about drawing him to Lausanna to succeed in the place of James à Portu They of Groning edeavoured to get him to them and the Prince Elector Palatine sought also the same but the miseries which at this time fell upon the Palatinate put an end to those desires At last Leiden obtained him though with much difficulty the Magistrates and Church of Geneva much opposing it Yet the Curators of Leiden insisted with so much earnestness by their frequent Letters to which were added the request of the King of Bohemia of the illustrious States of Holland and West-â—risland and lastly of the States General that with much ado at length they extorted rather then obtained his dismission from Geneva But its worth observation what means they used to retain him with what grief and sorrow they parted with him what a confluence of people brought him forth of the City and with what sighs and tears they parted with him as if in losing him they had lost a principall member of their body Yet before he left Geneva he went to Basil to take the degree of Doctor For in Geneva they use no such degree and therefore whilst he was there he affected it not But being to go to Leiden where it was more necessary he that had been for so many years a Teacher of others now submitted to examination and so was created Doctor And this profit he gat thereby that he veiwed Helvetia and became acquainted with many excellent and learned men especially with Zâ—â—gerus and Buxtorsius whose names were now famous in the Christian World An. Chri. 1642. leaving Geneva he with his whole Family and goods arrived safely in the moneth of October in Leiden just upon that Festival day wherein they celebrated the memorial of their deliverance from the â—panish siege and
Emperour and to John These he received very courteously and admitted them to the Prayers of the Church but not to the Sacrament till their cause was heard before the Emperour But a rumour being spread in Alexandria that he had admitted them to the Sacrament Theophilus was extreamly offended with him and sought to put him out of his Bishoprick Whilest he meditated these things he wrote to all the Bishops thereabouts that they should condemn the Books of Origen and considering that it would much advance his affairs if he could draw Epiphanius Bishop of Salamine in Cyprus a man famous for his Life and Learning to side with him he wrote very flattering Letters to him whereby he made him his friend Then did he perswade him to call a Synod in Cyprus to condemn the Works of Origen which the good man too easily affented to and calling a Council they condemned them Then did Epiphanius write to Constantinople to John to call a Council and to condemn them likewise there Theophilus in the mean time considering that he might safely do what such a famous man as Epiphanius had done he also summoned a Council of all the Egyptian Bishops where they also condemned the Books of Origen But John thought that this business did not deserve the calling of a Council and therefore neglected it shewing to his friends the Letters sent him by Theophilus and Epiphanius Hereupon the Clergy and the Rich and Great men who were angry with him for the reasons aforesaid perceiving that the purpose of Theophilus was to remove John from his Bishoprick they studyed how they might promote the same and so far prevailed with the Emperour that a very great Council was summoned to meet at Constantinople which Theophilus much rejoycing at presently commanded all the Bishops of Egypt to repair thither He wrote also to Epiphanius and to all the Eastern Bishops that they should hasten to Constantinople himself following them Epiphanius was the first that arrived and in a Town near to Constantinople he went into the Church where he made publike Prayers From thence going to the City John with all his Clergy met him with all the respect that might be but Epiphanius shewed by his carriage that the calumnies raised against John had made too deep an impression in him for when he was invited to the Bishops house he refued to go in and shunned to have any society with John Yea moreoverâ—calling privately together such Bishops as were at Constantinople he shewed what they had Decreed against the Books of Origen and prevailed with some to give their suffrage to the same though the greater part protracted the doing of it And Theotinusâ—ishop â—ishop of â—ythia blamed him to his face for it saying that it was altogether unlawful thus to condemn a man that was dead so many years before and that it was not without blasphemy thus to calumniate the judgement of our Ancestors and to reject those things which they had Decreed and withall plucking forth a certain Book of Origens he reads part of it and shews how useful and profitable it was for the Church saying further they that discommend these things shew their great folly and it s to be feared that in time they may condemn the Scripture it self about which these Books are written Notwithstanding these things John did much reverence Epiphanius intreating him to partake with him both in his House and Table yea and in the Church too But he returned answer that he would neither come into his House nor Communicate with him at Church except he would condemn the Books of Origen and drive away Dioscorus with the rest of the Monks his companions John thought this very unequal thus to drive them away before their cause was heard the rather because he had appointed a Sacrament in the Apostles Church Then did the Enemies of John suborn Epiphanius that he should come forth in publick and before all the people condemn the Books of Origen with Dioscorus and his companions for holding the same opinions and that withall he should tax the Bishop John for favouring of them The design of these men which thus set him on was to alienate the affections of the people from their Bishop Accordingly two days after Epiphanius went to the Church to accomplish these things at which time John hearing of his purpose sent Scrapion one of his Presbyters to meet him and to protest to him that he was going about that which was neither just nor safe for himself for that hereby he might bring himself into danger if any Tumult or Sedition should arise amongst the people where of he would be judged the Author This cooled his heat and made him desist from his purpose About this time a young son of the Emperours fell sick whereupon the Empress sent to Epiphanius requesting him to pray for him Epiphanius answered that the childe should live and do well if she would forsake Dioscorus and his Heretical Associates But said the Emperess I leave my childe in the hands of God Let him do with him as he pleaseth he gave him me and he may take him away again But for thy part if thou canst raise the dead why didst thou suffer thy Arch-Deacon Crispion to dye who was so dear unto thee Shortly after Epiphanius departed towards Cyprus and as he went down to the Haven to take Shipping he said to John I hope thou shalt never dye a Bishop And John answered him again I hope thou shalt never come alive into thy Country Both which came to pass Epiphanius dying by the way in the Ship and John being deposed and banished as afterwards we shall hear After the departure of Epiphanius Theophilus came to Constantinople but none of the City Clergy went to meet and entertain him because they knew that he was an Enemy to their Bishop yet some Mariners of Alexandria which were then at Constantinople met him singing songs in his praise and so he went to the Emperours Palace where a lodging was provided for him He also cunningly found out many which hated John and were ready to accuse him whereupon he went to Quercus a Suburb of Chalcedon where he gathered a Council and there again condemned the Books of Origen The Council also sent to Constantinople to summon John and some of his Presbyters to appear before them and to answer to such things as should be objected against them John answered that he refused not to come to his trial if first he might know his Accusers and the crime objected against him and be brought before a free Council But said he I am not such a fool as to appear before such Bishops as are my professed Enemies and to suffer them to be my Judges Most of the Bishops were much incensed at this answer only Demerâ—ius and some few that favoured John departed out of the Council Then did the rest cause John to be called four times and because he appeared not
but had appealed to an Oecumenical Council they deposed him When tidings hereof was brought to Constantinople the whole City was on an uproar and they watched his house all night lest he should be thrust out of the City They cryed out also that he should have been heard before a fuller Synod But the Emperours command was that he should be carryed into Exile Hereupon John the third day after his deposition about noon unknown to the people for he was loth there should be any ado for his sake yeelded himself into the hands of his Adversaries and so privately went away This being known the people were all in a Sedition and many that hated him before changing their minds pittied his case yea some that before desired to see his deprivation now cryed out that he was falsly accused and craftily dealt withall Many cryed out against the Emperour but more against the Council and most of all against Theophilus whom they knew to be the Author of all this mischief Hereupon in all hast the Emperour caused John to be sent for again the Messenger was an Eunuch of the Emperesses who found him at Prenetum a Mart Town over against Nicomedia and brought him to Constantinople Yet John though he was thus brought back from Exile resolved not to enter into the City till his innocency was cleared and he were acquitted by the sentence of higher Judges and thereupon he stayed in the Suburb called Mariana But because he returned not into the City the people fell a rayling upon the Magistrates which necessitated him to come home As he came into the City multitudes of people met him brought him to the Church with great rreverence requested him to continue their Bishop and thence forward after the usual manner to pray for the peace and prosperous estate of the Church of God Shortly after a Silver Picture of Eudoxia the Empress was made and erected upon a Marble Pillar near to the Church called Wisdom and common Plays and Shews were celebrated at the same time and John believing that these things were very scandalous and dishonourable to the Christian Religion not forgetting his wonted audacity and liberty of speech sharply reproved the Authors and Abettors of such vanities whereupon the Empress applying these things to her self and supposing that they were spoken in disgrace and reproach of her she caused another Council of Bishops to be called together against him Iohn being informed hereof in his Sermon used these expressions Herodias rageth afresh stomacketh anew danceth again seeketh the head of John in a Platter which Sermon more enraged the Empress against him Then did divers Bishops meet together as Leontius Bishop of Ancyra in Galatia Ammonius Bishop of Laodicea Briso Bishop of Philippi Acatius Bishop of Beraea c. who called the late accusers of Iohn before them to accuse him again Iohn trusting to their just dealing requested only that the accusations against him might be equally and indifferently examined In the mean time the Emperor sent Iohn word that he would not communicate with him before he had cleared himself from the crimes laid to his charge But the accusers being stricken with shame could prove nothing so that the Bishops then present affirmed that they ought not to examine any other offence saving whether after his Deposition he had not of himself assumed his Bishoprick again of himself without the admission of a Council To this Iohn answered that he had the consent of fifty Bishops which communicated with him Leontius replayed that there were more against him Again Iohn said that that Canon belonged not to their Church for that it was made by the Arians at Antioch against Athanasius But they making no account of this answer proceeded to pass sentence against him not considering that they which were Authors of this Canon were also Deposers of Athanasius Upon this the Emperour sent Iohn word that he had no Authority to go into the Church for that he was deposed whereupon he kept himself in his house till by the Emperours command he was carryed into Exile But God suffered not this wickedness to go long unpunished for Cyrinus Bishop of Chalcedon who had railed upon him had a sore brake forth in his Leg so that he was forced to saw it off yet then did the sore grow in his other Leg which he was forced to cut off also and presently after so great a hail fell in the Suburbs of Constantinople as the like was never seen and four days after dyed the Empress Iohn was carryed to Cucusus in Armenia and divers Ministers that adhered to him were carryed to Chalcedon and there cast into bonds and his Enemies going about Constantinople sought out as many as were favourers of him dragging them to prison and forcing them to curse Iohâ— whilest he was at Cucusus in Armenia grew very famous for having much money sent him by his friends he wholly imployed it for the Redemption of Captives and for the relief of the Poor He also by his Ministry gat him many friends so that he had great resort to him not only of the Armeniant but out of Syria and Cilicia which so incensed his Enemies at Constantinople that they gat a new Order from the Emperour to carry him to far remoter parts which also they put in practice but by the way he being grown weak and not able to endure the scorching of the Sun in those hot Countries made an end of his Earthly Pilgrimage to receive his Crown in Heaven Chrysostom was so stiled ob venustatem Eloquii for his graceful Eloquence He was Disciple to Eusebius of an admirable wit in framing his Homilies beloved and reverenced of all men Sophronius testifies numquam eum mentitum fuisse c. that he never told Lye never cursed any never spake any scurrilous matter and never admitted of vain sports His style was neither too lofty nor too mean but fitted to the profit of the hearers Holiness and Scholarship are joined in one his works throughout He studyed not aures titillare but corda pungere to tickle the Ears of his hearers but to prick and ravish their hearts He used to tell his Auditors That they were not only to learn but exercise themselves in practising and searching the Scriptures to avoid idleness He contemned Riches and hated vices was full of sweet similitudes Theodoret styles him Eximium orbis terrarum luminare The eminentest light of the whole world By authority from the Emperour he imployed some to throw down and demolish all the Idols and their Temples throughout all Phenice and reformed all the Churches in Asia stirring up the Ministers to the study of Piety He sent many Ministers and Deacons into Scythia which was over-run by the Arian Herefsie reducing many thereby to the Orthodox Faith Hearing also that the Scythian Nomades by the River Isther thirsted after the knowledge of Christ he sent some
needed consolation And if his reproof or exhortation needed pressing home upon the conscience he would enlarge himselfe by shewing motives to urge the duty or disswasives from the vice taking his Arguments from duty to God decency or shamefulnesse pleasure or paine gaine or losse Sometimes also hee would shew the effectuall meanes of attaining the grace or power to performe the duty exhorted to As also the Remedies against Vices And when hee fell upon any Common place or Head of Divinity hee used to prosecute it very judiciously and profitably So that by all this it appeares that hee made good use of his Learning yet without affectation He used to read Books most swiftly and yet not cursorily being able when he had done to give an account of the substance and most remarkable passages of what he had read Though he preached often yet what he preached was before-hand well studied and premeditated And it pleased God to put a Seal to his Ministry in the converting confirming and building up many thousands in the course of his Ministry Hee was a diligent visitor of the sick under his charge without respect of persons Hee was a great Peace-maker amongst any of his flock that were at variance Hee had an heavenly gift in prayer both for aptnesse and fulnesse of Confessions Petitions Supplications Intercessions and Praises together with fervencie of spirit to pour them out to God in the name of Christ. When he had read a Psalm or Chapter in his Family in his Prayer hee would discover the scope meaning and chiefe notes of observation and their use so that his Prayer was an excellent Commentary thereupon and this not onely in the plainer but â—n the harder Texts of Scripture also In his prayers also after Sermon he could collect into a short summe all that hee had delivered to his hearers and make it the matter of his prayer unto God that they might bee inwardly taught of God and become believers and doers of what was taught them His constant practice was besides Family-prayer twice a day and sometimes catechizing to pray also with his Wife and alone both morning and evening He set a part private daies of Humiliation for his Family upon special occasions and oft for their preparation to the Lords Supper at which times he would exceed himself in pouring out his soul to God with many tears He was much in daies of private fasting and humbling himself alone before God which impaired his health but made much for the health of his soul. He was very able and very ready to confer with and to resolve the doubts of such as came to him He bare such a tender love to that great people over which God had set him that though his means was small and he had many offers of great preferment in the Church yet hee would not leave them Hee was daily inquisitive after the affaires of Gods Church and sympathized with Gods people both in their weale and woe He was much grieved when he saw that difference in opinions bred strangenesse amongst Christians that agreed in the same Fundamentall Truths He was judiciously charitable to such as shewed the power of Godlinesse in their lives though they were not of his judgement in all things He was glad when any of the righteous smote him and would take it well not from his Superiours onely but from his Equals and far Inferiours and would really shew more testimonies of his love to such afterwards then ever he did before Hee abounded in workes of Mercy he was a truly liberal man one that studyed liberall things seeking out to finde objects of his mercie rather then staying till they were offered He did set apart and expend for many yeares together for good uses the tenth part of his yearly commings in both out of his Temporall and Ecclesiasticall meanes of maintenance He entertained some poor Widdows or neceâ—â—itous persons weekly at the least at his Table and his estate prospered the better after hee took this course and in his sicknesse he comforted himself with that promise Psal. 41. 1 2. Blessed is he that considereth the poor the Lorâ— will deliver him in the time of trouble the Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing c. The truth of grace in his heart was discovered by nothing more then by his slips and strong tentations For hereby hee was made more watchfull over himselfe more humble and more to loath his originall corruption and sinfull nature and so to cry out with the Apostle O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Yea this made him more earnest in his prayers unto God and more pittifull unto others And hee was alwayes the first espier of his own faults when the world could not or did not take notice of them enjoying no rest in himselfe till he had sought and regained pardon and peace with God His last daies were his best dayes for then hee grew exceedingly in humility and in heavenly-mindednesse And a good while before his latter end God gave him victory over his greatest corruptions which for a long time kept him in continuall exercise About eight weeks before his death he was much troubled with a cough and shortnesse of breath which much weakned him yet hee preached divers times till his encreasing weaknesse disabled him In his sicknesse he gave heavenly and wholsom counsel to his people neighbours and friends that came to visit him exhorting them to labour to redeem the time to be much in reading hearing and meditating upon the word of God much in praier brotherly love and communion of Saints and that they would be careful to hold that fast that he had taught them out of the Word of Truth and that waiâ—st the means of salvation was to bee had they would neither spare paines nor cost to enjoy it His pains towards his end were very great yet hee bore them patiently He was much in ejaculations and lifting up his heart to God in behalf of the Church and State and for himself also wherein he was most frequent and earnest A little before his death a godly friend and Minister praying with him that if his time were not expired God would bee pleased to restore him for the good of his Church or if otherwise that he would put an end to his pains if hee saw good he lifting up his eyes stedfastly towards heaven and one of his hands in the close of that prayer gave up the Ghost shutting his eyes himself as if he were fallen into a sweet sleep Anno 1639 and of his Age 56. God took him away a little before the Civill Warres began and before the sad desolations that fell upon the Town of Banbury in particular He wrote Prototypes God Husbandry A Treatise of the New Birth The Redemption of time A Care cloth The Bride bush c.