of the everlasting fire at the Day of Judgment and of those endless torments which are reserved for the wicked But why make you all these delays appoint me to what death you please Whilest he spake these things he was replenished with joy and boldness and his countenance appeared so full of grace and gravity that it was evident that he was nothing troubled with the cruel threats of the Proconsul but on the contrary the Proconsul himself began to be amazed and sent for the Cryer commanding him in the midst of the Theater to cry three times Polycarp hath confessed himself to be a Christian Hereupon the multitude both of Jews and Gentiles inhabiting Smyrna cryed out in a great rage Iste Asiae Doctor c. This is that Doctor of Asia the Father of the Christians the Overthrower of our gods who hath taught many that our gods are not to be adored and thereupon they cryed to the Proconsul that a Lyon might be let loose to devour him But he told them that he might not do it for that the game of Beasts was now finished Then they cryed with one voice that Polycarp should be burned alive To which when the Proconsul had assented the multitude forthwith carryed logs and wood out of their Shops and Booths especially the Jews after their wonted manner were very forward herein The pile being prepared Polycarp put off his apparrel the faithful assisting and contending amongst themselves who should touch his body at his farewell Being thus made ready when they would have nailed him to the stake he said Nay suffer me even as I am for he that hath given me strength to come to this fire will also give me patience to persevere therein without your fastning of my body with nails Then they bound his hands behind him which done he prayed thus O Father of thy Wel. Beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ through whom we have known thee O God of Angels Powers and of every living creature and of just men which live in thy presence I thank thee that thou hast graciously vouchsafed this day and this hour to allot me a portions amongst the number of Martyrs to drink of the Cup of Christ unto the Resurrection of everlasting life both of Body and Soul through the operation of the Holy Spirit amongst whom I shall this day be received into thy sight for an acceptable Sacrifice And as thou hast prepared and revealed this before hand so thou hast now accomplished and fulfilled the same O thou most true God which canst not lye wherefore for all these things I praise thee I bless thee I glorifie thee through the everlasting Bishop and Shepherd of our Souls Christ Jesus to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all Honour and Glory world without end Amen Having ended his Prayer the tormentors kindled the fire The flame vehemently flashed about which was terrible to the beholders But the slame framing it self after the manner of a vault or sail of a Ship with the blustering blasts of wind touched not the holy Martyrs Body which sent forth a fragrant and sweet smell like unto Frankincense or such like pretious Perfume But the cruel Persecutors perceiving that the fire touched not his body called for a tormentor charging him to thrust him into the side with a spear which being done there issued our such abundance of blood as quenched the fire to the great astonishment of the beholders Then did the Jews stir up Nicetes the Father of Herod and his Brother Dalces to move the Proconsul that his body might not be delivered to the Christians least say they leaving Christ they fall to worship him This they said through their ignorance not knowing that we can never forsake Christ which dyed for our Salvation to worship any other For we worship Christ as the Son of God the Martyrs we love as the Disciples and followers of the Lord and that worthily for the invincible love which they bear to their King and Master c. Hereupon the Proconsul caused his body to satisfie the Jews to be laid upon a pile of wood and burned Irenaeus being young was acquainted with him and writeth of him that Anicetus being Bishop of Rome Polycarp went thither and questioned with him about the celebration of Easter He saith also that there is extant an Epistle of Polycarps unto the Philippians very profitable for such as are careful for their Salvation where they may know the true character of Faith and the right rule of Doctrine It is said of him that he was testis fidelis constansque veritatis A faithful and constant witness to the Truth Nay by his Wisdom Zeal and Piety he recalled many from Heresies and Errors He so detested Hereticks that when Marcion of his former acquaintance met him at Rome and wondering that he took no notice of him said Dost thou not know me Polycarp Yea said he I know thee wel thou art the eldest son to the Divel His manner was to stop his ears if at any time he heard the wicked speeches of Hereticks and to shun those very places where such speeches had been uttered He suffered Martyrdom in the seventh year of Verus Anno Christi 170. of his Age 86. In the midst of the flames he made this excellent Prayer O God the Father of thy Beloved Son Jesus Christ through whom we have received the knowledge of thee O God the Creator of all things upon thee I call thee I confess to be the true God Thee I glorifie O Lord receive me and make me a companion of the resurrection of thy Saints through the merits of our great High Priest thy Beloved Son Jesus Christ to whom with the Father and God the Holy Ghost be honour and glory for ever Amen He was a Bishop about 63 years Herom writing of him saith that he was in great esteem through all Asia for that he was Scholar to the Apostles and to them that did see and were conversant with Christ himself and therefore his authority was of great credit not only with his own Church but with all other Churches about him There is extant an Epistle of his to the Philippians but Scultetus judgeth it spurious The Life of Dionysius Areopagita who dyed Anno Christi 96. DIonysius Areopagita was born at Athens of eminent Parents he was very studious He travelled into Egypt to get skill in Astronomie At the age of 25 years at Heliopolis whilest he lived with Apollophanes the Philosopher he saw that general Eclipse of the Sun at our Saviours passion and as one amazed said Aut Deus naturae patitur aut mundi machina dissolvetur Either the God of Nature now suffers or the frame of the World shall be dissolved And to another Ignotus in carne patitur Deus c. God unknown in the flesh doth suffer for whose sake the Universe is covered with this thick darkness Saint Paul coming
blessed Spirit of God makes the Soul like a Fountain whose water is pure wholesom and clear For Grace beautifies cleanseth and so saveth the whole man He wrote divers Epistles To St. John To the Ephesians To the Magnesians To the Trallians To the Romanes To the Philadelphians To Polycarp c. Concerning which the learned Scultetus saith Inter dubia incerta numero Epistolas Ignatii Polycarpi Nondum enim inter Orthodoxos convenit sintne Epistolae istae celeberrimorum Martyrum Ignatii Polycarpi an aliorum For which he gives his reasons POLYCARPVS The Life of Polycarp who dyed Anno Chr. 170 POlycarpus was Disciple to S John and Bishop of Smyrna he going with S. John to a Bath at Ephosus and espying Cerinthus the Heretick in it said Fugiamus ocyùs c. Let us depart speedily for fear least the Bath wherein the Lord's adversary is do fall upon us as one of the Fathers made haste out of the house of a wicked man which soon after fell to the ground The History of his Martyrdom is excellently set forth in an Epistle written by his own Church at Smyrna to the Brethren of Pontus out of which so much as concerns this matter I shall transcribe The Congregation which is at Smyrna to the Congregation which is at Philomilium and to all the Congregations throughout Pontus mercy to you peace and the love of God the Father and of our Lord Jesus Christ be multiplyed Amen We have written unto you Brethren of those men which have suffered Martyrdom and particularly of blessed Polycarp who by sheding his blood hath through Gods mercy put an end to this persecution the manner whereof we shall now relate to you This holy man hearing of the cruel persecution abroad was therewith nothing terrified but retained the inmovable tranquility of his minde and continued still in the City till at length he was perswaded through the importunity of his friends to betake himself to a certain Farm-place not far from the City where he remained with a few exercising himself night and day in prayer making humble supplications as his usual manner was for the peace and tranquility of all the Churches in the world Having been in prayer three days before his apprehension and now faln asleep he saw in a Vision by night the pillow under his head set on fire and suddenly consumed to ashes which when he awaked he interpreted to them that were present to fore-signifie that his life was neer an end and that his body should be Burned for the testimony of Christ. When the Searchers were now at hand and all the people cryed out Quaeratur Polycarpus Let us search out Polycarp at the earnest entreaty of his friends he removed to another Village unto which the Searchers coming caught two boys and scourged them till one of them confessed and led them to Polycarps lodging Yet might he easily have escaped but he would not saying the will of the Lord be fulfilled and so coming to them he communed with them very cheerfully so that it was wonderful to see those which a little before knew not the man now beholding and viewing his comey age and his grave and constant countenance lamented that they had so imployed themselves for the apprehension of so worthy a person But he on the contrary commanded that the table should be presently spred for them intreating them to eat and dine well requesting but one hours space to make his prayers unto God in which they assenting to he arose and went to prayer and being replenished with the grace of God he so poured out his soul that all that heard him praying were astonished at it yea many of his enemies were sorry that so holy honest and aged a man should be put to death The hour being now come wherein he was to set forwards they set him upon an Ass and brought him to the City of Smyrna upon a solemn Feast day and there met him Herod the Justice of Peace and his Father Nicetes who receiving him into their Chariot said unto him What harm is it to say Lord Caesar to sacrifice and so to be saved At first he answered nothing but when again they urged him he said I will not do according to your counsel They perceiving that he would not be perswaded gave him very rough language and at last tumbled him out of their Chariot whereby he brake his shins But he as though he had received no injury nor hurt at all went bolt upright cheerfully and apace towards the Theater And being come thither a voice came down from Heaven though by reason of the great tumult few heard it Be of good cheer O Polycarp and play the man The speaker no man saw but the voice was heard by many of us The multitude was in a rage and the Proconsul demanded of him whether he were that Polycarp yet withal beckoning to him to deny it said Have respect unto thine age tender thy self swear by the Fortune of Caesar Repent of what is past and say Remove the wicked But Polycarp looking about upon the multitude with a stedfast countenance and casting up his eyes towards Heaven said Remove O Lord these wicked Yet the Proconsul urged him again saying Swear and I will let thee go Blaspheme and defie Christ and thou shalt be safe To whom Polycarp answered Octoginta sex annos illijam inservivi c. Fourscore and six years have I served Christ neither hath he ever offended me in any thing and how then can I revile my King that hath thus kept me The Proconsul still urged and said Swear by the Fortune of Caesar Polycarp replyed If thou requirest of me this vain glory that I should protest the Fortune of Caesar pretending that thou knowest not what I am Know then that I am a Christian And if thou desirest to know the Doctrine of Christianity appoint a day and thou shalt hear it Perswade the people unto this said the Proconsul Truly said Polycarp I thought it my part to make this tender unto you Because we are commanded of God to give unto Governours and Powers whom he hath ordained the honour and obedience which is due unto them and not hurtful unto us but as for these people I deem them not competent judges and therefore will not purge my self before them Then said the Proconsul I have wild Beasts to devour thee unless thou repent Polycarp answered Bring them forth for we have determined with our selves not to repent nor to turn from the better to the worse It s more convenient for you to turn from evill to that which is good and just I will said the Proconsul tame thee with fire if thou set naught by the wild Beasts and wilt not repent To which Polycarp answered you threaten me with sire which shall last but an hour and is quickly quenched but thou art ignorant
to Athens Act. 17. and espying an Altar there with this inscription Ignoto Deo took occasion from thence to Preach of the true God of the Resurrection and Judgement to come whereupon by the great Philosophers of that City he was accounted a wicked and sacrilegious person for which he was carryed by them to Mars his hill where the Court of the Areopagites sat which was the chiefest Judicatory in that City But before those Judges he preached with such Divine eloquence and forcible arguments that through Gods mercy he converted this Dionysius the chief President of the Judges with Damaris his wife who used Paul very courteously and were instructed by him in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ. At which the whole City was much amazed for all men accounted Dionysius a very wise and judicious man But now he was not ashamed of a Master to become a Scholar so that within 3 years space he became an admirable instrument to propagate the Gospel of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Then was he by Paul ordained Pastor of the Church at Athens where for a good while he preached the Word of God with great wisdom zeal and diligence and as a wife Harvest-man brought in many Sheaves of Corn into Gods Barn Afterwards he went to Ephesus to visit S. John and S. Paul by whose perswasion leaving one Publius to look to his flock at Athens he went to Rome at which time Clemens governed that Church And having conversed a while with Clemens he intreated him to go into France to preach the Gospel there and to give knowledge of Salvation to that Nation This he willingly undertook and judging Paris to be the fittest place to reside in he so laboured amongst them that in a short space through Gods blessing he brought many Sheep into the fold of Christ and that not only of the meaner sort but many Rich Noble and Great Persons who overthrowing the Temples of their false gods erected new places for the service of the true God But this progress of the Gospel being envied by Satan the enemie of Christs Church he stirred up the Idolatrous Priests who suborned many to dispatch Dionysius but there was such a gracious lustre and radiancy in his countenance that when they beheld him some of their hearts failed them others were so affrighted that they fled away Shortly after Sisinius the Praefect gave command that Dionysius with his fellows should be apprehended and when he was brought before him he sharply reproved him for that he had preached against the Worship of their gods who by reason of his Sermons had lost their former honour and esteem He therefore required him to confess his error and to stop up that breach which he had made leaving off those novelties and unheard of Doctrines that by his recantation the people might see how vainly they had been seduced and so return to their antient Rites and Customs again To this Dionysius with great zeal wisdom and eloquence answered That they were no gods whom they worshipped but Idols and the works of mens hands and that it was through meer Ignorance Folly and Idolatry that they adored them Adding that there was but one true God according as he had preached At which words Sisinius was exceedingly incensed commanding him to be laid upon an hurdle and a gentle fire to be made under him to roast him Some others relate that he was thrown to hungry wild Beasts which yet would not tear him Then that he was put into an hot Oven which would not burn him Whereupon he was the second time brought before Sisinius who caused him publikely to be beaten with many and cruel blows by his Officers and when this prevailed not he standing up said Seeing thou hast contemned our gods derided the Emperors Edicts and by Magick hast wrought many Miracles to delude the people whereby thou hast seduced them from the obedience of the Emperor I will therefore that thou shalt be forthwith beheaded Dionysius nothing terrified herewith told him that he worshipped such gods as would perish like dung upon the Earth but as for my self said he Come life come death I will worship none but the God of Heaven and Earth This so enraged the Praefect that he commanded him presently to be executed whereupon he was haled out of the City to the top of an high Mountain and delivered to the Officers to be tormented which was accomplished with all the cruelty that could be Then lifting up his eyes and hands to heaven he said O Lord God Almighty thou only begotten Son and Holy Spirit O sacred Trinty which art without beginning and in whom is no division Receive the soul of thy servant in peace who is put to death for thâ— Cause and Gospel Which Prayer being ended he was beheaded with a sword which was made dull on purpose that his pain might be the greater He suffered Martyrdom in the reign of Hadrianus Anno Christi 96. and of his own Age 110. He used to say that he desired these two things of God first that be might know the truth himself Secondly that he might preach it as he ought unto others He wrote sundry Epistles as some affirm and some other works all which Scultetus for very good reasons rendred by him judgeth to be spurious JVSTIN MARTYR The Life of Justin Martyr who dyed Anno Christi 139. IVstin Martyr was born at Neapolis in the Country of Palestine His father was Priscus Bachius by whom in his youth he was set to schole where he profited so much that in time he became a famous Philosopher For being exceedingly inflamed with a desire of knowledge he would not be satisfied in his minde till he had gotten Instructors singularly seen in all kinds of Philosophy First he applyed himself to be a Scholar to a certain Stoick but finding that by his help he nothing profited in Divine knowledge after a time he left him and went to one of the Sect of the Peripateticks with whom after he had been a while he demanded of him a stipend for his teaching whereupon Justin accounting him no Philosopher left him and departed And being not yet satisfied in minde but desirous to hear of further learning he adjoined himself to one that professed the Pythagorean Sect a man of great â—ame and one that highly esteemed of himself whom after he had followed a time his Master asked him whether he had any skill in Musick Astronomy and Geometry without the knowledge whereof he said he could not be apt to receive the knowledge of virtue and felicity for that his minde must be drawn from the knowledge of sensible matters to the contemplation of things intelligible He spake much in commendation of these Sciences how profitable and necessary they were and because Justin declared himself to have no skill therein he turned him away which much grieved Justin who
Schismaticks for disagreeing with him therein Irenaeus with other Brethren of the French Church being sorry to see contentions amongst Brethren for such a trifle met together in a Councel and by common consent wrote Letters unto Victor subscribed with their names intreating him to alter his purpose and not to proceed to Excommunicate his Brethren for that matter and although themselves agreed with him in observing the same time yet by many strong arguments and reasons they exhorted him not to deal so rigorously with those who followed the custom of their Country in observing another day He wrote also diverse other Letters abroad concerning the same contention declaring the Excommunication of Victor to be of none effect After the Martyrdom of Photinus he was made Bishop of Lyons where he continued about the space of 23 years By his frequent faithful and powerful Preaching and by his holiness of life he brought most of that City from Gentilism to the knowledge and service of the true God But the common Enemy of mankinde envying the progress of the Gospel and the salvation of so many Souls beside the publick Persecution stirred up a spirit of Error and falsehood in some Hereticks as Montanus Theodosius Alcibiades and Maximilla whereby he greatly disturbed the Peace of the Church Hereupon Irenaeus and his fellow-Laborers to shew their care of the Brethren sent abroad large Epistles of things done amongst them They sent also the Tenets of Montanus into Asia with their judgements upon them They wrote likewise Letters to Eleutherius then Bishop of Rome desiring him heartily to endeavour to keep the Church in unity and when they could finde no fitter a person for so weighty a business they made choice of Irenaeus for his holiness gravity and sincerity whom they knew to be willing to undergo all travel danger and labour for Christs cause and the Churches good Him therefore they sent to Rome writing by him in this manner Father Eleutherius we with you health in all things and always in God We have requested Irenaeus our Brother and fellow Laborer to deliver these Letters whom we pray you to accept of as a zealous follower of the will of Christ c. This Irenaeus wrote five Books against the Heresies of his times which are yet extant in the first of which dilating upon the infinite profundity of matter invented by Valentinus mixed with many Errors he discloseth openly the malice of the Heretick being cloâ—ked and concealed as it were a Serpent hid in his den For revealing their profane ceremonies and detestable mysteries he writeth thus Some saith he prepare their Wedding Chamber and accomplish the service to be said over them that are to be consecrated with charmed words And having thus done they call it a Spiritual Marriage conformable to the caelestial copulation Some bring them to the water and in Baptising say thus In the Name of the unknown Father of all things In the Truth Mother of all things and in him which descended upon Jesus Some others pronounce Hebrew words to the end that young Converts might be the more amazed And in his third Book he wrote that Valentinus came to Rome in the time of Hyginus ninth Bishop in succession after the Apostles And also Cerdon another Heretick who sometimes protested the true Faith and privily taught the contrary Afterward he confessed his error and yet again being reprehended for the corrupt Doctrin which he had taught he refrained the company of the Brethren He taught that God preached in the Law and Prophets was not the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That Christ was known but the Father of Christ was unknown c. After him succeeded Marcion of Pontus a shameless blasphemer which encreased this Doctrine He tels us also in his second Book that the working of Miracles was frequent in his time Some of the Brethren saith he and sometimes the whole Church of some certain place by reason of some urgent cause by Fasting and Prayer have brought to pass that the spirits of the dead have returned into their bodies and so by the earnest Prayers of the Saints they have been restored again to life and have lived with us many years Some by the like means have expelled Devils so that they which were delivered from evill spirits have embraced the Faith and were received into the Church Others have the Spirit of Prophesie to fore-know things to come they see Divine Dreams and Prophetical Visions Others cure the sick and diseased and by laying on of their hands restore them to health For the gratious gifts of the Holy Ghost are innumerable which the Church dispersed through the whole World having received dispenseth daily in the Name of Jesus Christ crucified under Pontus Pilat to the benefit of the Gentiles c. Whilst he was Bishop of Lyons the state of the Church was very unquiet troublesome and full of danger because the Romane Emperour had not called in the Edicts of the fourth Persecution But in this dangerous time Irendus was valiant laboured exceedingly by Prayer Preaching Disputing Instructing and Reproving with patience and wisdom Seeking the lost strengthening the weak recalling the wandring binding up the broken-hearted and confirming those that were strong Whereupon Tertullian saith Tanta vitae integritate Doctrine sinceritate gregi is praesidet c. He governed the flock of Christ with such integrity of life and sincerity of Doctrine that he was loved exceedingly by his own and feared by others But in the latter end of Marcus Antoninus Verus God sent Peace to his Church so that the Christians lived securely held Councels and did Preach freely as also in the raign of Commodus who succeeded him But in the raign of Severus the next Emperor he being a bloody and cruel man was raised the fifth Persecution against the Church to the Martyrdom of many thousands but especially it raged at Lyons in so much as the blood of the slaughtered Christians ran down the streets and at last this blessed Saint with many other of his flock were carried between two hils where was a Cross on the one hand and an Idol of the other where they were put to their choice to go either to the Cross to suffer or to the Idol to live but they chose the Cross where they all constantly suffered Martyrdom about the year 182. Irenaeus being about the age of 60 years or as some say 90. He used to compare the Hereticks and Schismaticks of his time to Aesops Dog that lost the substance of Religion whilst they gaped too earnestly after the shadow Considering the vanity of all earthly things he said What profit is there in that honour which is so short-lived as that perchance it was not yesterday neither will be to morrow And such men as labor so much for it are but like froth which though it be uppermost yet is unprofitablest Erasmus thinks that he wrote
wrote to his Brother to acquaint him therewith and to request him that Athanasius might be restored to his Bishoprick But when Constantius deferred from day to day to answer his desire Constance wrote to him the second time giving him in choise either to restore Athanasius and so account of him as his friend or else to hear the Proclamation of open War and so finde him his deadly foe The Emperour of the East hearing this was wondeful sad and pensive and calling together many of the Eastern Bishops layeth before them the choise his Brother had given him demandeth of them what was best in this case to be done they answered that it was far better to restore Athanasius then to make that an occasion of mortal and deadly Wars Hereupon the Emperour wrote this Letter unto him Constantius the Puissant and Noble Emperour unto Athanasius the Bishop sendeth greeting Our singular and wonted clemency will no longer suffer thy Fatherhood to be turmoiled and tossed with the surging waves of the Seas the Piety which we have always in great price will no longer permit thy Holiness now banished out of thy Native soil bereaved of thy substance barred of all prosperity to wander through crooked and cross ways through Desarts and dangerous Countreys Although we have lingred now a great while from sending our Letters whereby we might signifie unto thee the concealed secresie of our minde hoping that of thine own accord thou wouldst repair unto us and with humble sute crave remedy and redress of thine injuries Yet nevertheless fear peradventure hindering thee of thy purpose we sent presently our gracious Letters unto thy Grave Wisdom that with all celerity thou come unto us whereby thou shalt satisfie longing desires thou shalt have trial of our wonted clemency and be restored to thine own Sea and Nativeo sâ—l For to this end I have entreated my Lord and Brother Constance the Puissant and Noble Emperour that he would license thee to return unto us whereby thou mightest by the means of us both enjoy thy Country and have this token for trial of our singulâ—r clemency and good will towards thee But whilest Athanasius doubted and feared to go unto Constantius by reason of the false and slanderous reports that were raised of him and the implacable malice of his Enemies Constantius wrote this second Letter to him Constantius the Puissant and Noble Emperour unto Athanasius the Bishop sendeth greeting Although by our former Letters we have signified to thy Wisdom after the plainest manner that with secure minde and safe conduct thou shouldst come unto our Court because we were fully determined to restore thee to thy former dignities We have notwithstanding sent these Letters also to thy Holiness that thou hire a common Wagon and removing all timorous thoughts from thy distrustful minde thou speedily repair unto us to the end thou mayest the sooner enjoy thy long wished desires Presently after he wrote again this third Letter for his further satisfaction Constantius the Puissant and Noble Emperour unto Athanasius the Bishop sendeth greeting Being lately at Edessa where also were some of thy Presbyters then present it seemed good unto us to send one of them unto thee that thou shouldst hasten unto our Court and after thy coming into our presence without delay return unto Alexandria And forasmuch as it is now a great while ago since thou receivedst our Letters and hast deferred thy journey therefore now also we thought good to put thee in remembrance that without delay thou come unto us and so thou shalt possess the liberty of thy Country and thy long wished ease and quietness And that thou mightest fully perswade thy self of all the promises we have sent unto thee Achetas the Deacon by whom thou shalt undeâ— stand both what our purpose is and also how that thy hearts desire shall prevail Athanasius being at Aquilâ—ia when he received these Letters immediately posted to Rome and shewed them to Bishop Julius whereby the Church of Rome rejoyced much conceiving that Constantius the Eastern Emperour was of the same Faith and opinion with themselves whereupon Julius wrote this Letter to the People of Alexandria in the behalf of Athanasius Julius Bishop of Rome unto the Presbyters Deacons and Wel-beloved Brethren of Alexandria sendeth greeting in the Lord I do greatly rejoyce with you Wel-beloved Brethren that henceforth you may behold with your Eyes the fruit of your Faith For that is to be seen in my Brother and fellow Bishop Athanasius whom God hath restored unto you partly for 〈◊〉 sincere and godly life and partly also by the means of your Prayers Hereby it may be easily conjectured what pure and fervent Prayers you have always poured out unto God for when you called to minde the heavenly promises and the intire affection which you bare unto them all which you learned of my foresaid Brother you understood plainly and through the right Faith ingrafted into your mindes you were fully perswaded that Athanasius whom in your godly mindes you beheld as present should not be always severed from you wherefore I need not to use many words unto you for whatsoever I can say the same hath your Faith prevented and whatsoever you all heartily desired the same through the Grace of God is now fully come to pass And that I may repeat the same again I do greatly rejoyce with you that you have continued so firm and stedfast in the Faith that by no means you could be withdrawn from it Moreover I do no less rejoyce for my Brother Athanasius who notwithstanding the manifold calamities and sundry miseries which he endured yet remembred almost every hour your intire love and great longing for him And though for a season he seemed to be absent from you in body yet lived he always as present with you in the Spirit I think verily Wel-beloved Brethren that all the temptations and pains which he indured are not void of their commendations or profit For by this means both his Faith and yours have been made manifest to the whole World If he had not been tried with such great and lamentable temptations who would ever have thought or known that your minds had been so unmovably fixed upon so worthy a Bishop or that he was the man that excelled in such rare gifts by means whereof he is made partaker of the hope that is laid up for him in Heaven wherefore he hath attained to a notable testimony of his Faith not only in this life but of that which is to come For by his patient suffering of much adversity both by Sea and Land he bath trampled and trod under foot all the malitious treacheries of his Arian adversaries Oft-times by reason of their spite he stood in great hazard of his life yet made â—e no account of death but through the Grace of Almighty God and power of our Lord Jesus Christ he escaped their hands whereby he conceived good hope that in
lose his freedom And that in the life of Ministers and Bishops there was a great deal of danger that will he nill he he must be intangled with riches honours and cares of the World and thereby be cast upon many temptations Besides the lives of many of them displeased him seeing the ancient Piety of the Ministry to begin to degenerate into Pride and Tyranny All these things seriously considered he began to be in love with a Monastick life which in those times did far differ from their lives in future Ages which was afterwards intangled with Ceremonies and Superstitions For in those times they had liberty to change their condition when they pleased to go whither they pleased they had a great deal of freedom to attend their studies betaking themselves to Fasting and Prayer they were not bound under any humane constitutions Their Apparel was mean yet not enjoyned but left to every ones free will not which was noted for prodigious novelty so that every one might point at them with the finger but which was most agreeable with Christian simplicity they were tyed by no Vows but such as every true Christian ought to be subject to Having resolved upon this course of life his next endeavour was to associate some companions to him therein But Pammachius who hitherto had been his chamber-fellow and fellow-student for his course of life was wholly of another disposition The greatest freedom was most pleasing to Hierom and a married life to Pammachius Bonosus having setled his affairs forsaking his Country Parents and Friends and only accompanyed with his Books was departed into a solitary Island and therein had out-run Hierom extricating himself from the snares of the World to enjoy more freedom in the service of Christ. Not long after Hierom having setled his affairs and provided things necessary for his journey especially a fair Library he sailed into Syria having Heliodorus for his companion who having remained a while with him in Syria disliking that course of life left him Yet did not Hierom at all break off his good esteem of him for the same Then did Hierom go to Hierusalem veiwing all the observable places about that once famous City But shortly after by reason of the change of Ayr and Country he fell into a grievous sickness at which time Evagrius entertained him into his house and shewed much kindeness to him Having recovered his health he was inflamed with an earnest desire of prosecuting his former resolution for the manner of his life and thereupon retiring himself into a Desart between the Syrians and Saracens he had no company besides wilde Beasts and Serpents and here and there a Monks Cell that had betaken himself to the same course of life as Hierom now did But before his fixing in this Wilderness he spent some time in Antiochia which yet he stayed not long in partly by reason of the celebrity of the place and partly because of a Schism that was in the Church Neither could he stay long in Chalcis because of the neighbourhood of some Arians which molested him and indeed this holy man was grievously vexed by their wicked practises who daily cited him before them to give an account of his Faith In brief he met with so many molestations that many times he repented his coming into Syria And thereupon at length he shut up himself far from the commerce of men in that forenamed Desart thinking it far better to live amongst Thieves and wilde Beasts then amongst such Christians And continuing there four years together he only conversed with Christ and his Books seriously busying himself according to his former purpose And having in his youth fallen into some loosness the first thing he did was with showres of tears to bewail his sins and to endeavour to make his peace with God Then by abstinence watchings and incredible austeritty of life to beat down his body and to bring it into subjection to his spirit that so he might be freed from all temptations to fleshly lusts and left his carnal affections should impede his heavenly life he prescribed and exacted of himself a daily task wherein he was imployed He distributed his time into two parts one for his studies the other for meditation and prayer wherein also he spent a good part of the night He allowed himself the least part for sleep less for his food and none for idleness when he was aweary of study he betook himself to Prayer or singing of a Psalm and then presently returned to his studies again He read over all his Library and then rubbed up his old studies He learned most of the Scripture by heart He meditated much upon the Prophets labouring to finde out the Mysteries of their Prophesies He extracted Christian wisdom out of the Evangelists and Apostolical Writings as out of most pure Fountains For it is the first step to Piety to acquaint our selves with the Truths of God Then he read over the Works of such as had Commented thereon with great Judgement not pretermitting the Works of Ethnicks and Hereticks For he knew how to gather Gold out of a Dunghil and Honey out of Weeds leaving the Poyson to Spiders then did he collect what he could out of the Egyptian Writers endeavouring to beautifie the House of God by the spoils of his Enemies And for the help of his Memory and to make him more prompt he digested all that he read into certain heads and common places â—ut especially he read over Origens Works whom he called Suum his own and some of whose Homilies whilest he was a young man he had turned into Latin His reading also he mixed with writing About this time he interpreted the Prophesie of Obadiah Allegorically because he knew not the History as himself afterwards confessed in his Preface to his second Interpretation of that Prophesie in which he makes amends for his former youthly precipitation In brief he pretermitted nothing that might make him an admirable Doctor of the Church and a most accomplished Divine that nothing might be wanting in his Learning nothing amiss in his Life which might any whit tend to the diminishing of the credit of his Doctrine Afterwards also finding by experience that many secrets could not be understood nor handled as they ought to be without learning those Languages wherein they were first written and taught by hard study and industry he overcame the difficulties which are in the Hebrew tongue Yea he did not only labour for the knowledge of it but to give the right sound and pronuntiation to some barbarous and strange Languages which he studied And for his perfecting in the Hebrew he did with great charges hire the most learned of the Jews to instruct him emptying his Purse to enrich his Soul with Learning He also learned the Chalde because the Books of Job Daniel and some other Portions of the Old Testament though they were written in Hebrew yet much use of
end I my Explication of Genesis God grant that others may more rightly expound it then I have done I cannot proceed further my strength faileth pray for me that I may have a quiet and comfortable departure out of this life This year in Italy was spread a most impudent lye about Luthers death which they called Horrendum inâ—ud tum miraculum quod in aeternum laudandus Dâ—us in foedamâ—te Mart. Lutheri corpore anima damnati exhibuit in gloriam Jesu Christi atque in emendationem consolationem piorum The substance of it was this That when he saw he must die he requested that his body should be set upon the Altar and worshipped with Divine Worship but when his body was laid in the grave suddainly so great a stir and terror arose as if the foundations of the Earth were shaken together whereupon all that were present trembling and astonished lift up their Eyes and saw the sacred Host appear in the Air whereupon they placed that upon the Altar But the night following a loud noise and ratling shriller then the former was heard about Luthers sepulchre which terrified all the City and almost killed them with astonishment in the morning when they opened the sepulchre they found neither bodie bones nor clothes but a sulphureous stink came out thereof which almost overcame the standers by c. This Lye coming printed into Germany Luther subscribed with his own hand I Martin Luther do profess and witness under my own hand that receiving this figment full of anger and fury concerning my death I read it with a joyful mind and cheerful countenance And but that I detest the blasphemy which ascribeth an impudent lye to the Divine Majesty for the other passages I cannot but laugh at Satans the Popes and their complices hatred against me God turn their hearts from their Diabolical malice but if he Decree not to hear my Prayer for their sin unto death then God grant that they may fill up the measure of their sins and solace themselves with their libels full fraught with such like lyes Anno Christi 1546. Luther taking Melancthon and some others along with him went into his own country and returned in safety to Wittenberg again And not long after he was sent for back by the Counts of Mansfield to compose a difference amongst them about the borders of their Countries and their inheritances Luther did not use to meddle with such businesses having all his life been accustomed only to deal in Ecclesiastical affairs yet because he was born in that Country he would not be wanting to promote the peace of it And therefore having preached his last Sermon at Wittenberg January the 17. upon the 23. day he began his journey and at Hall in Saxony he lodged at Justus Jonas his house and passing over the River with Jonas and his own three sons they were in danger of drowning whereupon he said to Justus Jonas Think you not that it would rejoyce the Devil very much if I and you and my three sons should be drowned He was honorably entertained by the Earl of Mansfield who sent an hundred Horse that conveyed him to Isleben being very weak whereupon he said that he never undertook any great business but he was attended with such sickness yet after the use of some Fomentations he was pretily well and attended the business about which he came from the 29. of Ianuary to the 17. of February During which time he preached some times in the Church and twice administred the Lords Supper and Ordained two to the work of the Ministry At his Table he used holy conference and was dayly very fervent in his Prayers The day before his death he dined and supped with his friends discoursing of divers matters and amongst the rest gave his opinion that in heaven we shall know one another because Adam knew Eve at first sight c. After supper his pain in his breast increasing he went aside and prayed then went to bed and slept but about midnight being awakened with the pain and perceiving that his life was at an end he said I pray God to preserve the Doctrine of his Gospel amongst us For the Pope and the Council of Trent have grievous things in hand After which he thus prayed O heavenly Father my gracious God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ thou God of all consolation I give thee hearty thanks that thou hast revealed unto me thy Son Iesus Christ whom I believe whom I profess whom I love whom I glorifie whom the Pope and the rout of the wicked persecute and dishonour I beseech thee Lord Iesus Christ receive my soul O my heavenly Father though I be taken out of this life and must lay down this frail body yet I certainly know that I shall live with thee eternally and that I cannot be taken out of thy hands God so loved the world c. Lord I render up my spirit into thy hands and come to thee And again Lord into thy hands I commend my spirit thou O God of Truth hast redeemed me and so as one falling asleep and without any bodily pain that could be discerned he departed this life February 18. Anno 1546. and in the great Climaâ—terial year of his life This was the Will which he made concerning his Wife with childe and his young son O Lord God I thank thee that thou wouldst have me live a poor and indigent person upon Earth I have neither house nor Land nor possessions nor money to leave Thou Lord hast given me wife and children them Lord I give back to thee nourish instruct and keep them O thou the Father of Orphans and Iudge of the Widow as thou hast done to me so do to them When he was ready to dye Iustus Ionas and Caelius said to him O Reverend Father do you dye in the constant confession of that Doctrine of Christ which you have hitherto preached To which he answered Yea which was the last word that he spake He was ever constant in the known Truth from the confession whereof he could never be removed neither by promises nor threats In the dismal Wars which followed when Wittenberg was yeilded to the Emperour Charles and he came to see Luthers Tomb some of his Spaniards perswaded him that the body of Luther should be taken up and burned the Emperour said Suffer him to rest till the day of the Resurrection and Iudgement of all men When he was fitting himself for his journey to Isleben he confessed to Melancthon that he had gone too far in the Sacramentary Controversie hereupon Melancthon perswaded him to explicate his minde by publishing some Book but he answered hereby I shall bring a suspition upon all my Doctrine as faulty but when I am dead you may do as you see cause He was full of affections towards his children gave them liberal education
condition I was saith he about two months close Prisoâ—er in the Tower after that without my sâ—eking I had the liberty of the Tower granted me and so I continued about halfe a year till refusing to be present at Mass I was shut up close prisoner again The last Lent but one by reason of the rising in Kent the Tower was so full of prisoners that my Lord Arch Bish. of Canterbury Master Latimer Master Bradford and my selfe were all put into one Prison where we remained till almost Easter and then Doctor Cranmer Master Latimer and my selfe were sent down to Oxford and were suffered to have nothing with us but what we carried upon us Aâ—bout Whitsuntide following was our disputations at Oxford after which we had Pen Ink and all things taken from us yea and our own servants were removed from us and strangers set in their steads and all of us kept apart as we are unto this daâ— God be blessed we are all three in health and of good cheer and have looked long agoe to have been dispatched for within a 〈◊〉 or two after our disputations we wâ—re condemned for Hereticâ—s The Lords wil be fulfilled in us c When he was brought before the Popes Dâ—legate the Bishop of Lincoln in the Divinity School in Oxford whilst the Commission was reading he stood â—are till he heard the Cardinall named and the Popes holiness and then he put on his Cap and being aâ—monished by the Bishop to pull it off he answered I do not put it on in contempt to your Lordship c. but that by this my behaviour I may make it appear that I acknowledg in 〈◊〉 point the usurped Supremacy of Rome and therfore I utterlâ— contemne and despise all Authority coming from the Pope Then the Bishop commanding the Bedle to pull off his Cap he bowing his head suffered him quietly to do it After diverse examinations he was at last degraded condemned and delivered to the Bailisss to be kept till the nâ—xt day when he should be burned The night before he suffered he caused his beard to be shaven and his feet washed and bad his Hostess and the rest at the board to his wedding He asked his brother also whether his sister could finde in her heâ—r to bâ—e present at it Yea said hee I dare say with all her heart His Hostess Mistris Irish weeping he said O Mistris Irish I see now that you love me not for in that you weep it appears that you will not be at my marriage nor are therewith content I see you are not so much my friend as I thought but quiet your self though my break-fast be somewhat sharpe and painâ—ull yet I am sure my Supper shall be more pleasant and sweet His brother proffering to watch with him he refused it saying I intend to goe to bed and sleep as quietly as ever I did in my life In the morning he came forth in a fair black gowne faced with foins and tippet of velvet c. and looking behind him he spied Master Latimer coming after to whom he said O! bee you there Yea said Latimer have-after as fast as I can follow Coming to the stake he lift up his hands and eyes stedfastly to heaven and espying Master Latimer he ran with a cheerfull countenance to him embraced and kissed him and comforted him saying Be of good heart brother for God will either asswage the fury of the flame or give us strength to abide it So he went to the stake kneeled by it kissed it and prayed earnestly and being about to speak to the people some ran to him and stopped his mouth with their hands Afterwards being stripped he stood upon a stone by the stake saying O heavenly father I give thee hearty thanks for that thou hast called me to be a professor of thee even unto death I beseech thee Lord God have mercy upon this Realm of England and deliver it from all its enemies As a Smith was knocking in the staple which held the chain he said to him Good fellow knock it in hard for the flesh will have his course Then his brother brought a bag of gunpowder and would have tyed it about his neck Doctor Ridley asked what it was His Brother answered gunpowder then said he I take it as being sent of God therefore I will receive it as sent from him And when he saw the flame a coming up to him he cryed with a loud voice In manus tuas c. Into thy hands Lord I commend my spirit Lord receive my soul But the fire being kept down by the wood he desired them for Christs sake to let the fire come to him which his brother in law mis-understanding still heaped on faggots whereby his nether parts were burned before his upper parts were touched At last his upper parts fell down into the fire also and so he slept in the Lord. Bishop Ridley upon a time crossing the Thames there rose on a sudden such a Tempest that all in the boat were astonished looking for nothing but to be drowned Take heart said he for this boat carrieth a Bishop that must be burned and not drowned He suffered martyrdome Anno Christi 1555. He was a man so reverenced for his learning and knowledge in the sacred Scriptures that his very enemies were enforced to acknowledge that he was an excellent Clerk and if his life might have been redeemed with monie the Lord Dacres of the North being his Kinsman would have given 10000l for the same rather then that he should be burned But so unmercifull and cruel was Q. Mary that notwithstanding D. Ridleys gentleness towards her in King Edward the sixth days she would by no intreaties nor other means be perswaded to spare his life The tender mercies of the wicked are cruelty In a Letter which he wrote to his friends he hath this passage I warne you my friends that ye be not astonished at the manner of my dissolution for I assure you I think it the greatest honor that ever I was called to in all my life and therefore I thank the Lord God heartily for it that it hath pleased him of his great mercy to cal me to this high honor to suffer death willingly for his sake and in his cause wherefore all you that be my true lovers and friends rejoyce and rejoyce with me again and render with me hearty thanks to God our heavenly Father that for his sons sake my Saviour and Redeemer Christ he hath vouchsafed to call me being else without his gracious goodness in my selfe but a sinful and vile wretch to cal me I say to this high dignity of his true Prophets faithfull Apostles and of his holy and chosen Martyrs to dye and to spend this temporall life in the defence and maintenance of his eternall and everlasting truth Whist he was Mr. of Pembrook-hall he used to walk much in the Orchard
Henry the 8. that he could not be appeased by any other means but by the sacrificing of Cranmer During his Sermon Cranmer was set on a stage before him which sad spectacle much affected many to see him who had lived in so great honour and favour to stand there in a ragged gown ill-favour'd clothes an old cap and exposed to the contempt of all men Cole in his Sermon shewed for what Doctor Cranmer was condemned encouraged him to take his death patiently and rejoiced in his conversion to Popery But that joy lasted not long The Sermon being ended Doctor Cranmer entreated the people to pray for him that God would pardon his sin especially his Recantation which most of all troubled his conscience which he said was contrary to the truth which he thought in his heart and written for feare of death and upon the hope of life And said he That hand of mine which hath written contrary to my heart shall first be punished At these words the Doctors beganne to rage and fume and caused him to be pulled down from the stage and his mouth to be stopped that he should not speak to the people The place appointed for his Martyrdome was the same where Doctor Ridley and Master Latimer had before suffered and when he was brought to it he kneeled down and prayed and so put off his cloaths When the fire was kindled and came neer him he stretched out his right hand which had subscribed holding it so stedfast and immoveable in the fire saving that once he wiped his face with it that all might see his hand burned before his body was touched when the fire came to his body he endured it patiently standing stedfast alwaies in one place moving no more then the stake which he was bound to So long as he could speak he repeated Lord Jesus receive my spirit and so in the flames he gave up the Ghost Anno Christi 1556. and of his Age 72. Doctor Cranmers Workes were these He corrected the English translation of the Bible in many places He wrote Catechismum Doctrinae Christianae Ordinationes Ecclesiae Reformatae De ministris Ordinandis De Eucharistia Jura Ecclesiastica Contra Gardineri concionem Contra Transubstantiationis errorem Quomodo Christus adsit in Caena De esu Câ—nae Dominicae De Oblatione Christi Homilia Christiana Common-places A confutation of unwritten verities Against the Popes primacy Against Purgatory About Justification Diverse Letters to learned men The Life of Conrade Pellican who died A no Christi 1555. COnrade Pellican was born of godly and honest parents at Rubeac a Towne of Suevia neer the Hyrcinian wood Anno Christi 1478 and being carefully educated by his parents anno Christi 1484 was by them set to school to Steven Kleger of Zurick who using him gently brought him in love with learning At thirteen years of age he went to Heidleberg And after sixteen months study there returned home and his parents being poor he became an Usher in the Grammer school Many times going to a neighbour Monastery to borrow some books the Fryers solicited him to become one of their Fraternity and when he was but 16. years old he assented to it his parents not opposing because they had not wherewithall to maintain him So that anno Christi 1493 he took upon him the habit of the Frier-Minors to the great joy of all that society who used him very kindly and brought him up in all the ceremonies belonging to their worship His Unkle Jodicus Gallus coming from Heidleberg to Rubeac was much troubled that his Nephew was become a Fryer and therefore perswaded him if he did not like that course of life to leave it whilst he was a novice but our Conrade thinking that it would be a great disgrace to him to fall from his purpose refused saying That he would serve God in that course of life wherein he thought he should please God and whereby he hoped to attain eternall life At the end of the year he fell sick of the Plague but being â—et blood it pleased God beyond all expectation to restore him to health Anno 1496. he went to Tubing where he studied the liberall Arts and was much admired in that University for his quick wit He studied also School-Divinity and Cosmography wherein he profited exceedingly And meeting with a converted Jew he borrowed of him an Hebrew book of the Prophets and by his extraordinary pains found out first the letters then the reading and signification of them and being a little assisted by â—â—â—nio the Judge of the impetiall Chamber at Wormes he grew very perfect in it and hearing that there was a certain Priest at Ulme which had bought some Hebrew books of a poor Jew he went to him and amongst them met with part of a Grammer about the Coniugations of Verbs and transmutation of the Letters which he wrote out and it proved a great help to him for he had spoken before with many Jews at Worms Frankefurt Ratisbone c. and none of them could ever resolve him in any one question of Grammer It fell out by Gods providence that the year the Book-seller of Tubing had bought an Hebrew Bible compleat of a very small print which therefore none cared for This Pellican hearing of intreated him to let him look into it for some few dayes The Bookseller was content telling him that for a Florence and a halfe he might buy it Pellican much rejoyced to hear this intreating his father Guardian to be his surety and so having obtained it he thought himselfe a richer man then ever was Croesus and presently wrote to his Unkle at Spires beseeching him to bestow two Florences upon him which he much needed for the buying of a certain book This his Unkle sent him wherupon he fel close to reading of the Bible and as he went along made a Concordance gathering the roots and setting downe all those words which were seldome found And thus he went over the whole Bible from the midst of July to the end of October Then carrying to Capnio a Specimen of his works he was amaâ—â—d at so much worke in so short a time Anno Christi 1501. being twenty three years old he was ordained a Presbyter and the same year the plague waxing hot at Rubeac his father and brother â—â—ed of it leaving none but this our Conrade and his sister Therefore to solace himself in his sorrows he wrote out the seven Penetentiall Psalmes in Hebrew Greek and Latine adding some prayers to be used upon that occasion Anno Christi 1502. he was made Divinity-Reader in the Convent at Basil. About the same time John Amerback began to print Saint Augustines workes wherein Pellican was very helpfull to him for which cause Amerbach and John Froben were ever after his great friends and would never suffer him to want any good book Then at the instance of Cardinal
wherein I shall be released from all my cares and be with my Saviour Christ for ever And now God is my witnesse whom I have served with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son that I have taught nothing but the true and sincere word of God and that the end that I proposed in my Ministry was To instruct the ignorant to confirm the weak to comfort their consciences who were humbled under the sense of their sins and born down with the threatings of Gods judgements I am not ignorant that many have and doe blame my too great rigour and severity but God knoweth that in my heart I never hated those against whom I thundered Gods judgements I did onely hate their sins and laboured according to my power to gain them to Christ. That I did forbear none of what condition soever I did it out of the fear of my God who hath placed me in the function of his Ministry and I know will bring me to an account Now brethren for your selves I have no more to say but to warn you that you take heed of the Flock over which God hath placed you Over-seers which he hath redeemed by the blood of his onely begotten Son And you Mr. Lawson sight a good fight do the worke of the Lord with courage and with a willing mind and God from Heaven blesse you and the Church whereof you have the Charge Against it so long as it continues in the Doctrine of the Truth the gates of hell shall not prevail Having thus spoken and the Elders and Deacons being dismissed he called the two Preachers to him and said There is one thing that grieveth me exceedingly you have sometimes seen the courage and constancy of the Laird of Grang in the cause of God and now that unhappy man is casting himselfe away I pray you goe to him from me and tell him That unlesse he forsake that wicked course that he is in the rock wherein he confideth shall not defend him nor the carnall wisdom of that man whom he counteth halfe a god which was young Leshington shall yeeld him help but he shall be shamefully pulled out of that nest and his carcass hung before the Sun meaning the Castle which he kept against the Kings Authority for his soul it is dear to me and if it were possible I would faine have him saved Accordingly they went to him conferred with him but could by no means divert him from his course but as Knox had foretold so the year after his Castle was taken and his body was publickly there hanged before the Sun Yet at his death he did express serious repentance The next day M. Knox gave order for the making of his coffin Continuing all the day as he did also through all his sicknesse in fervent prayer crying Come Lord Jesus Sweet Jesus into thy hands I commend my spirit Being asked whether his pains were great he answered That he did not esteem that a pain which would be to him the end of all troubles and the beginning of eternall joys Oft after some deep meditation he used to say Oh serve the Lord in fear and death shall not be trouble some to you blessed is the death of those that have part in the death of Jesus The night before his death he slept some hours with great unquietnesse often sighing and groaning whereupon when he awakened the standers by asked him how he did and what it was that made him mourn so heavily to whom he answered In my life time I have been assulted with Temptations from Sathan and he hath oft cast my sins into my teeth to drive me to despair yet God gave me strength to overcome all his Temptations But now the subtill serpent takes another course and seeks to perswade me that all my labours in the Ministry and the fidelity that I have shewed in that service hath merited heaven and immortality But blessed be God that brought to my minde these Scriptures What hast thou that thou hast not received And Not I but the grace of God in me with which he is gone away ashamed and shall no more return And now I am sure that my battel is at an end and that without pain of body or trouble of spirit I shall shortly change this mortall and miserable life with that happy and immortall life that shall never have an end After which one praying by his bed having made an end asked him if he heard the prayer Yea said he and would to God that all present had heard it with such an ear and heart as I have done Adding Lord Jesus receive my spirit With which words without any motion of hands or feet as one falling asleep rather then dying he ended his life Never was man more observant of the ture and just authority of Church-Rulers according to the word of God and the practise of the purest Primitive times He alwayes pressed due Obedience from the People to the faithfull Pastors and Elders of the Church He died Anno Christi 1572. and of his age 62. Men of all ranks were present at his Buriall The Earl of Murray when the Corps was put into the ground said Here lies the body of him who in his life time never feared the face of any man Script a reliquit ad Londinenses alios Ad Evangeliâ— professores Qualiter sit Orandum In Psalmum ad matrem Contra missam Papisticam Doctrinale Missaticum De fide Eucharistiae Ad Ecclesias afflictas Ad Scotiae Reginam Mariam Consilium in Angustiis Buccinae afflatum primum Appellationem a sententia Cleri Ad populares Scotiae In Genesin consciones et alia quaedam He was a man not lesse learned then endued with vertue a constant Preacher of the Truth and a valiant defendor of the same through his whole life His zeal learning and courage did notably appeare in this example Anno Christi 1550 he was called before Tonstal Bishop of Durham and his Doctors to give an account of his opinion about the Masse where preaching before them he did so sharply taxe their Idolatries and Blasphemies and by such solid arguments confute the same that his adversaries were silenced and had not wherewithall to reply against him P. RAMVS The Life of Peter Ramus who died A no Christi 1572. PEter Ramus was born in France Anno Christi 1515. His Grandfather was a Nobleman who having his estate plundered by Charls Duke of Burgundy Generall under the Emperor Charls the fifth was forced to leave his Country and to betake himselfe to the poor and painfull life of an husbandman And his father being left very poor by him was fain to live by making of Charcoal Ramus being from his childhood of an excellent wit of an industrious nature and much addicted to learning was compelled for his subsistence to live as a servant with one of his Unkles but finding that by
was freed Anno Christi 1557. he went from thence to Heidleberg being sent for by Otho Henry Prince Elector Palatine who was about to reforme his Churches There hee was made the Publick Professor of Theologie and met with much opposition and manifold contentions in that alteration which yet he bore with much prudence Anno Christi 1564. there was a disputation appointed at Malbourn for composing the great controversie about the ubiquity of Christs body This was appointed by Frederick the third Elector Palatine and Christopher Duke of Wertemberg To this meeting the Elector sent Boquine Diller Olevian Dathen and Ursin but very little fruit appeared of their labours as the event shewed Boquin continued in Heidleberg about twenty years under Otho and Frederick the third But after that Princes death An. Christi 1576 by reason of the prevalency of the Hetorodox party he with other Professorr and Divines was driven thence and it pleased God that immediately hee was called to Lausanna where he performed the part of a faithfull Pastor so long as he lived Anno Christi 1582 on a Lords day he preached twice and in the evening heard another Sermon then supped chearfully and after supper refreshed himself by walking abroad then went to visit a sick friend and whll'st he was conforting of him he found his spirits to begin to sink in him and running to his servant he said unto him Pray adding further Lord receive my soul and so he quietly departed in the Lord Anno Christi 1582. The workes which he left behind him were these Defensio ad calumnias Doctoris cujusdam Avii in Evangelii professores Examen libri quem Heshusius inscripsit De praesentia corporis Christi in caena domini Theses de coena Domini Exegesis divinae communicationis Adsertio veteris ac veri Christianismi adversus novum fictum Jesuitismum Notatio praecipuarum causarum diuturnitatis controversiae de Coena Domini Adsertio ritus frangendi in manus sumendi panis Eucharistici E. GRINDALL The Life of Edmund Grindall who dyed A no Christi 1583. EDmund Grindal was borne in Cumberland Anno Christi 1519. and carefully brought up in learning first at school and then in the University of Cambridg where being admitted into Pembrook Hall he profited so exceedingly that he was chosen first Fellow and afterward Master of that house And Bishop Ridley taking notice of his piety and learning made him his Chaplain and commended him to that pious Prince King Edward the sixth who intended to prefer him but that he was prevented by an immature death In the bloody daies of Queen Mary Grindal amongst many others fled into Germany where he continued all her Reigne But comming back in the beginning of Queen Elisabeth she preferred him to that dignity which her brother King Edward intended him to making him Bishop of London wherein hee carried himself worthily for about eleven years Anno Christi 1570 hee was removed by the Queen to the Archbishoprick of York where he continued about six years and then for his piety and learning she made him Archbishop of Canterbury wherein he lived about seven years more and then falling sick at Croidon hee resigned up his spirit unto God that gave it Anno Christi 1583 and of his Age sixtie four Both in his life and at his death he did many excellent works of Charity At St. Beighs in Cumberland where he was born he erected a Free-schoole and endowed it with thirty pound per annum for ever To Pembroke Hall in Cambridge where he was educated he gave twenty two pounds a yeare in lands for the maintaining of a Greek Lecturer one Fellow and two Scholars to be chosen out of the aforesaid School of St. Beighs He gave also much mony to the said Colledge To Magdalen Colledge in Cambridge hee gave lands for the maintainance of one Fellow from the said School To Christs Colledge in Cambridge he gave forty five pounds To Queens Colledge in Oxford he gave twenty pound per annum in lands to maintain one Fellow and two Scholars out of the aforesaid Schoole And at his death he gave his Library which was a very great and good one to that Colledge besides a great sum of money To eight Alms-houses in Croidon he gave fifty pounds per annum and to Canterbury he gave an hundred pounds to set the poor on work The Life of Bernard Gilpin who died A no Christi 1583. BErnard Gilpin was born at Kentmire in the County of Westmoreland Anno Christi 1517 of an ancient and honourable Family When he was but a child a Friar pretending to be a zealous Preacher came on a Saturday night to his Fathers house and at Supper eat like a Glutton and drunke himself drunk yet the next morning in his Sermon sharply reproved the sinne of Drunkennesse whereupon young Gilpin sitting near his mother cryed out Oh Mother doe you hear how this fellow dares speak against Drunkenness and yet himself was drunken last night But his Mother stopped his mouth with her hand that he might speake no further it being a mortall sinne in those times to speak against these men His Parents perceiving his aptnesse were carefull to make him a Scholar and when hee had with great approbation passed his time in the Grammar-School they sent him to Oxford Anno Christi 1533 where he was admitted into Queens Colledge and profited wondrously in Humane Learning Hee was very conversant also in the writings of Erasmus which were in much esteem at that time And to the studie of Logick and Philosophie hee added that of Greek and Hebrew yea after some few years spent in these studies hee grew so famous that there was no place of preferment for a Scholar whereof the eminency of his virtues had not rendered him worthy Whereupon he was one of the first that was chosen a member of Christ-Church by Cardinall Wolsey At that time he was not fully instructed in the true Religion but held disputations against John Hooper afterwards Bishop of Worcester as also against Peter Martyr who was then Divinity Lecturer at Oxford upon the occasion of which dispute that he might defend his cause the better he examined the Scriptures ancient Fathers But by how much the more he studied to defend his Cause the lesse confidence hee began to have therein and so whilst he was searching zealously for Truth he beganne to discernâ— his own Errors Peter Martyr used to say That he cared not for his other adversaries but saith he I am troubled for Gilpin for he doth and speaketh all things with an upright heart and therefore he often prayed That God would be pleased at last to convert to the Truth the heart of Gilpin being so inclinable to honesty And the Lord answered his prayer for presently Gilpin resolved more earnestly to apply himself both by study and
with his terrors and with inward tentations so that his life was almost wasted with heaviness yet thereby he learned more and more to know Christ Jesus About that time there was a General Assembly of the Church at Perth unto which some that lived in the North of Scotland sent to desire that a Minister might be sent unto them whereupon the Assembly appointed Master Cowper for that place and accordingly wrote to him by Master Patrick Simpson who coming to Sterling delivered to him the Letters from the Assembly and those from the Town containing his calling to the work of the Ministry in that place And so shortly after the Town sent their Commissioners to transport him and his family thither In that place he continued doing the work of the Lord for ninteen years together where he was a comfort to the best and a wound to the worser sort Besides the Sabbath dayes he chose thrice a week to convene the people together in the Evenings viz. Wednesdayes Fridayes and Saturdayes for a preparation to the Sabbath upon which daies they had no preaching in the morning concerning which meetings himself writes That it would have done a Christians heart good to have seen those glorious and joyfull assemblies to have heard the zealous cryings to God amongst that people with sighings and tears and melting hearts and mourning eyes And concerning himself he saith My witnsse is in heaven that the love of Jesus and his people made continual preaching my pleasure and I had no such joy as in doing his work And besides that he preached five times a week he penned also whatsoever hee preached many of which holy and godly Sermons are extant in print All the time of his abode there except some little intermissions and breathing times the Lord still exercised him with inward tentation and great variety of spiritual combats the end of all which through Gods mercy was Ioy unspeakable as himself testifies Yea once saith he in greatest extreamitie of horror and anguish of spirit when I had utterly given over and looked for nothing but confusion suddenly there did shine in the very twinkling of an eye the bright and lightsome countenance of God proclaming peace and confirming it with invincible reasons O what a change was there in a moment the silly soul that was even now at the brink of the pit looking for nothing but to be swallowed up was instantly raised up to heaven to have fellowship with God in Christ Jesus and from this day forward my soul was never troubled with such extremity of terrors This confirmation was given unto me on a Saturday in the morning there found I the power of Religion the certaintie of the word there was I touched with such a lively sense of a Divinitie and power of a Godhead in mercy reconciled with man and with me in Christ as I trust my soul shall never forget Glory glory glory be to the joyfull deliverer of my soul out of all adversities for ever In the middest of these wrestlings with God he wanted not combats with wicked men also but the greatnesse of his inward conflicts made him lightly regard all their outward contradictions and to esteem them but as the bitings of a Flea It was no marvel to see Satan stir up his wicked instruments to molest him since he professed himself a disquieter of him and his Kingdom Yet this much supported him that he never had a controversie with any of them but for their sins And the Lord assisting him the power of the Word did so hammer down their pride that they were all of them at last brought to an acknowledgement of their evil wayes But at length as God turned the heart of Pharoah and his people from the Israelites when the time drew on for their remove so by little and little did the zeal and love of most of that people fall away so that his last conflict was not with the prophane but with Justitiaries and such as were unrebukeable in their lives These men were stuffed with such pride self-conceit disdain and intolerable contempt that thereby they were carried further from their duty then any of the former and they which should have been his greatest comfort were his greatest cross Presently hereupon God called him to the Government of the Churches in Galloway in the South-West parts of the kingdom being chosen by the Assembly and presented by the King thereunto This was done without his privity or ambitious us seeking after it yea he was so far from it that eighteen weeks passed betwixt the Kings Presentation and his Acceptation of â—t In that place he was very carefull to advance the Gospel and to adorn his Ministery Concerning the frame of his spirit thus he writes My soul is alway in my hand ready to be offered to my God Where or what kind of death God hath prepared for me I know not But sure I am there can no evil death befall him that lives in Christ nor sudden death to a Christian Pilgrim who with Job waits very hour for his change Yea saith he many a daie have I sought it with teaâ—es not out of impatience distrust or perturbation â—ut because I am weary of sin and fearful to fall into it This faithful servant of God who had alwaies been faithful and painful in his Ministery when sickness grew daily upon him was no way deficient in the duty of his ordinary preaching Taking great pains also to perfect his work upon the Revelations which he desired greatly to finish before his death He had also much grief by reason of some that disturb'd the peace of the Church which he alwaies sought to procure so that his infirmity encreasing he was compelled to keep home yet as his weakness permitted he applyed himself to revise his writings and to dispose of his worldly estate that he might be ready for his passage which every day he exspected some ten daies before his decease he manifested to his friends what great contentment he had in his approaching death Many repaired to him in his sickness whom he entertained with most holy and divine conferences expressing a great willingnesse to exchange this life for a better and at last feeling his strength and spirits to decay after he had conceived a most heavenly prayer in the company of those that were by he desired to you to bed in which also after he had most devoutly commended himself unto Almighty God hee tooke som◠〈◊〉 rest After which time he spake not many words 〈…〉 failing though his memory and understanding 〈…〉 and so about seven a clock at night he rendred 〈…〉 most quiet and peaceable manner An Christi 1619. Some of his private meditations were these Now my soul be glad for at all parts of this prison the Lord hath set to his Pioners to loose thee Head feet milt and liver are
the Second Part he may see what eminent Emperours Kings and Princes God hath raised up in sundry Ages and Places for the defence of the Church and Gospel of Christ Jesus In the two Martyrologies he may finde the Torments and Triumphs the Conflicts and Conquests of the Worthies of Christ in all places where the Gospel hath come who have found that Scripture fulfilled upon themselves 2 Tim. 3. 12. All that will live godly in Christ Iesus shall suffer Persecution There is also now coming forth the second Impression of his Mirror or Looking-glass much enlarged containing almost all the Heads in Divinity together with the Texts of Scripture concerning them And under each first Scriptural Examples and then Examples out of the best approved Authors both Sacred and Profane READER I Pray thee correct these few faults with thy pen and for other mistakes of the Printer in Letters or Points they are easily discerned and amended Page 88. line 5. read valiant for violent p. 260. l. 7. r. wives for ways p. 262. l. 17. r. that by for with p. 481. l. ult r. lyes for evils p. 538. l. 13. r. years for days p. 612. l. 19. r. whence for which p. 693. l. 1. r. verbo for verbi p. 725. l. 12. r. conciones for consciones Mend the figures in the pages from 900 to 910. The Lives of the FATHERS AND OTHER Learned and famous DIVINES from Christ's Time to this present Age. IGNATIVS The Life of Ignatius who dyed Anno Christi 111. IGnatius saw Christ in the flesh being about 12 years old at his Crucifixion The occasion of his apprehension was this Trajan returning from the Parthian war commanded gratulatory sacrifices to be offered in every City and himself comming to Antioch Ignatius was required to be present at those Sacrifices but he before Trajans face did justly and sharply reprove their Idolatry for which cause he was delivered to ten Souldiers to be carried to Rome He was Pastor at the Church at Antioch next after the Apostle Peter As he passed through Asia strictly guarded with that troop of Souldiers he confirmed the Congregations through every City where he came Preaching the Word of God to them and giving them wholsome exhortations especially charging them to avoid the heresies lately sprung up and at that time overflowing the Church Requiring them stedfastly to cleave to the Traditions of the Apostles and to their Doctrine When he came to Smyâ—na where Polycarp was Bishop he wrote an Epistle to the Church at Ephesus making mention of Onesimus their Pastor and another he wrote to the Church of Magnesia on the River Meander wherein he forgetteth not Doema their Bishop Another he wrote to the Church at Trallis whose Pastor at that time he mentioneth to be Polybius to which Epistle he prefixed an exhortation to them not to refuse Martyrdom least thereby they should lose the hope that was laid up for them For which end he useth these expressions From Syria saith he even till I came to Rome I had a battel with Beasts as well by Sea as by Land night and day being bound amongst ten cruel Leopards so he called the 10 souldiers that guarded him which the more benefits they received at my hands became so much the worse to me But I being exercised and now well acquainted with their injuries am taught every day more and more to bear the Cross yet hereby am I not justified Would to God I were once come to the Beasts that are prepared for me which I wish also to fall upon me with all their violence whom also I will provoke that without delay they may devour me and not abstain from me as they have from some others whom for fear they have left untouched and if they be unwilling to it I will compel them to fall upon me Pardon me I pray I know well how much this will avail me Now do I begin to be a Disciple of my Master Christ I neither regard things visible nor invisible so I may gain Christ Ignis crux bestiarum conflictationes ossium destractiones c. i. e. Let Fire Cross breaking of my bones quartering of my members crushing my body and all the torments that man and the Divel can invent fall upon me so I may enjoy my Lord Jesus Christ c. Writing to Polycarp whom he knew to be a holy man he commends to him the Congregation at Antioch praying him to be careful of the business there and especially for the election of a godly Bishop in his room thereby proving himself to be a sincere and right Pastor taking such care of his flock not only whilest he lived but even after his death When his Martyrdom approached he said Frumentum Dei sum dentibus ferarum molar mundus Dei panis inveniar I am God's corn when the wilde beasts have ground me to powder with their teeth I shall be his white-bread He was so humble that he disdained not to learn of any He suffered Martyrdom the eleventh year of Trajan at Rome Anno Christi III. His usual saying was A mor meus crucifixus est My Love is crucified meaning either Christ the Object of his love or that his affections were crucified to the world as Gal. 6. 14. Nicephorus reports that when Ignatius was a child our Saviour would take him up in his arm and shew him to his Disciples It may be he was one of those little children that were brought to Christ that he should touch them or that little child whom Jesus took and set in the midst of his Disciples to learn them humility He saw Christ after his Resurrection as himself writes in one of his Epistles Ego vero post resurrectionem in carne eum vidi c. Truly I did see him after his Resurrection in the flesh and do beleive that it is he c. He used to say Nihil praestantius est pace bonae conscientiae that there is nothing better then the peace of a good conscience That good and wicked men are like true and counterfeit mony the ones seems to be good and is not the other both seems and is good That the Lyons teeth are but like a â—â—ll Which though it bruiseth yet wasteth not the good Wheat only prepares and fits it to be made pure Bread Let me saith he be broken by them so I may be made pure Manchet for Heaven Parents ought to afford these three things to their children Correction Admonition and Instruction both in humane Arts and Gods Word all which preserves them from idleness and folly gives them Wisdom and learns them subjection and obedience to their Superiours Other Graces are but parts of a Christians armour as the shield of Faith the sword of the Spirit c. But Patience is the Panoply or whole Armour of the man of God The enemy foils us without it but we foil him by it Grace slowing from the