in life and death When you be informed of their unwearyed industrie in services and their undaunted magnanimitie in sufferings for Christ their Lord then conceive that you hear themselves thus speaking unto you with a loud voice Why look you thus upon us Not unto us not unto us but unto the Name of God give glory And as our gracious God is advanced so may our selves be very much advantaged by a due consideration of those things which have been exemplary in the Lives and deaths of choise men Champions for Scripture truths and Patriots for the power of godliness For as Gods Laws are the good mans rules so good Examples are his motives and encouragements The holy Scriptures do hint the prevalency hereof for saving conversion And it is reported that Justin Martyr by observing the pious Lives and patient deaths of the Martyrs was brought to Christ. Men likewise may be fast riveted and more strongly rooted in the Truth received by reflecting upon the sound judgements and spotless Lives of them who have published and maintained it In which respect Pauls speech unto young Timothy is very remarkable But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them Such are witnesses with a witness there are none such The common people are more apt to enquire what Ministers do then what they say And the eye is more operative and affecting then the ear Neither is this only true in regard of Gods Worthies who live with us but also in reference unto them who have lived long before us The Apostle writing to the Hebrews concerning Abels faith he tels them that by it though he be dead he yet speaketh Upon which phrase famous Master Perkins hath this note Abels faith is a never dying Preacher It is the pleasure of Almighty God that we should walk in the way of good men and keep the path of the righteous Walk so as you have us for an example The Apostle Paul draws their observation and imitation upon those who were really and eminently good And the Apostle James inculcates the same thing Take my Brethren the Prophets who have spoken in the Name of the Lord for an example In Examples there should be excellencie and conspicuitie As the stamps upon coyns which make them current It is most true that wise Solomon sends sluggish man unto School to learn of the Pismire And therefore grant that Christians should imitate Heathens in their virtues how much rather then ought we to make practical improvement of the Epitomized Lives of these many eminent servants of Christ who are presented to our view in this book These fair copies we should spread before our eyes and write after them till our writing our living be like them Frequent meditation upon the wise savorie speeches and holy gratious practices of these renowned Worthies will be a special means to mould us even us into the same similitude Peter Martyr perswading the improvement of good Examples tell 's a storie of a deformed man marryed unto an uncomely woman who being desirous of comely children bought many beautiful pictures and desired his wife daily to look upon them by means whereof their children were handsome and lovely And doubtless brave Christian qualifications might be begotten in our bosoms by filling our heads and hearts frequently with the commendable conversation of these holy men of God who have been burning and shining lights in the Churches of Christ in their respective Ages But whilst we are moving imitation we must not forget to give in some few cautions to prevent miscarrying 1. Do not so Idolize any man in respect of his place parts or graces as to make him your pattern in every particular The Apostle gives in a good Item to the Corinthians which concerns all Christians Be followers of me as I am of Christ. Christians are not bound as Master Latimer expresseth himself to be the Saints Apes laboring to be like them in every thing It 's Christs peculiar honor to be imitated in all morals absolutely This caveat is necessary in these Man-admiring times wherein many pin their faith and consciences upon some mens sleeves Here it might seasonably be remembred that the opinion and practice of the Apostle Peter did once lead many out of the right way When mens parts are high their graces shining or their power great we are in danger either to be dazzelled with their brightness or biassed by their greatness Therefore before you adventure to follow men weigh the chiefest of them in the ballance of the Sanctuary and try their most specious notions and actions by the touchstone of the Temple 2. Beware on the other hand lest you so pry into and peer upon the weaknesses of Gods Worthies as not to value and imitate those virtues which did break forth brightly in their conversations You must give good gold all its allowance and not throw it aside because it wants some grains and hath a crack The Snow-like Swan hath black legs and in many things we offend all And though some of these pretious servants of Jesus Christ who are justly commended in this book had their blemishes in judgement or in some actions yet how much did they in many particulars exceed the most famous Professors of our times 3. When you meet with that in their lives which was not onely truly but eminently good sit not down satisfied till you have attained their measure Be followers of me c. saith the Apostle for our conversation is in Heaven Follow the forwardest Christians with a desire to overtake them His speech savored more of wit then grace who counselled his friend not to come too nigh unto truth lest his teeth should be beaten out with its heels Dwell upon the Exemplarie Lives of these transcendent Saints till you be changed into the same image Their love to Christ his truth and people should enlarge your hearts Their zeal should enflame you Their magnanimity should encourage you Their humility should abase you Their patience should calm you Their labors should quicken your diligence Their temperance should moderate you in the use of all sensual contentments Their confidence should confirm your fiducial dependance upon Gospel-promises Their contempt of the World should call you off yet farther from all empty sublunaries Their high estimation of the holy Scriptures should heighten your reverent respect of them Their many assaults from Satan and sufferings from men in estate liberty credit and body should embolden and arm you in evil times Their experiences of support under grievances of supplies in necessaries of comfort in crosses of deliverance in streights of success in services and of triumphing perseverance notwithstanding all oppositions from within and from without should hold up your faint hopes unweariedly to wait for the full accomplishment of all the pretious promises of Covenant-grace in Jesus
have been called Universal which he cals Nomen istud blasphemia That Name of blasphemy He used to say He is poor whose soul is void of grace not whose coffers are emptie of money Contented poverty is true riches And again God is never absent though the wicked have him not in their thoughts where he is not by favour he is by punishment and terrour He could never read those words Son remember in thy life time thou receivedst good things without horror and astonishment least having such dignities and honors as he had he should be excluded from his portion in Heaven It is said of him that he was the worst Romane Bishop of all those that were before him and the best of all those that followed him He wrote Expositions upon the greatest part of the Bible His Works are contained in 6 Tome The Life of Isidore who dyed Anno Christi 675. ISidorus Hispalensis by birth a Spaniard carefully educated by his Parents of a quick wit and able memory admired for his Learning and Eloquence was chosen Bishop of Sivil under Mauritius the Emperour wherein he was very painful and could accommodate his speech fitly both to the ignorant and learned He was full of mercy and good fruits He was had in great honor his fame spreading abroad far and wide both for his Life and learning He so macerated his body with Labors and enriched his Soul with Divine Learning and Contemplations that he seemed to live an Angels life upon Earth He dyed in the Reign of Heraclius the Emperour about the year 675. He used to say Knowledge and a good life are both profitable yet if both cannot be obtained a good life is to be sought rather then much knowledge And As the Viper is killed by the young ones in her belly so are we betrayed and killed by our own thoughts nourished in our bosomes which consume and poison the soul. And All things may be shunned but a mans own heart a man cannot run from himself a guiltie conscience will not forsake him wheresoever he goes And The Divels have a threefold prescience 1. By natural subtiltie 2. By experience 3. By supernatural revelation And He that begins to grow better let him beware least he grow proud least vain-glory give him a greater overthrow then his former vices BEDE The Life of Bede who dyed Anno Christi 735. VEnerable Bede an English Saxon was born Anno Christi 671. near to the Monastery of S. Peter and S. Paul in Wyrimunda His Parents dying when he was but seven years old he was bred up in that Monasterie under two Abbots Bennet and Ceolfride men famous in those times for Religion and Learning under whom he was trained up and from his childhood accustomed to Virtue and Piety He proved very learned in Philosophie Astronomie Musick and Poetrie In Greek Rhetorick Arithmetick and Historie but especially he was very studious of the Holy Scriptures Three things were familiar to him in his whole life To Pray Write and Preach He was made Deacon at nineteen years old and a Presbyter at thirty after which time he wholly devoted himself to the meditation of the Holy Scriptures He was so famous for Learning and Piety that he was sent for to Rome by Pope Sergius to help to settle the Churches peace He was very modest never hunting after preferments so devout in reading the Scriptures that he would often shed tears and after he ended reading conclude with Prayers He hated idleness and would oft say That there was so much work to do for a Divine in so little time that he ought not to lose any of it And for pleasures we must deal with them said he as we do with honey onely touch it with the tip of the finger not with the whole hand for fear of surfeit He finished his works Anno Christi 731. and dyed about 735. and of his Age 70. He used to say He is a sluggard that would reign with God and not labor for God in the promised rewad he takes delight but the commanded 〈◊〉 do affright him And Anger doth languish by 〈◊〉 but flames higher by expressing He wrote on all the Liberal Arts sundry excellent Treatises Though he lived in the uttermost corner of the World yet neglected he not the body of the Greek and Hebrew Tongues He had many excellent scholars whom by his counsel and example he drew to an inestimable love of the holy Scriptures endeavouring to make them as famous for their Religion and Piety as they were for their Learning He was of a very bountiful Disposition Venerable for his knowledge and Integrity of Life Full of Charity Devotion and Chastity He was of a comly Stature grave Pace clear Voice Eloquent Tongue amiable Countenance which seemed to be composed of gravity and mildness He was very affable to such as were good A terror to such as were proud and wicked yet milde and humble to his Fraternity What he learned out of Gods Word by study and meditation he communicated it to others without envy He had Scholars that flockt to him but of all parts of England desiring to be trained up in Learning and Manners under such a Master For his Conversation was a rule of Religion and honesty to all about him Anno Christi 731. and of his Age 59. he finished the Catalogue of his Writings which are many and that upon most Books in the Old and New Testament besides Epistles Histories of the Saints the History of his own Abbey the Ecclesiastical History of his own Nation in five Books a Martyrologie a Book of Hymns and many others which are all printed at Collen Anno Christi 1612. In his sickness he comforted himself with that of the Apostle Heb. 12. 6. Whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth every for whom he receiveth When his Scholars were weeping about him he said in the words of S. Ambrose Non sic vixi ut pudeat me inter vos vivere sed nec mori timeo quiah onum Dominum habemus The time is come if my Creator pleaseth that being freed from the flesh I shall go to him who made me when I was not out of nothing I have lived long and the time of my dissolution is approaching And my soul desireth to see my Saviour Christ in his glory After his death one of his scholars was very desirous to have made an Epitaph Haec sunt in fossa Bede sancti or Presbyteri Ossa yet he could not make up the verse with those words But in the morning this was found on his Tomb Hâc sunt in fossa Bedae venerabilis ossa Here lies intombed in these stones Of Venerable Bead the Bones The Life of John Damascen who flourished Anno Christi 730. IOhn Damascen was born in Damascus of Religious Parents who carefully brought him up in Learning wherein
David have mercie upon me and receive my soul and wipeing his eies with his hands he said For God's love let me have more fire A third fire being kindled it burn'd more violently yet was he alive a great while in it the last words which he uttered being Lord Jesus have mercy on me Lord Jesus receive my spirit And so he slept in the Lord. In one of his letters he wrote Imprisonment is painfull but libertie upon evill conditions is worse The Prison stink's yet not so much as sweet houses where the fear of God is wanting I must be alone and solitarie it 's better so to be and have God with me then to be in company with the wicked Losse of goods is great but losse of grace and God's favor is greater I cannot tell how to answer before great and learned men Yet it is better to do that then stand naked before God's Tribunal I shall die by the hands of cruâ—ll men he is blessed that loseth his life and fiâ—de's life eteâ—nal There is neither felâ— city nor adversity of this World that is great if it be weighed with the joyes and pâ—ines of the world to come And in the conclusion of the Letter he writes thus I am a precious Jewell now and daintily kept never so daintily before For neither mine owne man nor any of the servants of the house may come to me but my Keeper onely who is a simple rude fellow But I am not troubled thereat In the time of King Edward when he was made Bishop much controversie was betweene him and Doctor Cranmer and Doctor Ridley about the Cappe Rochet c. But when in Queene Maries daies they were all in Prison for the cause of Religion Doctor Ridley wrote thus to him My dear brother forasmuch as I understand by your works which I have but superficially seene that we throughly agree in those things which are the grounds and substantial points of our Religion against which the World so furiously rageth in these daies however formerly in certain by matters and circumstances of Religion your wisdome and my simplicity hath a little jarred each of us following the abundance of his owne sence and judgement Now I say be you assured that even with my whole heart God is my witness in the bowels of Christ I love you in the truth and for the truths sake which abideth in us and shall by the grace of God abide for ever He was above three-quarters of an hour in the fire before he dyed yet even as a Lambe he patiently abode the extremity thereof neither moving forwards backwards or to any side But having his nether parts burned and his bowels faln out he dyed as quietly as a Child in his bed an Christi 1555. The life of Rowland Tailor who died A no. Christi 1555. ROwland Taylor was Doctor of both Laws and Rector of Hadley in Suffolk where Master Thomas Bilney had formerly been a Preacher of the Word and in which place there were few either men or women that were not well learned in the holy Scriptures many having read over the whole Bible and could say a great part of Paul's Epistles by heart Here this D. Taylor preached constantly on Sabbaths Holy-days and at other times when he could get the people together So soon as he was called to this place he left the family of Doct. Cranmer A. B. of Canterbury with whom he had formerly lived like a good shepherd constantly abode with his flock and gave himself wholly to the study of the Sacred Scriptures most faithfully endeavouring to fulfill the precept of Christ to Peter Lovest thou me feed my sheep His life also and conversation was very exemplary and full of holiness He was meek and humble yet would stoutly rebuke sinne in the greatest He was very mild void of all rancor and malice ready to do good to all mer forgiving his enemies and far from doing the least wrong To the poor blinde lame sick bed-rid or that had many children he was a father causing the Parishioners to make good provision for them besides what of his own bounty he gave them He brought up his own children in the fear of God good learning And thus he continued as a good Sheepherd amongst his flock feeding governing and leading them through the wilderness of this wicked world all the days of holy King Edward the sixth But in the beginning of Queen Marie's Reigne two Popish persons suborned a Priest to come and say Mass in his Church Hee being at his study and hearing the Bell to toll went to Church and finding this Priest guarded with drawn swords in his Popish Robes ready to begin the Mass he said unto him Thou Divel who made thee so bold to enter into this Church to profane and defile it with this abominable Idolatry I command thee thou Popish-Wolfe in the name of God to avoid hence and not to presume thus to poyson Christ's flock Then said one Foster the ringleader in this business to Doctor Tailor Thou Traitor what dost thou here to let and disturbe the Queens proceedings Doctor Tailor answered I am no Traitor but the Shepherd which God and my Lord Christ hath appointed to feed this his flock and therefore I have good authority to be here Then said Foster Wilt thou Traiterous Heretick make a commotion and resist violently the Queens proceedings Doctor Tailor answered I make no commotion it s you Papists that make commotions and tumults I resist onely with Gods word against your Popish Idolatries which are contrary to the same and tend to the dishonour of the Queen and the utter subversion of this Realme Then did Foster with his armed men carry Doctor Tailor out of the Church and so the Priest went on with his Mass. Doctor Tailors wife who had followed her Husband to the Church when she saw their violent proceedings kneeled down and holding up her hands with a loud voice said I beseech God the righteous Judge to avenge this injury which this Popish Idolater doth this day to the blood of Christ Then did they thrust her out of the Church also and presently after Foster wrote a complaint against Doct. Tailor to Steven Gardiner who sent his Letters Missive for Doctor Tailor whereupon his friends earnestly entreated him to fly telling him that he could neither expect justice nor favor but imprisonment and cruel death To whom he answered I know my cause to be so good and righteous and the truth so strong upon my side that I will by Gods grace appear before them and to their beards resist their false doings for I beleeve that I shal never be able to doe God so good service as now and that I shal never have so glorious a calling nor so great mercy of God profferd me as I have now wherefore pray for mee and I doubt not but God will
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
man through envy as it is conceived at the Roman Clergy he fell into the Error of Montanus so that though the glory of some of his writings was darkned by his Errors yet his Learning shewed in those very writings is admired by all Posterities insomuch as Cyprian that excellent Martyr would let no day pass without reading some part of him He dyed in Peace about the 63 year of his age Anno Christi 202. Some of his usual sayings were these If thou beest backward in thoughts of Repentance be forwards in thoughts of Hell the burning flames whereof only the tears of a penitent Eye can extinguish If the Devils without Christs leave had no power over the Gadarens Swine much less have they power over Gods own Sheep We should not try mens faith by their persons but their persons by their faith It s in vain to come to the God of Peace without peace or to pray for the remission of our own sins without for giving others We must not come to make an attonement with God at his Altar before we have made attonement with our Brother in our hearts His Works are contained in several Tomes Quaedam enim in usum Ecclesiae pro Ecclesia quaedam contra Ecclesiam scripta sunt Primi generis sunt De Patientia lib. 1. De carne Christi l. 1. De Resurrectione carnis l. 1. De Praescriptionibus adversus Haereticos l. 1. Adversus Judeos l. 1. Adversus Marcionem l. 5. Adversus Hermoginem l. 1. Adversus Praxeam l. 1. De Corona Militis l. 1. Ad Martyres l. 1. De Virginibus velandis l. 1. De Habitu Muliebri l. 1. De Cultu Faeminarum l. 1. Ad Uxorem l. 2. Ad Scapulam l. 1. De Pallio l. 1. De Testimonio Animae l. 1. De Anima l. 1. De Spectaculis l. 1. De Baptismo l. 1. Contra Gnosticos l. 1. De Idololatria l. 1. De Judaicis Cibis Epistola De Oratione Apologeticus Alterius Generis De Fuga in Persecutione De Exhortatione Castitatis De Monogamia De Pudicitia De Jejunio The Life of Clemens Alexandrinus who flourished Anno Christi 196. SCultetus saith that the Parentage Country Birth Breeding and manner of Conversion of Clemens are uncertain some would have him to be born at Athens But certain it is that he was the Disciple of Pontenus who moderated in the Catechistical School at Alexandria and after his death Clemens succeeded in that Office whence he was called Alexandrinus He most flourished about the year of Christ 196. He was endowed with all manner of Polite Learning was ordained Presbyter in Alexandria where by his servent zeal and piety he much propagated the Christian faith Photâ—nus speaking of his writings saith thus of them Dictio est florida quaeque assurgit in Majestatem cum suavitate conjuncta in quibus etiam est eruditio multa decens That the language is flourishing and ariseth into a certain majesty joined with sweetness wherein is much Learning in a comly manner adorned and set forth He was an excellent Historian and a zealous Confuter of the Heresies of his times He wrote many Works most of which are perished with time to the great prejudice of the Church and grief of the Learned Only three remain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad Gentes Pedagogus Stromata In the first he exhorts the Gentiles and Heathens to embrace the Christian Faith In the second he informs those which were newly converted how to carry themselves In the third he directs grown Christians in the Doctrines which were fit for them in that estate He complains much of the decay of zeal and of the want of the power of godliness amongst Professors in his time He was Master to Origen who also succeeded him in his place in Alexandria He was excellently versed in the Holy Scriptures and very careful to preserve the Doctrines which he had received from his Predecessors in purity whereupon in his first Book entituled Stromatôn he thus writeth This present Tract of mine is not made for any Ostentation but these Monuments are laid up as helps against weakness of memory in my old age that it may be to me a plain Image and Portracture of that effectual and lively Doctrine which I was thought worthy to hear c. The time and manner of his death is uncertain He used to say That such as adorn themselves with gold and think themselves bettered thereby are worse then gold and not Lords of it as all that have it ought to be Out of the depth and bowels of the Earth hath God discovered and shewed gold unto men and they have made it the occasion of all mischief and wickedness Gold to many men is much dearer then their Faith and Honesty and the love of it makes many so covetous as if they were to live here for ever Avarice is not the vice of gold but of men which use it wickedly Scripsit non pauca Ex quibus ad nos pervenerunt tria opuscula 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad Gentes Paedagogus Stromata ORIGEN The Life of Origen who dyed Anno Christi 220. ORigen was born Anno Christi 189. His Father Grand-Father and Great Grand-Father were Christians He was by his Father Leonides trained up from his Infancy in the Christian Religion and other good Literature but especially in the knowledge of the sacred Scriptures who demanded of him daily a certain task and caused him to rehearse the same and he though a childe rested not in the bare words of the Scripture but sought farther into the profound sence and meaning of them so that divers times he would gravel his Father in the questions which he propounded to him For this his Father checked him to his face admonishing him not to search beyond the capacity of his years nor beyond that the plain letter gave to understand Yet inwardly he rejoiced greatly yielding unto God hearty thanks who had made him the Father of such a son Yea he many times uncovered the Breast of his Son as he lay asleep and kissed it as the Temple wherein the Holy Ghost had taken up his residence He was called Origen Adamantius the first name was given him for his sublime and Divine speculations who by sweet and mellifluous Allegories carries his Readers affections from terrene to heavenly meditations and contemplations The second name he had from the nature of the Adamant whose lustre and hardness giveth it renown for such was this mans Noble and Generous minde that he was not daunted nor affrighted with any dangers or afllictions whatsoever When he was but seventeen years old his Father being carried to Prison he had such a fervent minde to suffer Martyrdom with him that he would have thrust himself into the Persecutors hands had it not been for his Mother who in the night time privily stole away his clothes and his very
shirt also whereupon more for shame to be seen naked then for fear to die he was constrained to remain at home Yet when he could do no more he wrote a Letter to his Father in Prison in which he exhorted him thus Vide â—ater ne quid meâ causâ secus facias See O Father that you do not change your resolution for my sake After the death of his Father and the confiscation of all his goods to the Emperor he with his poor Mother and six Brethren were brought to such extream poverty that he was forced to sustain himself and them by teaching a Grammar School till at length being weary of that Profession he wholly betook himself to the study of the Scriptures and Divinity He also studied the Languages and profited very much in the knowledge of Hebrew and other Tongues comparing the Hebrew Text with the Septuagint as also with other Translations of Aquila Symachus and Theoâ—osion and thus casting himself upon the Divine Providence for his subsistence it pleased God that he was entertained by a religious and rich Matron together with his Mother and Brethren This Gentlewoman had also in her house at the same time a certain man of Antioch a notable Heretick who so plausibly demeaned himself that she entertained him as her dear friend and son Origen being by this means necessitated to frequent his company shewed forth manifest proof of his cleaving to the right and true Faith For when as a great multitude not only of Hereticks but of the Orthodox also frequented the Lectures of this 〈◊〉 for so was his name being counted a wise and profound man yet Origen would never be perswaded to join with him in Prayer detesting his Heretical Doctrines During this time he applyed himself to the study of Rhetorick and other humane Learning wherein he profited exceedingly and so being wel accomplished with Learning and the Catechist-School at Alexandria being void at that time every one being forced away by the Thunderbolt of Persecution he set upon Preaching there being now about 18 years old Unto his Lectures many of the Gentiles resorted and were by Gods blessing upon his Ministry converted as one Plutarch who was afterwards crowned with Martyrdom and Heracles his Brother who afterward succeeded Demetrius in the Bishoprick of Alexandria and many others In this imployment he prospered exceedingly and purchased to himself a famous name amongst all the faithful in that he cheerfully imbraced and incouraged all the Martyrs not only of his acquaintance but even such as were unknown unto him He visited such as were in deep Dungeons and close Imprisonment encouraged them when they were to receive their last sentence and after their sentence pronounced yea he accompanyed them to the place of Execution putting himself often into great danger thereby He boldly imbraced and kissed them at their farewel so that once the Heathens in their furious rage had stoned him to death if the Divine power of God had not marvellously delivered him And the same Divine Power and Providence of God did at many other times protect and defend him even so oft as cannot be told being assaulted by the Adversaries for his prompt minde and invincible courage in publishing the Doctrine of Christ. Yea so extreamly was he hated by the Infidels that Souldiers were oft fain to be hired to watch about his house by the multitudes of those that repaired to him to be instructed in the Christian Faith and the Enemies rage was so vehemently bent against him for this cause that he could not pass safely in the streets of Alexandria he was also forced oft to change his lodging thereby to prevent the pursuers As he taught so he lived and as he lived so he taught and Gods Grace working exceedingly with and by him multitudes were converted to the Christian Faith by his Ministry Hereupon Demetrius the Bishop divolved the whole charge and care of the School upon him alone and he judging the reading of Humanity to be out of season wholly applyed himself to Divinity-Lectures and afterwards his necessities being urgent upon the advice of his friends he sold all his Authors of Humanity which he had diligently perused and now lay by him to one upon condition that he should allow him two pence a day for his maintenance wherewith he contented himself And to cut off all occasions of youthly concupiscence all the day long he spent in the forenamed exercises and a great part of the night he spent in meditating upon the Holy Scriptures taking his rest only for a few hours and that not in his bed but on the bare ground He used also Fasting often and expounding the saying of our Saviour literally would not wear two Coats neither Shooes but went barefoot not taking care for the time to come with a greedy or covetous desire He inâ—ired himself to cold and nakedness and abstinence from Wine even to the amazement of his familiar friends and to the offence of many who would willingly have relieved his necessities By these means he was in great danger through weakness of limbs and faintness of body to have destroyed and cast away himself Yet this his strict course of life won many not of the common people only but of the wise learned and rich to become zealous followers of his Doctrine many of which in those times of Persecution suffered for the same as you may see more at large in my General Martyrologie Having many Matrons and Virgins who upon sundry occasions resorted to him to prevent temptations to uncleanness mistaking those words of our Saviour Christ There are some that make themselves Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven sake he gelded himself the rather to prevent such slanderous reports as might be raised of him to the scandal of the Gospel The Church of Achaia being at this time vexed with divers Heresies Origen was singled out and being furnished with Letters Testimonial from the Church was sent to confute them As he passed through Palestine he was by the Bishops ordained a Presbyter that thereby he might be armed with the more Authority against the Hereticks wherein he did not run before he was sent But his Life and Doctrine grew so renowned and eminent as stirred up envie in the hearts of some against him especially in Demetrius the Bishop who had formerly loved and preferred him So that now on the contrary he did all he could to darken and obscure his fame Hereupon he ript up Origens faults and by his Writings published them to the World upbraiding him especially with that rash and inconsiderate act of dismembring himself for which he judged him unfit for the Ministerial Office Thus in the height of Origens fame these things were divulged and his adversary was potent and thereupon he was forced to give way to the storm and to yield to the importunity of his enviers and so left Alexandria yet always
this present evil World and I believe that God will answer my desire And indeed accordingly in the third moneth of the siege he fell sick of a Feaver which proved his last sickness neither would God defraud his servant of the fruit of his Prayers And indeed he was very powerful in Prayers so that sometimes thereby he hath cast out Devils and restored sick men to their health His Feaver proved so violent that he dyed in the same third moneth of the siege In his sickness he breathed forth most pious ejaculations He made no Will having nothing to bestow but only Books upon several Libraries He dyed Aged 76. Anno Christi 430. having been a Minister 40 years It 's written of him that after his first Conversion to the Faith he was grievously vexed with inward conflicts against his corrupt affections complaining of his inward hereditary habitual inveterate vices and after long strugling with them by purposes vows strong resolutions watching fasting self-revenge and other good means finding still his own weakness and the encreasing violence of his corruptions as he was intentively musing and meditating what to do more he heard a voice saying In te stas non stas whereupon rightly apprehending that his own strength of wit carnal reason and other powers and helps of nature could not serve the turn for the effecting of that which was the proper and peculiar work of Grace he betook himself to his Saviour by humble faithful and fervent Prayer and at last found such assistance from the Holy Spirit of Grace as strengthned him to stand and make good his resolutions with more comfort then before His usual with was that Christ when he came might finde him aut Precantem aut Praedicantem either Praying or Preaching When the Donatists upbraided him unworthily with the impiety and impurity of his former Life Look said he how much they blame my former fault by so much the more I commend and praise my Physitian He used to say Holy Marriage is better then proud Virginity And again Prayer that is pure and holy pierceth Heaven and returns not empty It 's a shelter to the Soul a sacrifice to God and a scourge to the Divel And again There is nothing that more abateth sin then the frequent meditation of Death He cannot die ill that lived well aud seldom doth he die well that lived ill A Christian at home in his house must think himself a stranger and that his Country is above where he shall be no stranger And again If men want wealth it is not to be unjustly gotten if they have it they ought by good works to lay it up in Heaven He that hath tasted the sweetness of Divine love will not care for temporal sweetness The reasonable Soul made in the likeness of God may here finde much careful distraction but no full satisfaction for it being capable of God can be satisfied with nothing but God Not to be without affliction but to overcome affliction is blessedness Love is strong as death for as death kils the body so love of eternal life kils worldly desires and affections He called Ingratitude the Devils Sponge wherewith he wipes out all the favors of the Almighty He so admired and loved the seven Penitential Psalms that he caused them to be written in great letters and hung within the curtains of his Death-bed that so he might give up the Ghost in the contemplation and meditation of them His Prayer was Lord give first what thou requirest and then require of me what thou wilt And He that prays well cannot chuse but live well His Works are printed in nine Tomes at Basil by Froben The Life of Cyril of Alexandria who flourished Anno Christi 430. THeophilus Bishop of Alexandria falling into a Lethargy shortly after dyed whereupon a great contention arose about the Election of a new Bishop some standing for Timotheus the Archdeacon and others for Cyrillus Abudatius the Captain of the Garrison laboured all that he could to prefer Timothy but the other party prevailed and so Cyril was chosen and setled in the Bishoprick About this time Nestorius the Heretick vented his blasphemous opinions against the Deitie of our Saviour Christ whom Cyril answered and confuted Upon this the Emperour Theodosius minor summoned a Council at Ephesus in which Cyril was chosen President and where with much learning and judgement he confuted Nestorius and Pelagius So that the Council after serious examination and deliberation pronounced this sentence To omit the other abominable wickednesses of Nestorius because being sent for by us he hath refused to appear neither would he receive those godly and religious Bishops whom we sent to confer with him being therefore forced by necessity we proceeded to the examniation of his wicked opinions and finding partly by the Epistles and Books that he hath written and partly by his words which in this famous City he hath lately spoken which by sufficient witness have been proved before us that he holds and publisheth Heretical opinions contrary to the Word of God and the Canons of the holy Councils we therefore not without many tears are forced to pass this severe sentence against him and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ whom he hath so grosly and grievously blasphemed doth by us Decree that Nestorious be deposed from his Rishoprick and excommunicated from the holy Assemblies of the Ministers of God Which sentence the Emperour Theodosius did also approve of and confirm and withall banished him to Oasis and God to shew the severity of his justice against blasphemers strake him with an incurable disease whereby his tongue rotted and breeding many Worms was devoured by them so that he ended his wretched life after a most miserable manner This Cyril was by birth a Grecian and as one testifies of him was Vir doctus sanctus a learned and holy man He was President in the Council at Ephesus where with much learning and judgement he confuted Nestorius and Pelagius He was admirably experienced in the holy Scriptures flourished under Theodosius junior he was so famous for piety eloquence and wit that the Grecian Bishops gat some of his Homilies by heart and recited them to their people After twenty two years labor in the Government of that Church he quietly yeelded up his spirit unto God Anno Christi 448. under Theodosius junior He used to say It 's the best way for a rich man to make the Bellies of the Poor his Barn to succour the fatherless and needy and thereby to lay up treasure in Heaven that he may be received into everlasting habitations And Where the Scripture wants a tongue of expression we need not lend an ear of attention we may safely knock at the Council door of Gods secrets but if we go further we may be more bold then welcome And again The Devil runs
his Soul and the vain flattering selicity of the World yeelding disgust by little and little the love of spiritual life seemed to take root in his heart and this begat in him a desire frequently to pray and to read and study the holy Scriptures Then did he often resort to such men as sequestred themselves from worldly businesses and betook themselves to Monasteries where he learned by experience the sweet conversation of Gods servants those places being not yet degenerated into such superstition and profaness as afterwards they were Amongst them he perceived that as they had no worldly solace so had they no weariness in their present condition as they had no temporal joyes so neither had they that vexation of spirit which other men were subject to by reason of their worldly businesses whereupon with himself he brake out into these words Why travel I in the World which can yeeld me no future nor durable reward inswerable to my pains Though it be better to weep well then joy ill yet if to joy be our desire how much excelleth their joy who have a good conscience before God who dread nothing but sin study to do nothing but to accomplish the Precepts of Christ Now therefore let me change my trade and as before I endeavoured amongst my Noble Friends to prove more Noble so now let my care and imployment be amongst the humble and poor servants of the Highest to become more poor and humble then they and like S. Matthew let me turn from a Publican to a Disciple Thus being resolved to renounce all terrene and worldly delights and to make himself a partaker of that kinde of life which upon mature deliberation and examination his judgement approved as most excellent yet withall wisely considering that sudden changes might breed some distemperature either in body or minde or both he began by degrees to accustom himself to Fasting to avoid the company and accustomed complements of his old acquaintance and familiar friends addicting himself to solitariness much reading and prayer Hereupon all that knew him were stricken with great wonder and amazement at this sudden and unexpected change imputing this strict demeanor in a man so delicately brought up to proceed from necessity and privy poverty But he having thus made some proof of such things wherein he conceived difficulties might occur and now finding by experience that nothing was hard to a willing minde as also lighting upon and reading that Divine Treatise of St. Augustine upon the 36 Psalm his love to and longing after that more retired course of life much encreased in him so that he resolved without any further delay to put his former purposes into practise and accordingly going to Faustus who was one of those Bishops whom the Arian Tyrant Hunerick had confined to a certain place not far from his own Country he beseeched him to admit him into his Monastery The prudent Bishop wel knowing the worldly conversation of the young man in times past gave no credit to his speech nor comfort to his request but willed him first to learn to live less delicately before he entred upon so strict a course of life But he humbly kissing the Bishops hand earnestly requested him that he would not reject him but graciously admit him for one of his Disciples and so by importunity declaring his sincere affections he procured admittance The fame of this thing spreading abroad some dispaired of his perseverance because of his former delicate life others considering the excellency of his wit were raised in expectation of some notable and worthy consequence Divers of his Familiars excited by his example betook themselves to the like course of life only his inconsiderate and worldly-minded mother grew exceedingly discontented at it as if her Fulgentius were already dead and so impatiently running to the Bishop the brawled with him crying out Restore the Son to his Mother the Master to his Servants and Houshold It becomes you to comfort such disconsolate Widdows not to destroy my forlorn house The Bishop mildly reprehended her but wisely concealed her son wherefore she filled the Ayr with her exclamations ever calling upon the name of Fulgentius This violent temptation did he meet with at his first entrance into this strict kinde of life but having his heart fixed in Heaven he gave no Ear to her exclamations so that his Mother verily thinking that he had not been there sorrowfully departed The Bishop having hereby had experience of the valour of his young Disciple judged that he that could thus overcome his natural affections no labour would be hard nor conquest difficult for the time to come Whilst he continued in this place he wholly abstained from Wine and Oil and was so rigorous in Fasting that it much debilitated his body and procured some diseases but his heart being wholly set upon the working forth of his Salvation with fear and trembling he committed himself to God saying The daintiest feeders avoid not sickness and after he had a while been habituated to this course he through Gods mercy recovered his health and pristine beauty His Inheritance though he had a younger Brother called Claudius he wholly left it to his Mother that at her decease she might leave it to Claudius if he deserved well of her by which means his Brother for the Living-sake was made more dutiful and submiss and his Mother by this gift received no small consolation to counterpoise the sorrow of his absence Shortly after the Arians renewing their persecution which for a space they had discontinued under a pretence of more moderation Bishop Faustus was constrained by frequent removes from one place to another to hide himself and Fulgentius had no better shift then to flee to another little Monastery governed by one Felix who having sufficiently heard of his Learning and Vertue would have resigned the government thereof to Fulgentius but he constantly refused it yet at the great importunity of the Brethren he was enforced to take part of the Government upon him So that these two holy men equal in their love to God and their neighbors equal in Vertue and like in Conditions mutually governed the place each fearful of offending the other each vigilantly attending the good of the Society But the Perfecution growing more hot they together with their Disciples were forced to remove into more remote and unknown parts of Africa and at last setled in the Territories of Sicca where they exceedingly profited the people and gained many Souls to Christ But the old Enemy of mankinde envying their godly labours stirred up an Arian Priest called Faeix who not far off had corrupted many with his Heretical opinions to molest and trouble them This fellow great in Power and Authority but greater in malice fearing lest by the means of Fulgentius whose Learning now grew famous many of his seduced Disciples should be reclaimed to the Truth he caused all the
he profited exceedingly so that he attained to the knowledg of all the Liberal Sciences After which going to Jerusalem he studied the Scripture and Divinity where he was made a Presbyter Preached diligently and much propagated the Faith by his Sermons and Writings A great opposer of Hereticks he was He flourished under Leo and dyed in peace He was a very Eloquent man and second to none of that Age in Learning He wrote three Books of Parallels of the Sacred Scriptures four Books of the Orthodox Faith besides many other Works which are printed at Paris Anno Christi 1619. The Life of Theophylact who flourished Anno Christi 880. THeophylact born in Constantinople and afterwards Archbishop of the same was much imployed in visiting and reforming the Churches in Bulgarie and when he had proved himself a painful laborer in the dangerous persecutions there he yielded up his spirit to his Maker He used to say Be not troubled if this man lives in tranquillity and thou in tribulation God will have it so he puts thee into the combat thou must therefore sweat hard before thou com'st off with the victory whereas he that comes forward in the World goes back in Grace his estate is miserable that goes laughing to destruction as a Fool to the stocks for correction He wrote in Greek Commentaries upon the four Evangelists which are translated into Latine by Charles Morell and printed at Paris Anno Christi 1631. The Life of Anselm who flourished Anno Christi 1080. ANselm Archbishop of Canterbury was born at Aosta or Augusta Praetoriana at the foot of the Alps in Italy and therefore as an Italian he always favoured the cause of the Romane Bishop He was carefully brought up in Learning by his Mother Ermerburga till he was fourteen years old when she dying he gave himself awhile to vain pleasures and his Father being severe to him he resolved to travel in which he met with wants spent three years in Burgundie and France and then became Scholar to Lanfrancus Abbot of Beck where being held hard to his study he entred into a Monasterie and by his strict carriage there his fame spread abroad and the old Abbot dying he succeeded him and after the death of Lanfrank he was chosen Archbishop of Canterbury He received such honours and uncouragements from Pope Vrbane as never Bishop received greater from a Pope For at the Council of Barum in Apulia the Pope placed him at his right foot above al others which was ever since the place of the Archbishops of Canterbury in all General Councils Much contention was between William Rufus King of England and him which caused him to leave the Kingdom till Henry the First his time when he was reinvested again but lived not long after his return into England before he dyed which was Anno Christi 1109. and in the 9. year of the Reign of King Henry the First and of his Age 76. He was indeed the Popes Factor in England for denyal of Investures to the King and Marriages to the Ministers but otherwise he was found in the main points of our Religion and taught many things contrary to the corrupt Tenents of the Church of Rome He used to say That if he should see the shame of sin on the one hand and the pains of Hell on the other and must of necessitie chuse one he would rather be thrust into Hell withoute sin then go into Heaven with sin And again O durus casus c. Oh hard-hap Alas what did man lost what did he finde He lost the blessedness to which he was made and found death to which he was not made The Life of Nicephorus who flourished Anno Christi 1110. NIcephorus a man of profound Judgment and Learning both in Humanity and Divinity flourished under Andrenicus senior the Emperour Anno Christi 1110. He was a great light when the World was in great darkness and both by his Life and Doctrine illuminated many He wrote his Ecclesiastical History in eighteen Books in Greek and Dedicated them to the Emperour Andronicus and not long after exchanged this Life for Eternal glory He said God beholds and moderates our actions using the scourge of affliction for our castigation and conversion and after due correction shews his Fatherly affection to those that trust in hâ—m for Salvation And Christ asked Peter three times if he loved him not for his own information but that by his threefold profession he might help and heal his threefold negation of him BERNARD The Life of Bernard who dyed An. Christi 1153. BErnard was born in Burgundie in the Town of Fontane His Fathers name was Tecelinus of an ancient Family and a brave Souldier but that which most commended him was that he feared God and loved Justice and following the counsel of John the Baptist he did wrong to no man and was content with his wages His Mothers name was Aleth of the Castle called Mont-Barr a woman eminent for Piety Chastity and Charity bringing up her children in the fear of God She had seven children six sons and one daughter all which she nursed with her own breasts Bernard was her third son whom from his Infancy with Hannah she devoted to the Service of God and therefore brought him not up tenderly and delicately but inured him to course fare and hardship and as soon as he was of capacity instilled into him the knowledge of the Sacred Scriptures and instructed him in the Principles of Religion and finding him to be of an acute wit ready apprehension firm memory comly feature courteous and meek deportment and much addicted to Learning she set him to Schole betimes to Castillion under the care and tuition of able Scholemasters and the boy being piously addicted studious of a quick apprehension easily answered his Mothers desire and expectation profiting in Learning above his age and out-stripping all his school-fellows and shewed withall a great contempt of all Earthly things and indeed he was very simple in all worldly affairs He shunned company and affected retiredness was much in meditation obedient to his Parents grateful and curteous to all He was exceeding shamefac't and modest loved not to speak much Towards God very devout that he might keep himself pure in his childhood And amongst other Learning he was frequent in reading the holy Scriptures that from thence he might learn to know and serve God So that it cannot be imagined how much he profited in a short time Whilst he was yet a boy he was much troubled with a pain in his head and lying upon his bed there was brought to him a woman who had undertaken to cure him with certain verses and charms but as soon as he heard her begin to utter her verses wherewith she used to deceive the simple he cryed out with great indignation
come unto the Council for as much as the said Mr. John Huss is ready to satisfie every man at the said Council which shall lay any thing to his charge as touching his Faith In all Cities as he passed by especially when he entred into Germany a great number of people resorted to him and he was everywhere kindly entertained especially by the Citizens and Burgesses that he confessed in a certain Epistle that he found in no place so great Enemies as in Bohemia and when he came to Noremberg certain Merchants that went before having given notice of his coming almost all the Priests that were in the City came to him desiring him that they might talk with him in private to whom he answered that he desired rather to declare his minde openly then in hugger mugger and so from dinner time till night he spake before the Priests Senators and many Citizens insomuch that they all had him in singular estimation and reverence One of his great Adversaries Stanisâ—aus Znoma a Bohemian as he was going towards Constance to accuse him was stricken by God with a great Impostume whereof he dyed When Mr. Huss came to Constance he was sent for to appear before some Cardinals to give an account of his Doctrine but he told them that he came to do it before all the Council yet if they would force him to do it before them he doubted not but Christ would strengthen him to chuse death for his glories sake rather then to deny the Truth which he had learned out of the holy Scriptures After Examination they committed him to a filthy Prison where by reason of the stink he fell sick and was like to die In the mean time his Adversaries preferred Articles against him wherein they had forged many things of their own heads wresting and perverting his godly and Orthodox sayings to a sinister sense that they might have whereof to accuse him and thereupon desired of the Council that he might he condemned Mr. Huss hearing of these their malicious proceedings moved that he might have an Advocate but that was denyed him Whilst he lay there in Prison when he had in some measure regained his health he wrote sundry Books From that Prison he was removed by the Bishop of Constance to a Castle on the other side of the Rhene where in the day time he was so laden with fetters on his Legs that he could scarce go and every night he was fastned by the hands up to a rack against the wall Hereupon many Noble men of Bohemia petitioned for his release at least upon Bail but that was denyed The sum of the Nobles Petition was this That whereas Mr. John Huss is freely of his own accord come to Constance under the Emperors safe Conduct against all right and reason he is grievously imprisoned before he is heard and at this present is tormented miserably with hunger thirst and fetters though formerly at the Council of Pisa held Anno Christi 1410. the Hereticks which were condemned were suffered to remain at their liberty and to depart home freely But Mr. John Huss neither convicted nor condemned no nor so much as once heard is taken and imprisoned when as neither King nor any Prince Elector nor any Ambassador from any University is yet come or present and though the Lord our King together with the Nobles and Lords here present have most instantly required and desired that his safe Conduct might not be violated and that the said Mr. John Huss might be openly heard being ready to render a reason of his Faith and if he be convicted obstinately to affirm or maintain any thing against truth and the holy Scriptures that he is ready to amend the same yet could be never obtain this But the said Mr. John Huss notwithstanding all this is most grievously oppressed with fetters and irons and so weakned with hunger and thirst that it is to be feared that be will die in Prison And although the Lords of Bohemia here present are greatly scandalized with the trouble and torments of Mr. John Huss contrary to the Kings safe Conduct yet hitherto they have forborn to complain to the King that he might see his safe Conduct better observed and the reproach and dishonor that is done to the Kindgom of Bohemia thereby vindicated and indeed they suffer these things patiently least by any means trouble or vexation should arise to this Sacred Council by reason thereof Wherefore we most earnestly desire and require your Fatherhoods that for the honor of the safe Conduct granted by the King and for the preservation and encrease of the worthy fame and renown of the Kingdom of Bohemia and your own also you will hasten the dispatch of Mr. John Huss his business seeing he is in great danger by reason of his strait Imprisonment if you delay him any longer And whereas we the Nobles of Bohemia are informed that many slanderous reports are raised by back-biters against the famous Kingdom of Bohemia as that the Sacrament is carryed up and down in Vessels unhallowed that Coblers do administer it and hear Confessions c. We therefore require and desire you that you will give no heed to such tale-bearers who herein report untruths also we require that such back-biters may be made known and we doubt not easily to refell the false and trivolous slanders of these naughty persons that hereafter they shall be ashamed to appear before the Lord King and your Reverences But notwithstanding this they which were appointed for his Judges in his absence heard his Enemies examined witnesses against him Judged his Doctrine not by the true Touch-stone of Gods Word but by the Popish Canons Yet when the Council would have condemned him without hearing the Emperour interposed requiring that he should be first heard but when he was brought before them they made such a confused noise railing upon him that he could not speak one word The next day when he was brought before them again there fell out so great an Eclipse that the Sun was almost wholly darkned but when Huss saw that he was like to meet with no Justice there he appealed from them to the Pope and from him to Christ for which they derided him But when he saw the cruelty of his Judges the malice of his Accusers the falsehood of his Witnesses and the rage of all the Council against him that breathed forth nothing but fire and fagots he kneeled down and commended his righteous cause to the Lord Jesus Christ begging forgiveness for his very Enemies yet he earnestly requested even with tears the Council that they would convince him of any Error by the Word of God and he would willingly retract it but nothing prevailing they proceeded to condemn and degrade him whereupon kneeling down he said Lord Jesus Christ forgive mine Enemies by whom thou knowest that I am falsly accused forgive them I say for thy great
justly spoken and in consenting to the wicked condemnation of Huss and that he repented with his whole heart that ever he did it This so enraged them that they proceeded to condemn him whereupon he said I after my death will leave a remorse in your conscience and a nail in your hearts Et cito vos omnes at respondeatis mihi coram altissimo justissimo judice post centum annos I here cite you all to answer to me before the most High and just Judge within a hundred years When he was brought forth to Execution they prepared a great and long paper painted about with red Divels which when he beheld throwing away his hood he took the Miter and put it on his head saying Our Lord Jesus Christ when he suffered death for me â—ost â—wretched sinner did wear a crown of thorns upon his head and I for his sake will willingly wear this Cap. As he went to the place of Execution he sung some Hymns and coming to the place of Execution where John Huss was burned he kneeled down and prayed fervently He was bound to the Image of John Huss and so fire was set to him which he endured with admirable valor for standing at the stake bound and the Executioner kindling the fire behinde him he bade him kindle it before his face For said he If I had been afraid of is I had not come to this place having had so many opportunities offered to me to escape it The whole City of Constance admired his constancie and Christian magnanimity in fuffering death At the giving up the Ghost he said Hanc animam in flammis offero Christe tibi This soul of mine in slames of fire O Christ I offer thee An aliquid ab Hieronymo Pragensi scriptum sit posterisque relictum ignoro credibile verum est virum tam doctum ac eloquentem quaedam scripsisse Orationes quas in Academiis illu strioribus habuit tum Themata quae proposuit forte in lucem edita suppressa fuare extincta ab iis qui more suo lucem ferre nequeunt MARTIN LVTHER The Life of Martin Luther who flourished Anno Christi 1500. MArtin Luther was born at at Isleben in the Earldom of Mansfield Anino Christ 1483. of good parents His Fathers name was John Luther who first lived at Isleben and afterwards removed to Manfield where he had some metal Mines and was chosen a Magistrate and was grateful to all for the integrity of his life His Mothers name was Margaret Lindeman who was adorned with such Virtues as became an honest Matron but especially she was eminent for chastity the fear of God and often calling upon his name Assoon as this their son was capable of Learning they first trained him up in the knowledge and fear of God and in the Exercise of other virtues under their own wings Then their care was to educate him in humane Learning for which end they set him to school to George Aemilius and though at this time the darkness of Popery had much obscured the light of Truth yet it pleased God to preserve in the Schools the Catechisms containing the Principles of Religion the use of singing Psalms and some forms of Prayer At fourteen years of age he went to Magdeburg where he lived a poor Scholar one year From thence he was removed by his Parents to Isenach where was a famous School and where he first tasted the sweetness of Learning and so after a while went thence to the University of Erford Anno Christi 1501. There he profited so much in the knowledge of Logick and other Learning that the whole University admired his wit At twenty years old he was made Master of Arts and Professor of Physicks Ethicks and other parts of Philosophy Then he betook himself to the study of the Law but at the age of twenty one being affrighted at the violent death of a faithful companion of his whom he dearly loved he betook himself into the Augustine Monks Colledge in Erford writing to his parents the reason why he changed the course of his life In the Library of that Colledge he met with a copy of a Latine Bible which he had never seen before and with admiration observed that there were more portions of holy Scripture then were read in the Churches which made him wish that he had the like book And it pleased God that not long after he obtained his desire and fell close to the study thereof some sickness and fear also whening him on in those studies Afterwards falling into a violent disease which threatned death an old Priest came to him saying Sir be of good courage your disease is not mortal God will raise you up to afford comfort to many others which also came to pass and he was much cheared up by conference with that Priest who largely discoursed with him about Justification by Faith and explained the Articles of the Creed to him Then did Luther read over Augustines Works where he found the same Doctrine of Justification by Faith frequently confirmed He read over the School-men also especially Occam and in these studies he spent five years in that Collegde Anno Christi 1507. he was made Presbyter and John Staupicius endeavouring to promote the University of Wittenberg then lately begun knowing the wit and Learning of Luther removed him thither Anno Christi 1508. when he was but 26 years old where by his labors he did much good Three years after he was sent to Rome in the behalf of his Convent where he saw the Pope and the manner of the Roman Clergy concerning which he saith At Rome I heard them say Mass in such a manner as I detest them for at the Communion Table I heard Curtisans laugh and boast of their wickedness and others concerning the Bread and Wine of the Altar Saying Bread thou art and Bread thou shalt remain Wine thou art and Wine thou shalt remain Upon his return from Rome he was made Doctor in Divinity at the charge of Duke Frederick Elector of Saxonie who heard him Preach and admired the foundness of his Invention the strength of his Arguments and the excellency of the things which he delivered Soon after he began to explain the Epistle to the Romans and some Psalms where he shewed the difference between the Law and Gospel refuted Justification by Works c. And his demeanor agreed with his Doctrine his speech seemed to come from his heart not from his lips only Then he betook himself to the study of the Greek and Hebrew This year 1517. was by the account of Scultetus the 356. from the Reformation of Religion in France by the Waldenses the 146. from the first confutation of Popish Errors in England by John Wicklief The 116. from the first year of the Ministry of John
that minding his pleasures so much whereunto he was wondrously addicted he in the mean time neglected the care of the Church in not timely suppressing the Doctrine of Luther The Bishops also of Germany having condemned the Doctrine of Luther wrote earnestly to the Pope against him whereupon the Pope calling together the Cardinals Bishops Divines and Canonists referred the business wholly to their pleasures who after much contention and wrangling amongst themselves at last concluded that a certain day should be appointed for Luthers appearing and that his Books should be burnt openly The Court of Saxony hearing these things was somewhat troubled which when Luther perceived he began to bethink himself of retiring into Bohemia which being taken notice of Sir Francis of Sickingen Sir Vlrick of Hutten and Silvester of Scavenberg a Noble Franconian offered him both entertainment and patronage intreating him not to go into Bohemia but to come into Franconia if the Romans curses did prevail promising him an hundred Noble Horse-men of Franconia for his guard Hereupon Luthers courage encreaseth and he giveth notice to the Cardinal of Saint George that if the Popes curses drave him out of Wittenberg they should get nothing by it seeing there were now not only in Bohemia but in the midst of Germany such as were able and willing to defend him against the Popes power And then saith he being safe guarded by these Protectors I shall more cruelly inveigh against the Romanists then if you let me alone in peace under my Prince Yet June 15. the Pope publisheth his Bull against Luther and all his partakers Forbidding upon pain of Excommunication the reading or keeping any of his Books commanding all men to apprehend him and bring him to Rome and interdicting all places where he should come This Bull in many places of Germany was opposed and torn in peices and Sir Vlrick Hutten published it with interlineary Glosses and marginal Notes to their great disgrace But before this came abroad Luther had published his Book De Captivitate Babylonica wherein he professed that he was daily made more learned wishing that his Books about Indulgences were burned and that instead thereof this Position were set forth Indulgences are the wickednesses of the flatterers of Rome And when the Popes Bull came forth Luther Excommunicated the Bull it self and the Authors of it He also published a defence of all the Articles condemned by the Pope appealing from the Pope to a Council After this the Cardinals according to the their Commission told the Duke that they could doe no less then burn Luthers Books which accordingly they did But Luther hearing of it being accompanyed with all the University he also openly burnt the Popes Decrees and his Bull lately sent out against him At which time he added these words Because thou hast troubled the holy one of the Lord eternal fire shall trouble thee A while after the Emperour Charles the fifth coming into Germany Prince Frederick of Saxony accompanyed him to Worms from whence he wrote to Luther that he had obtained of the Emperour to hear him openly at the Diet to which Luther answered that it was very welcome news to him that the Emperor would take to himself the hearing of his cause promising to do all which he could with a safe conscience and not wronging the cause of Christ. March the sixth the Emperour sent for him and withall sent him a safe Conduct requiring his repair thither within 21 days but many of his friends disswaded him from going to whom he answered That these discouragements were cast into his way by Satan who knew that by his profession of the truth in so illustrious a place his Kingdom would be shaken and therefore if he knew that there were as many Divels in worms as Tiles on the Houses yet would he go thither c. April the sixteenth Luther came to Worms whereupon some perswaded the Emperor to deal with him as the Council of Constance had dealt with John Huss But the Emperour said That the Publik Faith was not to be violated The next day Luther appeared before the Emperour and a frequent Assembly of the Princes at which time Eccius a Lawyer at the command of the Emperour made a speech in the end whereof he asked him whether he would recant and retract his works To which Luther after deliberation answered Of my Books saith he some tend to Faith and Piety to these my Adversaries give an ample testimony others are against the Pope and his Doctrine should I revoke these I should confirm his Tyranny others are against private men who defend his cause in these I confess I have been too vehement yet I cannot revoke them unless I will set open a gap to the impudency of many But Eccius told him that the Emperour was not satisfied with this answer but required his recantation To which Luther answered I beseech you give me leave to maintain the peace of my own conscience which if I should consent to you I cannot do For unless my Adversaries can convince me by sound Arguments taken out of the holy Scriptures I cannot satisfie my conscience For I can plainly prove that both Popes and Councils have often erred grievously and therefore it would be an ungodly thing for me to assent to them and to depart from the holy Scriptures which is plain and only cannot err And so he departed at that time But the next day the Emperour sent his Letter to the Assembly of the Princes wherein he wrote that his Ancestors had always professed the Christian Religion and had observed the Church of Rome which seeing Luther now opposed and flood stifly to his opinion it behoved him to proscribe him and his companions and to provide fit remedies to quench that flame Yet that he would keep the Publick Faith given him so that he might return safe to his own home The Princes were divided in their opinions but the major part held that he was not rashly to be condemned because the Emperour being a young man was instigated against him by the Pope and his Ministers A few days after the Bishop of Trevers appointed Luther to come unto him with whom also some other of the Princes were assembled at which time they used many Arguments to draw him to a recantation and concluded that they perceived that if he refused the Emperours purpose was to banish him out of the bounds of the Empire and therefore they exhorted him seriously to think upon the same Luther answered that he was very thankful to them that so great Princes would take so much pains for his sake who was so mean and unworthy a person yet he told them that he would rather lose his life then depart from the manifest Truth of the Word of God seeing its better to obey God then man c. Then was he commanded to withdraw and there came to him one
This Embassie of yours is just like to the Devils dealing with Christ when he promised him al the World if he would fal down and worship him but for my own part I am resolved not to depart from the Truth which God hath revealed unto me but before the return of the Ambassadour Duke George was dead whereupon this Henry notwithstanding all the opposition of the Papists made this Reformation in the Churches which work being finished Myconius visited all the Churches in Thuringia and with the help of Melancthon and some other he provided them Pastors and Schoolmasters and procured stipends to be setled upon them for their maintenance The rest of his life he spent in Preaching Praying and writing of Letters many great persons in Universities and the chief Churches holding correspondence with him amongst whom were Luther Melancthon Cruciger Menius Basilius Monerus John Langus Mechlerus John Marcellus Matthew Ratzenbergerus c. Anno Christi 1541. He fell into a Consumption whereof he wrote to Luther That he was sick not to death but to life which gloss upon the Text pleased Luther excellently well unto whom he wrote back I pray Christ our Lord our Salvation our Health c. that I may not live to see thee and some others of our Colleagues to dye and go to Heaven and to leave me hear amongst the Devils alone I pray God that I may first lay down this dry exhausted and unprofitable tabernacle farewel and God forbid that I should hear of thy death whil'st I live Sed te superstitem faciat mihi Deus hoc peto volo fiat voluntas mea Amen quia haec voluntas gloriam nominis Dei certè non meam voluptatem nec copiam quaerit A while after Myconius recovered according to this Prayer though his disease seemed to be desperate and out-lived it fix years even till after Luthers death whereupon Justus Jonas speaking of Luther saith of him Iste vir potuit quodvoluit That man could have of God what he pleased A little before Myconius his death he wrote an excellent Epistle to Joan. Frederick Elector of Saxony wherein he praiseth God for raising up three successively in that Family viz. Frederick John and John Frederick to undertake the patronage of Luther c. He was a man of singular piety of solid learning of a dextrous judgement of a burning zeal and of admirable candor and gravity He dyed of a relapse into his former disease Anno Christi 1546. and of his Age 55. His Works were these Expositio in Evan. Marci Enarrationes in Psalmum 101. Expositiones in Evan. secundum Matthaeum Lucam Johannem Commentaria in Jesaiam Jeremiam Jonam Narratio de vita morte Zuinglii Sermo de liberis recte educandis De crapula ebrietate De faenore usura c. Iohn Stigetias made this Epitaph upon him Quo duce Gotha tibi monstrata est Gratia Christi Haec pia Mâ—conii contegit ossa lapis Doctrina vitae tibi moribus ille reliquit Exemplum Hoc ingens Gotha tuere decus The Life of John Diazius who dyed Anno Christi 1546. IOhn Diazius was born in Spain and brought up at School afterwards he went to Parâ— to study the Arts where he continued thirteen years but it pleased God that whilst he read over the holy Scriptures and some of Luthers Books and other Protestant Divines he began to see and abominate the Errors of Popery and therefore to further himself in the knowledge and study of the Truth he went to Geneva where he spake with Calvin and was very dear unto him From thence he went to trasborough where Martia Buâ—er observing his Learning Piety and diligence in his study obtained of the Senate that he should be joined with him to go to the Disputation at Ratisbone and when he came thither he went to Peter Malvenda a Spaniard the Popes Agent in Germany who when he knew that he came in the company of Bucâ—r and the other Protestant Divines he was much astonished and admired how he was so much changed from that which he knew him to be at Paris and withall he fretted exceedingly that they had gotten a Spaniard amongst them presuming that they would triumph more in him then in many Germanes whereupon he left no means untryed to draw him back again to the Church of Rome sometimes making large profers and promises to him other-sometimes threatning severe punishments and mixing both with earnest entreaties He also advised him by no means to stay at Ratisbon till the Emperours coming for saith he that cannot be without great danger to you rather haste to his Court and beg your pardon Also at another conference Malvenda asked him wherefore he was to Ratisbone Diazius answered that he was sent thither by the Senate of Strasborough that he might join his Prayers with the Prayers of the Church and in the publick conference might endeavor reconcilement as much as he could in those Articles which were to be disputed of Then said Malvenda you are come hither in vain for nothing will be concluded at this conference but if you would do good you should rather go to the Council that the Pope hath begun at Trent But when by no means he could prevail to divert him from the Truth he sent for his brother Alphonsus Diazius one of the Popes Lawyers from Rome who hearing that his Brother was turned Protestant came speedily into Germany bringing a notorious cut-throat with him resolving either to divert or destroy him when he came to Ratisbone Diazius was departed to Neoburg about the printing of Bucers Book which Alphonsus hearing of followed him thither carrying with him Letters to Iohn Diazius from Malvenda wherein he wished him to obey his Brother Alphonsus who would give him good Counsel When Alphonsus came to Neoburg his Brother Iohn wondred to see him there asking him the cause of his so unlooked for presence after some other excuses at length he told him that he had undertook that long and dangerous journey to recall him into the bosome of the Church Hereupon they had much conference about matters of Religion and at length Alphonsus told him that he had five hundred Ducats per annum in Church revenues all which he would make over to him if he would go with him to Rome But when by no means he could prevail with him fetching a deep sigh he said Brother I perceive the constancy of your Faith â—nd your unmoveablness in adhering to the Doctrine of the Gospel to be so great that you have almost drawn me unto your opinion Yea upon further discourse he seemed to be in love with the Doctrine of the Gospel and thereupon perswaded Iohn to leave Germany which abounded with learned men and where there was less use of him and to go with him into Italy Rome
he was set to the study of the Law wherein he shewed such industry that he was quickly acquainted with the principles of it and being of a generous nature he loved the Truth and hated Evils often using that Proverbe of Solomon that Lying lips become not a Prince Amongst all Law-books he was most versed in Panormitan Having thus prepared his Wit by these Studies An. Chr. 1522 he was by Cardinal Albert Elector of Mentz and Bishop of Magdeburg chosen to be one of his Counsellors whereby he was versed in the weighty Affairs of State finding the use and benefit of his knowledge of the Law therein and being Eloquent by nature the Cardinal often made use of him to open his mind to others so that his judgement was encreased and confirmed by his industry and employments But the Controversies about Religion waxing hot at this time and Luther's books coming abroad he fell to reading of them especially De discrimine Legis Evangelii De vera paenitentia De gratia De fide De vera invocatione De usu Sacramentorum De discrimine legum divinarum humanarum De discrimine Ministerii Evangelici Politicae potestatis Yet withall suspecting his own injudiciousness he would often pray with teares to God to incline his heart to the Truth saying Deal with thy servant according to thy mercy and instruct me in thy right eousnesse He was frequent in reading the Scriptures Ecclesiastical Histories Augustine Hierom and Lombard having George Forcheme both for an helper and copartner with him in those studies He studied also Greek and Hebrew and was so perfect in the Hebrew that few excelled him He discoursed with Learned men about the Controversies and so at length having long weighed the Opinions of all he concluded that the Confession of the Reformed Churches did agree with the ancient Catholick Church of God instructed by the writingâ— of the Prophets and Apostles And though he knew what hatred and danger he exposed himself to yet he made a publique profession of the Truth giving over to joyn with the Papists in their Counsels and Idolatrous Services giving himself wholly to Prayer and reading the Scriptures and other good books assisting his Brethren with whom he lived in perfect Peace and Love exceedingly in their Governments And first of all by their joint consents he reformed the Churches in his own Country setting fit Pastors over them commanding them to teach the Word of Truth to their people He abolished the Popish Ceremonies erected Schooles allowed competent stipends to the Ministers so that all things were Reformed without any dissention or tumult and many were drawn to embrace the Truth others were confirmed therein by the judgements and examples of their pious Princes And then he was very profitable to his Country by the faithful administration of Justice to them an Christi 1545 he was called to the Government of the Churches in the Diocesse of Mersburg and for that end he sent for Phil. Melancthon and divers other godly Ministers who ordained him by the Imposition of hands and gave him a Testimonial thereof August the third 1545. Concerning which Melancthon thus writeth Nos convocati quia certe sciebamus hunc illustrissimum rincipem Georgium rectè intelligere constanter amplecti puram Evangelii Doctrinam quam Ecclesiae harum regionum â—navoce uno spiritâ— cum Catholica Ecclesia Dei profitentur eximiam ejus esse virtutem sanctitatem Testimonium nostrum de eo ritu Apostolico impositione manuum declaravimus c. He lived very continently in a single life without any defilement His Chamber was a Temple Academy and a Court for he used daily in the same to pray read write and deliberate about Government He never wronged any man willingly He did good both privately and publickly to many He was a great promoter of Peace among Princes He ended many Controversies He abhorred all seditious and turbulent counsels He was far from ambition No anger hatred or desire of revenge could ever draw him to goe against the Rules of Justice or to act any thing against the common good Many and great injuries he bore with a great minde and pardoned them for the publick peace sake And with the same moderation of minde he bore other griefs so that it might easily appeare that he was supported by Prayer to and resting himself upon God and as a learned man he knâ—w the difference between divine and humane consolations and often repeated this saying Subditus esto Deo ora eum c. Submit thy self to God and pray unto him for he is near to those that are of a contrite heart and will save the humble in spirit He employed his time so wel so that he left none for pleasures and used to say That nothing refreshed him more in his sorrows then conference with learned and godly men About all controversies in Law he used to conferre with the excellentest Lawyers who were wise and virtuous men About the nature of mans body the causes and remedies of diseases with the most skilful Physitians About the Doctrine of the Church and Ecclesiastical Affairs with Luther Justus Jonas John Bugenhag c. and many of their Disputations ful of Learning and Piety were heard to the profit of many He conferred with Joachim Camerarius about the Histories of all Ages the mutation of Empires their period and the causes thereof about the Motions of the Heavens and the effects of the Stars The last act of this Princes life shewed his Piety and Gods presence with him For falling sick of a most troublesome disease he was frequent in holy prayer for himself for all the Princes of that Family for his Country and for Germany He had some portions of holy Scripture daily read to him He made his Will wherein he set downe the Confession of his Faith and commended the defense of his Churches to his Brother He added something to the stipends of all the godly Ministers under his charge He often ruminated upon those Texts God so loved the world that he gave c. No man shal take my sheep out of my hand Come unto me all yee that are weary c. and so in holy meditations and prayer he resigned up his spirit unto God Anno Christi 1553 and of his Age 47. Amongst other parts of his Ecclesiastical Administrations every year he held two Synods wherein all the Pastors of his Diocesse met together where they had very profitable Sermons preached He was made Superintendent of those Churches of Mersburg by Augustus Duke of Saxony brother to Maurice Anno Christi 1544. His Works which he left behind him were these A Consolatory Sermon upon that speech of our Saviour None can take my sheep out of my hand A Nuptial Sermon preached at Toâ—gau at the Mariage of the Duke of Saxony to Anne the King of Denmarks Daughter Four Sermons about the Sacrament A
of Life where he first drew the Breath of Life After this he was made Bishop of Salisbury though with much reluctancy looking upon it as a great burthen In that office he took much paines both by Preaching and Governing and was very careful in providing faithfull Pastors and in reforming abuses Anno Christi 1560 he was called to preach at Pauls Cross where he took that Text 1 Cor. 11. 23. For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you c. In which Sermon he confirmed largely the Protestants Doctrine concerning the Sacrament of the Lords Supper by Scriptures and Fathers adding this solemn Protestation That if any Learned man of all our adversaries or if all the Learned men that be alive are able to shew any one sufficient sentence out of any old Catholick Doctor or Father or out of any old Generall Council or out of the holy Scriptures of God or any one example of the Primitive Church whereby it may be clearly and plainly proved That there was any private Masses in the world at that time for the space of six hundred years after Christ or that the Sacrament of the Lords Supper was ever administred to the people under one kind or that the people then had their Common Prayers in a strange tongue that they understood not or that the Bishop of Rome was then called a Universall Bishop or the Head of the Universall Church or that the people were taught to beleeve that Christs Body is really substantially corporeally carnally or naturally in the Sacrament or that his Body is or may be in above a thousand places at one time or that the Priest did then hold up the Sacrament over his head or that the people did then fall down and worship it with divine honour or that then the Sacrament was hanged up under a Canopy or that in the Sacrament after the words of consecration there remained onely the accidents or shews without the substance of Bread and Wine or that the Priest then divided the Sacrament in three parts and after received all alone himself or that whosoever had then said that the Sacrament is a figure pledge token or remembrance of Christs body had therefore been judged for an Heretick or that it was then lawfull to have thirty twenty fifteen or five Masses said in one Church in one day or that Images were then set up in Churches that the people might worship them or that the Lay-people were then forbidden to read the Word of God in their own language If any man alive can prove any one of these Articles by any one clear or plain clause or sentence of Scripture ancient Fathers or any one Generall Councill or any example of the Primitive Church I here promise that I will give over my opinion and subscribe to him Yea I further promise that if any of all our Adversaries be able clearly and plainly to prove in manner aforesaid that it was then lawfull for a Priest to pronounce the words of consecration closely and in silence to himself or that the Priest had then authority to offer up Christ unto his Father or to receive the Sacrament for another as they now do or apply the virtue of Christs death and passion to any man by means of the Mass or that then it was thought a sound doctrine to teach the people that the Mass ex opere operato is able to remove our sinnes or that any Christian man called the Sacrament his Lord and God or that the people were then taught to beleeve that the Body of Christ remaineth in the Sacranent so long as that bread remaineth without corruption or that a Mouse Worm or other creature may eat the Body of Christ or that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion As I said before so say I new again if any of them can clearly prove any of these things in the manner aforesaid I promise to yeeld and subscribe unto him Indeed they have long boasted of Antiquity c. but when they are put to their proofs they can produce nothing I speake not this out of arrogancy thou Lord knowest it that knowest all things but because it is in the cause of God and for asserting his Truth I should doe God great injury if I should conceal it He was very bountifull in relieving the poor and wise in composing litigious strifes Besides his publick employments he read much and wrote much scarce any yeare in all the time of his Bishoprick passed wherein he published not some famous work or other Diu vixit licet non diâ— fuit He lived long in that short scantling of his life At Meales a Chapter being first read he recreated himself with Scholastical combats between young Scholars whom he maintained at his table the conquerors were bountifully rewarded After Meals his doors and eares were open to all suits and causes and then he retired to his study At nine a clock at night he called all his servants to an account how they had spent that day and after prayer admonished them accordingly Then he returned to his study where often he sate till after midnight When he was layd in bed one that waited upon him read some part of an Author to him which done commending himself to the protection of his Saviour he took his rest His memory was raised by art to the highest pitch of humane possibility for he could readily repeat any thing that he had penned after once reading it And therefore usually at the ringing of the bell he beganne to commit his Sermons to heart and kept what he learned so firmely that he used to say That if he were to make a speech premeditated before a thousand Auditors shouting of fighting all the while yet could he say all that he had provided to speak Many barbarous and hard names out of a Callender and forty strange words VVelsh Irish c. after once or twice reading at the most and short meditation he could repeat both forwards and backwards without hesitation And Sir Francis Bacon reading onely to him the last clauses of tenne lines in Erasmus his Paraphrase in a confused and dismembred manner he sitting silent a while on a sudden rehearsed all those broken parcels of sentences the right way and the contrary without stumbling Long before his sickness he fore-told the approaching and in his sicknesse the precise day of his death And hee was so farre from declining it that by fasting labour and watching he seemed rather to accelerate it that he might be the readier to entertain death and meet his Saviour Being very weak as he was going to preach at Lacock in Wiltshâ—re a Gentleman meeting him friendly admonished him to returne home for his healths sake telling him that it was better the people should want one Sermon then be altogether deprived of such a Preacher To whom he replyed That it best became a Bishop to die preaching in a
History He had two Wives the first of which was Bullingers daughter who died without issue by the second who was Gualters daughter he had three sons and one daughter He was tall of stature fat fair and strong but that he was somewhat weakned by the Gout He had such an amiable face that his sweet manners might bee seen in his countenance as in a glass In his habit and diet he was neither too sumptuous nor too fordid best liking cleanlinesse and neatness Scripsit Praelectiones in Exodum De aeterno Dei Filio adversus Arianos Tritheitas Samosetaninos Adversus eosdem de S. Sancto Narrationem veterum controversiarum de una â—ersonâ— duabus naturis Christi c. cum multis aliis The particulars you may find in Verheiden The Life of Immanuel Tremelius who died A no Christi 1580. IMmanuel Tremelius was born in Ferrara having a Jew to his Father who so educated him that hee was very skilfull in the Hebrew Tongue Hee was converted by PeterMartyr and went with him to Lucca where he taught Hebrew From thence he went with him to Strasborough and from thence into England under King Edward the sixth after whose death he returned into Germany And in the School of Hornback under the Duke of Bâ—â—â—â—t he taught Hebrew From thence he was called to Heidleberg under Frederick the third Elector Palatine where he was Professor of the Hebrew tongue and translated the Syriack Testament into Latine There also he set upon the Translation of the Bible out of Hebrew associated to himself in that work Fr. Junius who after the death of Tremelius perused the whole work and by adding many things rather made it larger then better in some mens judgement In his old age he left Heidleberg and by the Duke of Bulloin was called to be Hebrew Professor in his new University of Sedan where he dyed Anno Christi 1580 and of his Age seventy He wrote a Chalde and Syriack Grammer hee published the New Testament in Latine and Syriack An exposition upon the Prophet Hosea Together with Junius he translated the Hebrew Bible adding short annotations And lastly Bucers Lectures upon the Epistle to the Ephesians The Life of Peter Boquine who died Anno Christi 1582. PEter Boquinus was borne in Aquitane and being in his youth brought up in learning he entred into a Monastery at Biturg where he was made the Prior and was very much beloved of all the Convent But it pleased God in the midst of all his riches and honours to discover the Truth to him and thereupon after the example of Luther Bucer Oecolampadius and Peter Martyr he resolved to leave all and to follow Christ whose example divers of the Friers also followed From thence he went toward Wittenberg being very desirous to be acquainted with Luther and Melancthon whose fame was very great and some of whose works he had met with and read and so travelling through Germany he came to Basil where he wintered by reason of the Plague very rife at that time in many Countries There he diligently heard the Lectures of Myconius Caralostadius and Sebastian Munster Anno Christi 1542 from thence he went to Lipsich where he stayed three weeks and so went to Wittenberg Coming hither he had some converse with Luther but more with Melancthon And whilst he was there Bucer sent to Melancthon to request him to send an able man to Strasborough to supply Calvins place who was now gone back to Geneva whereupon Melancthon requested Boquine to goe thither which he accordingly did and began to read upon the Epistle to the Galatians Shortly after Peter Martyr came thither also But Bucer being sent for by the Arch-bishop of Collen to assist him in the reformation of his Churches Boquine finding that the Ecclesiasticall and Scholasticall affaires went but slowly forward in his absence upon the request of his brother who was a Doctor of Divinity and not altogether estranged from the Reformed Religion he resolved to goe back into France and so taking Basil in his way he went to Geneva where he heard Calvin preach and had some speech with him and from thence to Biturg where he lived with his brother the Doctor mentioned before and when some hope began to appear that the Churches of France would be reformed at the instigation of his brother he began publickly to read Hebrew and to expound the Scriptures About that time Francis King of France being dead the Queen of Navar came into those parts about the marriage of her daughter to whom Boquine went and presented her with a book written with his own hand about the necessity and use of the holy Scriptures and her daughter with another concerning our spiritual husband Jesus Christ whereupon she took him into her Patronage and allowed him a yearly stipend out of her treasury appointing him to preach a publick Lecture in the great Church in Biturg Whereunto also the Arch-Bishop consented Shortly after the Queen of Navar dying there succeeded to her King Henries sister as in name and stock so also in Doctrine and Piety not unlike her Whereupon Boquine went and presented her with a book which he had written De homine perfecto which she took so gratefully that she confirmed his former stipend to him and he made use of that favour so long as he thought his labours were not unprofitable to the Church but when he saw that there was no hope of any further Reformation in France and that his enemies lay in wait for his life he gave it over of his own accord At that time he underwent the bitter hatred of some Friers and other enemies of the truth by whom his life was in great danger For he was summoned to appear before the Parliament of Paris and then before the Arch-Bishop of Biturg where his life was sought but God raised up some men to stand for him whereby he was delivered from the present danger Then did he resolve to fly into England but hearing of King Edwards death he altered his purpose and by the perswasion of a friend he resolved to returne to his people in Germany and so accordingly accompanied with two young men he went to Strasborough and when he had scarce been there a month it so fell out that the French Church in that place wanted a Pastor and chose him to that office yet for sundry reasons he refused to accept of it till by the perswasion of John Sturmius and some other friends he was content to preach to them till they could provide them another That place he discharged for about the space of four months conflicting with many difficulties and meeting with much trouble by reason of the improbity and perfidiousnesse of some At the end of which time the Senat with the consent of the Church appointed Peter Alexander to be their Pastor and so Boquine
before his death he professed to Doctor Meier that he dyed in the same Faith that he had taught others that he had earnestly besought God to provide his people of an able and faithful Pastor c. concluding O praeclarum illum diem cùm ad illud animarum concilium coelumque proficiscar cùm ex hac turba colluvione discedam O happy day when I may depart out of this troublesom and sinfull world and go to Heaven to those blessed soules before departed He used to say Pontifici Romano Erasmum plus nocuisse jocando quà m Lutherum stomachando Writing to Chytraeus he said Si non amplius in his terris te visurus sum ibi tamen conveniemus ubi Luthero cum Zuinglio optimè jam convenit If we never see one another again in this world yet wee shall meet in that place where Luther and Zuinglius agree very well together He used to be up at his study Winter and Summer before sun-rising and spent all the day in Prayer Writing Reading and visiting of the sick He was so famous that many Princes Noblemen and young Gentlemen came from forreign countries to see and hear him He was very dutifull to his parents liberal to a poor brother which he had Temperate in food and apparel all his life long Courteous and affable to every man respectfull to all degrees studious of love and concord amongst the good especially Scholars as his many Epistles shew Many desired to sojourn with him whose bodies he fed with food and minds with pleasant and profitable discourses and sage Apothegmes In bearing wrongs hee was very patient never seeking reveng Scripsit Epitomen Bibliorum Charact. Christianorum Enarrationes aliquot Psalmorum Prophetarum ut Haggai Jonae Habacuc Obadiae Malachiae Danielis 5 priorum cap. Explanationem Mat. Exeg Epistolae aâ— Romanos Col. Heb. Joh. Historiam Ecclesiasticam Chron. Historiae Evangelicae R. ABBAT The Life of Robert Abbat who died A no Christi 1618. RObert Abbat was born at Guilford in the Countie of Surrey Anno Christi 1560 of honest Parents who carefully educated him in learning and when he was fit they sent him to Oxford where he was admitted into Baliol Colledge in which place he followed his studies very hard took all his degrees till he commenced Doctor in Divinity and for his excellent learning and exemplary life he was chosen first Master of the Colledge and afterwards the Regius Professor in which place he succeeded Doctor Thomas Holland and for five years space performed his office so excellently that Anno Chr. 1615 he was by King James preferred to the Bishoprick of Salisbury Whilst he was there he made that learned and solid work De gratia perseverantia Sanctorum He was also very diligent and faithful in the execution of his office But partly by reason of the burthen and care of his place partly by his sedentary life being so hard a student he had a stone bred in his kidneys which put him to intollerable pain yet hee bore the same with invincible patience Till finding his end to approach he called his Family together and began to make before them a Confession of his Faith yet with some pauses by reason of his pains and faintness whereupon some of his friends told him that he need not put himself to that trouble having so fully declared the same in his learned and Orthodox writings This counsel he approved and therefore said to them That Faith which I haue published and defended in my writings is the truth of God and therein I die and so presently after he yeelded up his soul to God Anno Christo 1618 and of his age 58. The Life of William Cowper who died A no Christi 1619. WIlliam Cowper was born in Edenborough and at eight years old was sent by his Father to Dunbar-School where in four years he learn'd the whole course of Grammar and profited above his equals and at that time did God begin to reveal himself to him Many times when he was in the School he used to â—ift up his heart unto God begging of him knowledge and understanding and alwaies as he went to Church he sent up this ejaculation to heaven Lord bow nine ear that I may hear thy word At his entry into his thirteenth year his father sent for him home to Edenburgh and presently after he went to Saint Andrews where he continued to his sixteenth year in the study of Philosophy but made no great progress therein yet the seed of grace was stil working in him inclining him to a careful hearing and penning of Sermons and other Theological Lectures During his abode at Saint Andrews Sathan working upon corrupt nature sought oft to trap him in his snares but as himself testifies the Lord in mercy forgave the vanities and ignorances of his youth and preserved him from such falls as might have made him a 〈◊〉 to the Saints and a reproach to his enemies At the Age of sixteen years he returned to his parents at Edenburgh who propos'd to him sundry courses of life but his heart was stil enclined to the study of the holy Scriptures whereupon he resolved to goe into England and the Lord provided him a place at Hoddesdon eighteen miles from London just as he had spent all his money which he brought with him out of Scotland where he was entertained by one Mr. Gutherie a Scotchman to assist him in teaching of a School There he remained three quarters of a year and then having occasion to goe to London he was unexspectedly called to the service of Master Hugh Broughton with whom he continued a year and a half and daily exercised himself in the study of Divinity At nineteen years old he returned again to Edenburgh where he lived with his elder brother then one of the Ministers in that City who much furthered him in his former studies and at last he was required to give a proof of his gifts privately which he did in the New Church before Master Robert Pont and Master Robert Rollock and somâ— others by whom he was commanded to preach in publick also Being twenty years old he was sent by the Authority of the General Assembly which then was met at Edenburgh to be the Pastor at Bothkenner in Sterlingshire but when he came thither he found in the Church besides ruinous wals neither roof nor doors nor pulpit nor seats nor windows yet it pleased God to give such a blessing to his Ministry that within half a year the Parishioners of their own accord built and adorned the Church in as good a quality as any round about it There he continued seven or eight years yet subject to great bodily infirmities by reason of the wetnesse of the soil and the moistness of the air and in that time dâ—d God begin to acquaint him
for him to stay here He answered If I shall find favour in the eyes of God he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation and if otherwise lo here I am let him do what seemeth good in his eyes 2 Sam. 15. 25 26. And being asked of another if he could be content to live if God would grant it him he said I grant that life is a great blessing of God neither will I neglect any means that may preserve it and do heartily desire to submit to Gods will but of the two I infinitely more desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. To those that came to visit him in his sicknesse he gave very godly and wise exhortations He thanked God for his wonderful mercy in pulling him out of hell in sealing his Ministry by the Conversion of Souls which he wholy ascribed to his glory A week before his death he called for his Wife and desired her to bear his Dissolution with a Christian Fortitude and turning to his children he told them that they should not now expect that in regard of his weaknesse he should say any thing to them he had formerly told them enough and hoped they would remember it and hee verily beleeved that none of them durst think to meet him at the great Tribunal of Christ in an unregenerate state Some of his neighbours moved that as he had in his Ministry discovered to them the exceeding comforts that were in Christ so he would now tel them what he felt in his soul Alass sayd he doe you looke for that now from me that want breath and power to speake I have told you enough in my Ministry yet to satisfie you I am by the wonderful mercies of God as full of comfort as my heart can hold and feel nothing in my soul but Christ with whom I heartily desire to be Then seeing some weeping he said Oh what a deal ado there is before one can dye When the very pangs of Death were upon him some of his dear friends coming to take their leave of him he caused himself to be raised up and after a few gapings for breath he said to them I am now drawing on a pace to my Dissolution hold out Faith and Patience your work will quickly be at an end Then shaking them by the hand he desired them to make sure of heaven and to remember what hee had formerly taught them protesting that it was the Truth of God as he should answer it at the Tribunal of Christ before whom he should shortly appeare and a dear friend taking him by the hand aske him if hee felt not much pain Truly no said he the greatest I feel is your cold hand and then being laid down againe not long after he yeelded up his spirit unto God Anno Christi 1631 and of his age 60. He was one of a thousand for Piety and Courage which were so excellently mixed with wisdom that they who imagined mischief against his Ministry were never able by all their plottings to doe him any more hurt then only to shew their teeth He wrote a discourse of true happiness Directions for a comfortable walking with God Insâ—â—utions for comforting afflicted Consciences A threefold Treatise of the World Sacrament of the Lords Supper and Fasting De quatuor novissimis Laus Deo W. WHATELIE The Life of William Whately who died A no Christi 1639. WIlliam Whately was born at Banbury in Oxfordshire Anno Christi 1583 of godly and religious Parents His Father Master Thomas Whatelie was oft Major of that Town His Mother Mistris Joyce Whately carefully bred him up in the knowledge of the Scriptures from a child He was also trained up in learning in the best Schools in those parts and being of a quick apprehension a clear judgement and a most happy memory He profited so much both in Latine Greek and Hebrew that at fourteen yeares old he went to Christs Colledge in Cambridge There he was an hard Student and quickly became a good Logician and Philosopher a strong Disputant and an excellent Orator He studied also Poetrie and Mathematicks He was a constant hearer of Doctor Chaderton and Master Perkins And his Tutor calling his Pupills to an account what they had learned when any was at a stand he would say Whately what say you And he would repeat as readily as if he had preached the Sermon himself Being Batechelor of Arts his Father tooke him home yet there also he followed his study Afterwards he married a Wife the Daughter of Master George Hunt an eminent Preacher who perswaded him to enter into the Ministry and therefore going to Oxford he Commenced Master of Arts and presently after hee was called to be a Lecturer at Banbury which he performed with good approbation for foure yeares and then was called to the Pastoral charge there in which place he continued untill his death He was of a quick understanding of a clear and deep judgement of a most firme memory and of a lively spirit Hee was naturally Eloquent and had words at will He was of an able body and sound lungs and of a strong and audible voice And according to his matter in hand he was a Boaâ—erges a sonne of Thunder and yet upon occasion a Barnabas a sonne of sweet Consolation and which was the Crowne of all God gave him an heart sincerely to seek his glory and to aime at the saving of all their soules that heard him His speech and praching was not in the inticing words of mans wisdomâ— but in the Demonstration of the Spirit and Power He was an Apollos eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures He catechized and preached twice every Lords day and a weakly Lecture besides yet what he preached was before well studyed and premeditated He usually penned his Sermons at large and if he had but so much time as to read over what he had written and to gather it up into short heads he was able to deliver it well near in the same words His Sermons were plaine yet very Scriptural according to the Rules of Art and right reason Hee made use of his Grammar learning in Greek and Hebrew to examine his Text by Then of Rhetorick to discover what formes of speech in his Text were genuine and used in their proper signification and what was elegantly clothed in Tropes and Figures that hee might unfold them Then by a Logicall examining of the context he searched out the true scope of the Holy Ghost in the words His Doctrines which hee insisted on were naturall not forced These he first proved by Scriptures then by other arguments and reasons and in his Applications he either confirmed some profitable truth which might be questioned or convinced men of some error or reproved some vice or exhorted to some duty or resolved some doubt or case of Conscience or comforted such as
and being very ready in the sacred Scriptures he always closed up his answer with some sutable Texâ— which was very grateful to the hearers He also sometimes preached in private being directed therein by Luke Tralcatius an Eloquent Preacher and the first publick Sermon which he preached was at Voorschoten in a great concourse of people who expected no ordinary thing from him And so Wallaeus was now judged fit by his Masters to enter into the Ministry But though he abundantly satisfied others yet could he not satisfie himself whereupon he resolved before he undertook that great and difficult work that he would consult with other learned men and visit Forreign Universities and see into the Government of other Churches especially of Geneva and Helvetia whence Reformation at first proceeded and therefore getting one Apollonius Schot for his companion who was the Consuls son of Middleborough Anno Christi 1590. he sailed from Flushing into France where he visited Roan and some other Cities and so came to Paris In which City he made some stay inquiring into the Government of France and wondered that the King could exercise such an absolute Jurisdiction and yet have so much love from his People But especially he attended to their Philosophical and Thealogical Lectures which yet he disliked because they followed the Schoolmen so much though contrary to the sacred Scripture's to sound Reason and Sense After some little stay here he went to Orleance Biturg Lyons and Vienna at which place he visited the Pastors and found that through the commendations of Iunius he was better known there then he expected For some of the Neighbor Churches much importuned his stay amongst them profering him a good stipend and a Coadjutor if he would read Philosophy and Divinity amongst them But Wallaeus considering their propinquity to Geneva and Lausanna thought that there was no great need of his imployment there besides he thought that amongst strangers he should be exposed to envy where he could not have the assistance of his friends and his desire was to have some such imployment in his own Country and therefore leaving them his mony beginning to fail him he went to Gratianople and so to Geneva At Geneva he sought out such a place to sojourn in where he might best advance his studies and therefore made choice of Charles Parrots house who was a Minister of the Word and also Professor of Divinity Whilst he abode there his first care was to perfect himself in the French Tongue which he attained to by converse with the Citizens and reading French Writers so that he many times preached in French At this time the Divinity Professors in Geneva were Theodore Beza Anthony Faius and Charles Perrot Beza was now above 80 years old and had given over reading Fajus had good Learning but was neither a good Expositor nor quick Disputant Perrot was very learned and had more in him then he promised yet each of these scarce read one Lecture in a week therefore he spent most of his time in hearing Sermons which were more frequent in Geneva then in other places But above all he most admired Beza's Sermons who though he was so old yet excelled in vigor of Minde profound Learning sharp Judgement and manlike Eloquence for which the World much wondred at him He profited also very much by their Friday-meetings wherein one of the Ministers explained some texts of Scripture and when he had done the other Ministers if it needed either gave further explanations restrictions or emendations only when it came to Beza's turn to begin the other Ministers reverenced what he had said by their silence He also profited exceedingly by his frequent conferences with Beza His converse with Perrot by how much it was more frequent and familiar by so much the more grateful was it to him for he did not endeavor so much to seem as to be truly godly and learned He never held much correspondence by Letters with learned men judging that course to tend more to ostentation then to edification He liked the Government of the Church of Geneva very well where neither Wives nor Widows were shut up in their houses but dayly attended the publick Prayers and Sermons and where vices were not only punished but the occasions of them taken away by removing luxury and rigor At this time there lived a Divine in Geneva that excelled all the rest in the knowledg of the Hebrew who perswaded Wallaeus that he attained to his skill in a very short time by the Art of Memory whereupon he applyed himself to him and in six weeks space learned by heart the whole Epitome of Pagnine with such excellent success that thereby he was enabled well to interpret any place of the Holy Scriptures and to give a fit reason of it But for some reasons disliking this way of Learning he laid it aside and made little further use of it About this time Henry Steven dyed and being in debt his Books were publickly sold for a little to satisfie his Creditors upon which occasion Wallaeus bought a whole Library of Greek Authors in reading whereof he much refreshed his minde after his more serious studies Not far from Geneva is the mountain of Jura whose top is much above the clouds whereupon Wallaeus had a great desire to go to the top of it to see what was done in the other Region of the Ayr Therefore joyning to himself the company of Charles Perrot the City Secretary and a third friend in the longest days in May they went to the foot of this hill where they lodged all night and very early next morning two Shepheards leading them by the hands they began to climbe up the Mountain and about noon began to enter into the middle Region of the Ayr where they found it extream cold and the Mountain was covered with great hils of Ice only on the South side some paths appeared by which they ascended and towards the Evening came to the top which contained about ten Acres of land the Precipice was so great that they were afraid to look down but when they lay along upon the ground from whence the Villages seemed no bigger then Wals and other Mountains seemed like Molehils In this top there was neither Ice or Snow the ayr was very cold yet thin and pure And being all Musical they began to sing which sounded far more sweetly then in any part of the lower World At last as on one side they beheld France and on the other side Italy they observed vapors to ascend out of the Lake of Leman which stayed about the Mountain then gathered together and at last became a thick cloud so that it wholly took away their sight of the Earth and when night was come they began to descend and after a while entred into the cloud where they could wash their hands and when they had passed this cloud it was dissolved into rain which wet them through and
in Latin but Hierom reckons him amongst the Greek Fathers and even till this day some of his Works are extant in Greek which shews him to be a Grecian Varia scripsit sed soli qainque libri adversus Haereses eodie supersunt TERTVLLIAN The Life of Tertullian who dyed An. Christ. 202. TErtullian was born in Carthage his Father was a Centurion of the Proconsular Order He was carefully educated in all manner of learning wherein he profited so much that Lactantius saith of him he was in omni genere doctrine peritus skilled in all kinde of Learning Hierom saith that his Works contained cunctam seculi Doctrinam all sorts of Learning Vincentius Lyrinensis saith Inter Latinos omnes hic facile princeps judicandus that amongst the Latine Fathers he was of chiefest account His Works which he hath left to us shew that he was excellently versed in Physicks Mathematicks and History He was eminent for his study of and knowledge in the Civil Law Afterward falling to the study of Divinity he attained to such excellent skill therein that at Rome he was made a Presbyter where he remained to the middle of his age He flourished under the Emperor Severus Anno Christi 183. And burning in holy zeal he became a great opposite to the Hereticks of those times Marcion Valentinian Praxea Hermogenes c. He was very expert both in Greek and Latin and had great acuteness in disputing and writing eloquently as his Books do sufficiently declare So that Vincentius Lyrinensis saith that the force of his arguments was such that whom he could not perswade them he compelled to consent to him God raised him in the time of great Persecution to be as a pillar or stay to his poor afflicted Church For when the Christians were vexed with wrongs and falsly accused by the Gentiles Tertullian taking their cause in hand defended them against their Persecutors and their slanderous accusations shewing that they never intended aâ—â— stirs or rebellions either against the Empire or Emperors of Rome for so much as the manner of Christians was to pray for the prosperous estate of their Governors And whereas they were falsely accused to be enemies to mankinde how can that be saith he when as the proper office of Christians is to pray for all men to love their Enemies never requiting evil for evil whereas all others do profess only to love their friends and starcely them and as touching the horrible slander of murthering Infants how can that be true saith he in the Christians whose custom is to abstain from all blood and things strangled so that it is not lawful for them when they feed at their Tables to meddle with the blood of any Beast And as for filthy copulations no sort of men are more free then they who have ever been the greatest observers of chastily and if they could have chosen to live in perpetual Virginity all their lives long if they could not their manner is to contract Matrimony for the avoiding all Whoredom and Fornication Neither can it be proved that the Christians do Worship the Sun which false surmise saith he ariseth only from this Because they use to pray towards the East Much less was there any of them so mad as to Worship an Asses Head the occasion of which slander arose from the Jews worshipping the Jaw bone of an Ass from the story of Sampson which therefore was falsely and wrongfully charged upon the Christians Likewise against all other lyes and slanders raised by the Heathen against the Christians he clearly purgeth them and evidently proves that they were persecuted not for any deserts of theirs but only out of an hatred to their name and Profession He sheweth also that by those grievous persecutions the Religion or number of Christians was nothing impaired but increased rather The more saith he we are mown down by you the more we rise up The blood of the Christians proves the seed of the Church For what man saith he beholding the painful torments and the perfect patience of the Christians will not search and enquire into the cause and when he hath found it out will not consent and agree to both and when he agreeth to it who will not be willing and desirous to suffer for it So that this Profession can never be extirpated seeing the more it is cut down the more it encreaseth For every man seeing and wondering at the sufferings of the Saints is moved thereby the more to search into the cause and in searching he finds it and in finding he follows it And as Tertullian thus bestirred himself in defending the innocency of the Christians so he compiled many excellent and fruitful Works whereof some are extant others are not to be found By these excellent Apologies of his he perswaded the Emperor Severus to savour the Christians who prayed for his prosperity and imputed the slaughter of his Subjects at Byzartium as a just judgement upon them for the effusion of so much Christian blood Having written excellently against the Hereticks of his time in the end of his Book he made a Catalogue of all the Hereticks that then tore the Bowels of the Church Yea he continued these labours when the Persecution was at the hottest not hiding his head though the times were so dangerous Once in great triumph all the Emperour Severus his Souldiers for the greater pomp were to put on Crowns of Bayes but one Christian Souldier there was amongst them who wore it on his Arm and being demanded the reason he boldly answered Non decet Christianum in hac vita Coronari that a Christian ought not to wear his Crown in this life Upon which occasion Tertullian wrote his Book De Corona Militis Cyprian when he would read Tertullian used to say Da Magistrum give me my Master His manner was constantly to pray thrice a day at the third sixth and ninth hours Writing De quatuor novissimis of Death Judgment Heaven and Hell he saith Haec nos aliquando risimus cum de vobis fuimus fiunt non nascuntur Christiani I sometimes scoffed at these things when I was a Heathen I now perceive that we are not born but made Christians He was converted by reading the Scriptures and the labours of other learned and holy men In reading the Scriptures he found them full of Majesty and truth And saith he Quicquid agitur praenunciabatur Whatsoever is done was in them foretold and after his conversion he was taken up night day in the reading of them and did with great pains get much of them by heart and that so exactly that he knew each period He highly commended Severus for that knowing many Noble men and women to be Christians he did not only not punish them but greatly praised them and did publickly withstand such as were their enemies Yet notwithstanding the great Learning and famous Vertues of this worthy
retained his constancy and courage Preaching the Gospel with all diligence and painfulness striving to convert many to Christ not troubling the Church with Schism nor yet requiting his Adversary with ill language but on the contrray speaking well of his slanderers The principal place wherein he taught was â—aesarea of Palestine where he instructed many in the Faith and saw the fruits of his labours in the Conversion of many to God which afterwards proved famous in the Church of Christ. Mammaea also the Mother of Alexander Severus the Emperour hearing of his fame sent for him to Antioch and after she had been instructed by him in the Christian Faith dismissed him honourably After this he wrote a learned Epistle to Philip the Emperour who was deemed the first Christian King of the Romans He reclaimed Ambrose from the heresie of the Marcionites He never affected wealth but contented himself in a low condition whereas having so many and great friends he might have abounded in wealth if he had pleased Afterwards he returned to Alexandria again and laboured hard in the affairs of the Church so that he continued above the space of 52 years in Teaching Writing Confuting Exhorting and Expounding the Scriptures even to the time of Decius and Gallus Divers and great persecutions he sustained and sometimes was so eagerly pursued that scarce any shifting of Place or Country could preserve him In the Reign of Decius for the Doctrine of Christ he under-went bands and torments in his body rackings with bars of Irons Dungeons besides terrible threats of death and burning and divers and sundry other torments which he manfully and constantly suffered for Christ. At length hearing that some Christians were carried to an Idol-Temple to force them to Sacrifice he out of his zeal ran thither to encourage and disswade them from it This was the opportunity which his Adversaries expected and therefore letting go the other they laid hold upon him putting him to his choice whether he would offer Incense to the Idol or have his body defiled with a fowl and ugly Black-More which they had prepared for the purpose Origen being in a miserable straight at last chose rather to offer Incense then to have his chast body polluted by so filthy a creature Then did they presently put Incense into his trembling hands and whilest he demurred upon it they took his hands and caused him to throw it into the fire whereupon they presently cryed out Origen hath sacrificed Origen hath sacrificed After which fact he was excommunicated by the Church and so being filled with shame and sorrow he left Alexandria and went into Judea and when he came to Jerusalem being well known for his learned Expositions and gift of Utterance he was intreated by the Ministers to bestow a Sermon upon the People in the Church and open Assembly and after much importunity being in a manner constrained thereto he stood up took his Bible opened it and the first place that he cast his eye upon was this portion of Scripture Vnto the wicked saith God Why dost thous Preach my Laws and takest my Covenant into thy Mouth Which Text so soon as he had read he clapsed the Book sat down and burst out into abundance of tears the whole Congregation weeping with him also so that he was unable to say any more unto them After this he wandred up and down in great greif and torment of Conscience and wrote this Lamentation In the bitterness and grief of mind I go about tâ— speak unto them Which hereafter shall read this confused writing But how can I speak when my tongue is tyed up and my lips dare not once move or wag My tongue doth not his office my throat is dryed up and all my senses and instruments are polluted with iniquity But I will proceed and first I will fall to the ground on my bare knees and make my humble supplication unto the Saints that they will help me filthy wretch which by reason of my sins dare not crave ought at the hands of God O ye Saints and blessed of God with waterish eyes and wet cheeks soaked in dolour and pain I beseech you to fall down before the Seat of Almighty God for me miserable sinner Wo is me because of the sorrow of my heart wo is me that my Soul is thus afflicted wo is me that I am compassed thus on every side and shut up in my sin so that there is no health in me Wo is me my Mother that ever thou broughtest me forth for a skilful Lawyer to be overthrown in his unrighteous dealing for a religious man to fall into extream impiety Wo is me my Mother that broughtest me forth a righteous man to be conversant in unrighteousness an heir of the Kingdom of God to be now an inheritor of the Kingdom of the Devil A Minister to be found wallowing in impiety A man beautified with honour and dignity to be in the end blemished with shame and ignominy yea beset with many evils and choaked with infamous doings Wo is me my Mother that broughtest me forth a lofty Turret yet suddenly thrown to the ground a fruitful Tree yet quickly withered a burning light yet forthwith darkened A running Fountain yet by and by dryed up Wo is me that ever I was decked with Gifts and Graces and now seem pityfully deprived of all But who will minister moisture to my head and who will give streams of tears unto mine eyes that I may bewail my self in this my sorrowful plight Alass O my Ministry how shall I lament thee O all ye my friends tender my case and pitty my person that am so dangerously wounded Pity me O ye all my friends who am now become an abject person Pity me O ye my friends for that I am now with sorrow come to naught Pity me O ye my friends for that I have now trodden under foot the Seal and Cognizance of my Profession and joined in league with the Devil Pity me O ye my friends for that I am rejected and cast away from before the Face of God It is for my lewd life that I am thus polluted and branded with open shame The Lord hath made and engrafted me into a fruitful vine but instead of pleasant clusters I have brought forth pricking thorns instead of grapes I have brought forth brambles But let the Wel-springs of tears be stirred up and let my cheeks be watered let them flow upon the Earth and moisten it for that I am born in iniquity and souked in sin c. Alas what have I felt and how am I faln Alas how am I thus come to naught There is no sorrow comparable to my sorrow there is no affliction that exceedeth my affliction no bitterness that passeth my bitterness no lamentation more lamentable then mine neither is there any sin greater then my sin and there is no salve for me Where is that good Sipherd of
impiety unless thou hadst withdrawn thine hand from me But it is thy pleasure O Lord which art good to do all things graciously and I on the other side being a fool have foolishly fallen But why O Lord hast thou shut my mouth by thy holy Prophet David Haâ—e I been the first that sinned Or am I the first that fell Why hast thou thus forsaken me being desolate and rejected and banished me from amongst thy Saints and astonished me when I should preach thy Laws What man is he that is born of woman that sinneth not What man is he that was ever conversant here on earth and did no iniquity Thus I say because thou hast forsaken me David himself who hath shut up my mouth sinned too bad in thy sight yet upon his repentance thou receivedst him to mercy Peter that was a pillar after his fall wiped it away with salt tears not continuing long in the puddle of his infidelity But they in favour were thought worthy of mercy Wo is me that I fell most wickedly Wo is me that my adventure in this thing proved so unfortunate But now I humbly beseech thee O Lord call me back for that I tread a most perilous and destructive way Grant me that good Guid and Instructer the Holy Ghost that I be not made a pricking Hedge-hog and become an habitation of Devils but that I may tread under foot the devil that trod upon me overcoming his sleights may be again restored to the joys of thy salvation Remember not O Lord the iniquity of thine humble suiter Remember not O Lord mine iniquity who made answer with wicked language Now all ye which behold my wound tremble for fear and take heed that ye slumber not nor fall into the like crime but rather let us assemble together and rendour hearts and provoke streams of tears to gush out of our heads for when these run and flow upon the earth there will follow remission of sins the pains will be avoided and the torments shall not be felt I mourn and am sorry from the heart-root O ye my friends that ever I so fell I am fallen and am bruised so that there is no health in me Let the Angels lament over me because of this my dangerous fall Let the Assemblies of the Saints lament over me for that I am severed from their blessed societies Let the holy Church lament over me for that I am wofully declined Let all the people lament over me for that I have my deaths wound I see the clouds in the skie shadowing the light from me and the Sun hiding his bright beams You all do now see that the Prophet David hath shut my mouth I was constrained by the Bishops to speak some words of Exhortation and taking the Book of Psalms into my hands I prayed and opened the Book and I lighted upon this sentence which I am ashamed to repeat yet compelled to pronounce Unto the wicked saith God Why dost thou preach my Laws and takest my Covenant in thy mouth But bewail me and lament this my bitter sorrow bewail me that am in the like case with the reprobate Jews for that which was said unto them by the Prophet now soundeth alike in mine ears What shall I do that am thus beset with manifold mischiefs Alas O death why dost thou linger Herein thou doest spite and bear me malice O Satan what mischief hast thou wrought unto me How hast thou pierced my breast with thy poysonous dart Thinkst thou that my ruine will avail thee any thing at all Thinkst thou to procure to thy self any ease or rest whilst that I am grievously tormented Who is able to signifie unto thee whether my sins be not wiped and done away Whether I have not escaped the pains which I grievously feared Who is able to signifie unto thee whether I shall not again be coupled with and made a companion to the Saints O Lord I fall down before thy Mercy-seat have mercy upon me who mourn thus out of measure because I have greatly offended I shed many salt and bitter tears and every living creature hath lamented my miserable condition Why hast thou broken down my hedge and strong holds The wild Boar out of the Wood hath destroyed me and the wild beasts of the field have eaten me up Rid my soul O Lord from the roaring Lion The Assembly of the Saints doth make intercession for me who am an unprofitable servant Shew mercy O Lord to thy wandring sheep which is subject to the rending teeth of the ravenous wolf Save me O Lord out of his mouth suffer me not to become the sacrifice of sin But send down upon me thy holy Spirit that with his fiery countenance he may put to flight the crooked fiend of Hell that I may be brought home again by thy Wisdom that the Bill of Sin written against me may be blotted out that my lamentation may cease in the evening and that I may receive joy in the morning Let my sackcloth be rent asunder and gird me with joy and gladness Let me be received again into the joy of my God Let me be thought worthy of his Kingdom through the earnest Petitions of the Church which sorroweth over me and humbleth her self to Jesus Christ in my behalf To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all glory and honour for ever and ever Amen Whilst Origen was a Catechist at Alexandria finding himself not sufficient neither able alone to search out the profound mysteries of the holy Scripture neither the interpretation and right sense thereof because of the multitude that frequented his School from morning till night in several companies one succeeding another so that he wanted leisure for his private studies he ordained Heraclas his familiar friend who was expert in the holy Scripture and a profound Philosopher to be his fellow-helper committing to him the instruction of the inferior sort which were lately come to the Faith reserving to himself the teaching of those that were farther better entred Having also a great desire to search out the deep mysteries of the holy Scriptures he studied the Hebrew Tongue and bought Copies that were used amongst the Jews He searched out also other translations besides the vulgar as that of Aquila of Symachus and of Theodosion These being compacted together in one Volume and the Pages divided into several Columns setting each copy against other and adding the Hebrew to them he published the fame and intituled it Hexapla When the rumour was now every where spread abroad of the same of Origen many learned men came to try the truth of his Doctrine and to have experience of his utterance in preaching yea many Hereticks and famous Philosophers resorted to him and were converted by him Origen was the first that wrote Commentaries upon the sacred Scriptures being earnestly sollicited thereto by Ambrose who for his encouragement made him large allowance for his necessary expences furnishing him
with above seven swift Notaries who wrote that which he dictated to them Whilest he continued at Alexandria there came a Souldier with Letters from the Governour of Arabia to Demerius the Bishop of that Sea and to the Lieutenant of Egypt desiring them with all speed to send Origen to him which might communicate to him some part of his Doctrine Hereupon he took his voyage into Arabia and instructed the Governour thereof and hearing that Beryllus Bishop of Bostra inâ— Arabia taught that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ before his incarnation had no being and that he had no proper Divinity but only his Fathers Divinity dwelling in him about which Heresie many Bishops had dealt with him by conference and disputation and yet could not reclaim him Origen was sent for who conferred with him at first to finde the ground of his opinion after which perceiving him not to believe aright he rebuked him perswaded him with reasons convinced him by manifest proofs and so restored him to the truth He wrote 22. Tomes upon the Gospel of St. John 12. upon Genesis five upon the Lamentations of Ieremy Annotations upon the first five and twenty Psalms two Books of the Resurrection one of Principal Beginnings ten called Stromateis He wrote also Commentaries upon Isaiah in 30. Tomes upon Ezekiel in 25. Tomes upon the Canticks in ten Books c. Whilst Origen executed his Pastoral Office at Caesarea which was after he had left Alexandria many flocked to his Ministry not only men of that Countrey but also infinite Forreiners who forsaking their Native soil came to be his Disciples amongst whom were Theodorus and Athenodorus two brethren who after they had continued with him five years profited so much in the holy Scripture that they were ordained Bishops in Pontus And now Origen being above sixty years old and much worn and wasted by reason of his incessant studies and painfull exercises at length permitted that those things which he had publickly preached and disputed of should by his Notaries be copied out which before he would not suffer to be done About the same time also he wrote his Book against Celsus the Epicure intituled the word of truth Then 25. Tracts upon the Gospel of St. Matthew and 25 upon the Minor Prophets he wrote also above an hundred Epistles About this time there arose some Hereticks in Arabia who taught that the soul dyeth together with the body and that in the General Resurrection they should arise together and be restored to life again For which cause a Synod was congregated and Origen was sent for who so strenuously disputed against these Hereticks that he withdrew their seduced minds from this foul errour Decius succeeding Thilip in the Roman Empire raised a persecution against the Church wherein amongst others Origen suffered grievous things the spitefull Devil deadly pursuing him with his whole Troop striving against him with all the might and sleight that could be possibly invented so that for the Doctrine of Christ he sustained imprisonments torments of body scourging at Iron stakes stench of dark and loathsom dungeons and for many days his feet lay stretched four spaces asunder in the stocks all which he patiently endured together with the terrible threats of fire and all that the enemie could invent against him After all which he died under Gallus and Volusianus being 69. years old Anno Christi 220. It is to be wondred at what pious ejaculations comfortable prayers and zealous exhortations he made and gave to the Christians in the extremity of his sufferings retaining his valour and constancy to the giving up of his Ghost One saith of him Origeni nulla pars aetatis periit à studiis That Origens whole life was a continued study And another saith Origenis ingenium sufficiebat ad omnia perdiscenda that he had such pregnancy of wit that he could learn any thing that he had a wonderfull faculty in expressing himself ex tempore and that he was wondrous quick and able to explicate obscure places of Scripture Jerome stiles him Magistrum Ecclesiarum post Apostolos Another saith Quis ex Scriptoribus qui post Origenem vixeâ—â— non â—â—â—gniter ab eo est adjutus Who of all the writers that lived after Origen that was not singularly holpen by his Labours He used to say That Gods Providence hath ordained all things for some end and purpose He made not malice and though be can restrain it yet he will not For if malice were not vertue should not have a contrary and so could not shine so clear For the malice of Josephs Brethren was the means whereby God brought about many admirable works of his providence as the story sheweth Opera Origenis Tomis duobus Basiliae 1536. apud Frobenium sunt edita CIPRIAN The Life of Cyprian who dyed Anno Christi 259. CYprian was an African born in the ancient City of Carthage and being educated in the study of the Liberal Arts he profited so much therein that whilest he was young he was chosen Professor of Rhetorick Yet was he at first a Gentile and Idolator loose and profane in his practise and much addicted to the study of Magical Arts But it pleased God who had chosen him to be a vessel of mercy for his own glory to convert him by the means and Ministry of Cecilius a godly Presbyter of Carthage whose name he ever afterwards bore and through the occasion of hearing him preach upon the History of the Prophet Jonas Immediatly upon his conversion he distributed all his goods amongst the poor And the Carthagenians perceiving in him a very great zeal and ardour for the propagation of the Christian Religion they prevailed with him to be ordained a Presbyter in which office he so worthily demeaned himself that not long after he was made the Bishop of the Church of Carthage and therein gave an excellent example of Modesty Humility Charity Greatness of mind and Fidelity His modesty appeared in that in all great and weighty businesses he would never determin or act any thing of himself but by the common consent and advice of his Presbyters yea he many times called in the help and assistance of the whole Church His humility appeared in that he was never tenacious nor wilfull in his own judgement but what was wholsomly advised and counselled by his brethren and Collegues that he willingly assented to His charity was notably seen in that he did not only commend the care of the poor to his Presbyters but himself also according to his ability was alwayes forward in ministring to them The greatness of his mind appeared in this speech of his Si qui sunt c. If there be any saith he that think to adjoyn themselves to the Church not by their prayers but by their threats not by their humiliation and satisfaction when they have scandalized the Brethren but by their great words and
visit them but also administer to them Julian the Emperour having formerly known him at Athens sent and desired him to write to him which he refused to do because of his Apostasie Nay Valence the Emperour when he persecuted the Orthodox and had put eighty Presbyters into a Vessel thinking to have burnt them at Sea yet meeting Basil he spake him fair and sent also to him by many messengers to win him to that Heresie yet neither threats nor promises could once move him for when the messenger gave him good language and promised him great preferment he answered Alas Sir these speeches are fit to catch little children that look after such things but we that are taught and nourished by the Holy Scriptures are readier to suffer a thousand deaths then to suffer one syllable or tittle of the Scriptures to be altered And when Modestus the Praefect asked him Know ye not who we are that command it No body said Basil whilst you command such things Know ye not said the Praefect that we have honours to bestow upon you to which he answered They are but changeable like your selves Hereupon in a rage he threatned to confiscate his goods to torment him to banish or kill him to which he answered He need not fear confiscation that hath nothing to lose nor banishment to whom Heaven only is a Country nor torments when his body would be dasht with own blow nor death which is the only way to set him at liberty the Praefect told him that he was mad to whom he replyed Opto me in aeternum sic delirà re I wish that I may for ever be thus mad yet the Praefect gave him that night to resolve what to do but he was the same next morning whereupon the Praefect related all to the Emperour who went to Church with intentions to have disturbed him in his holy duties but seeing his reverend carriage he was so convinced that he made a large offering which Basil refused as coming from an Heretick At another time the Praefect sending for him commanded him to comply with the Emperour in his opinion or else threatned him with death whereupon Basil unfeignedly and freely spake his minde about the Emperours opinion withall highly commending the Faith Of One Substance and whereas saith he you threaten me with death would it would fall out so well on my side that I might lay down this carkase of mine in the quarrel of Christ and in the defence of his Truth who is my Head and Captain Then said the Praefect Be not so rash in thy answer second thoughts may prove better and therefore I give thee this day and night to consider further of it and to morrow I will expect thy answer desiring that thou mayst not wilfully cast away thy self Whereupon Basil replyed I have no need to take further Counsel about this matter Look what I am to day the same thou shalt finde me to morrow but I pray God that thou change not thy minde For since I am a creature my self I can never be perswaded to Worship one that is like me and to acknowledge him for God or to conform my self to thine and the Emperours Religion For though you be Illustrious Persons and command a great part of the World yet must not I submit to your wils being but men nor obey you with the neglect of my Faith in God which God assisting I will never betray though you confiscate my goods though you banish me or torment me to death Seeing none of these things will trouble me at all As for riches truly I have none besides my torn garments and a few Books and I so dwell here in this World as one that is always ready to leave it and as for my body it is so weak that one only blow will make it insensible both of grief and torments This resolute answer caused the Praefect to dismiss him Yet after this the Arians prevailed again for his banishment but when the writing was brought to Valence to be confirmed the pens would not write the least title being often tried and when the Emperour being mad with rage still endeavoured to confirm the Edict for his banishment he was struck in his right hand with a great trembling So that at last being terrisied with these judgements of God he tore the paper in pieces So having been Bishop at Caesarea and Cappadocia eight years and an half he departed this life with these words Into thine hands O Lord I commend my spirit He used to say To know thy self is very difficult for as the Eye can see all things but it self so some can discern all faults but their own And again Divine Love is a never failing treasure he that hath it is rich and he that wanteth it is poor When he had read the Bible over he faid It 's a physitians shop of Preservatives against poysonous Heresies a pattern of profitable Laws against rebellious spirits a treasury of most costly jewels against beggerly elements and a fountain of most pure water springing up to eternal life Erasmus saith that he rather deserved the name of Maximus then of Magnus Concerning whose Eloquence saith he I take it to be a great disgrace to him if I should compare him with any of those whom the Graecians most admired and endeavoured to imitate For which of all those great Orators did so excel in Eloquence wherein something was not either wanting or offensive Did Perycles Thunder and Lighten in his Orations yet it was without Art Lysias was frozen in his Attick subtlety Phalereus had much sweetness but wanted gravity Isocrates was but the shadow of an Orator Demosthenes whom Tully maketh the compleat example of an exquisite Orator yet wanted affections and urbanity in his Orations But S. Basil was an incomparable man in whom was wanting neither Nature nor Art nor Exercise He was not only an excellent Orator but a great Philosopher and exactly skilled in all kinde of Learning But as I said before it s a disgrace to compare such a Christian with any of the Heathens It s fitter therefore to compare him with Christians like himself and truly that Age produced many excellent men famous both for their Learning and Piety as Athanasius Gregory Nazianzen John Chrysostom and Gregory Nissen And each of these excelled in their several gifts Athanasius for excellent teaching Nazianzen for his florid and acute Orations Chrysostome though he answered his sir-name by reason of his golden mouth yet he hath many superfluous words and was immoderate in his digressions Nissen was content with his pious simplicity But I know not what the most critical Reader can desire more then he shall finde in Basil He shall finde in him a simple and natural form of speech flowing from his most holy breast drained of all humane passions whatsoever Art can do is to be found in him yet without the appearance of
their large possessions whereupon she with her husband resolved to bequeath all their Revenues to the maintenance of Poor Christians Yet at last God was pleased to answer her requests giving her a son which she named Theodoret The gift of God He proved of great acuteness and in a short time profited so in Piety and in Letters that he was made a Bishop whilest he was yet a young man and shortly after he set forth that excellent work which he called The History of the Lovers of God He was a great opposer of Hereticks and wrote much against them and reduced many round about him that were Marcionites even to the hazard of his life He was wondrous charitable visiting and refreshing the bowels of the poor He was a careful imitator of Chrysostom whom he always proposed as a worthy pattern for his stile in his writings and by this means he proved very fluent and eloquent which his learned Works do plainly declare His Commentaries upon the Scriptures are very excellent wherein he resolved many of the hardest questions in the Old Testament He shewed much learning in his Divine Treatise Of Gods Providence He very strongly opened and confuted the fond conceits of abundance of Hereticks as of Simon Magus Menander Basilides Carpocrates c. A Synod being appointed at Ephesus to stop the Heresie of Nestorius and Cyril coming first thither not knowing that the Bishops of Syria were coming also he of himself condemned Nestorius which afterward caused much contention especially between Theodoret and Cyril But Theodosius junior calling them together to Constantinople by his eare and wisdom healed this breach and Theodoret and Cyril were wondrous loving each to other ever after In that famous Council of Chalcedon wherein were above six hundred Bishops he was stiled by their unanimous consent Catholicus Orthodoxus Ecclesiae Pastor Doctor sincerus A Catholick and Orthodox Pastor of the Church and a sincere Teacher of the Truth Gennadius testifieth of his writings that they were strengthened with impregnable and undeniable Arguments by which with Reasons and Testimonies of Scripture he proves and confirms that Christ was truly incarnate of the Virgin Mary Bellarmine stiles him Viram plane doctissimum An absolute learned man He wrote an Ecclesiastical History which is of great use to the Church He dyed in the reign of Theodosius junior being not very old but rather spent with labors and studies then with age He used to say That the delights of the Soul are to know her Maker to consider his Works and to know her own Estate His Works were printed in two Tomes at Collen Anno Christi 1617. Which besides his Ecclesiastical History contain Expositions upon many portions both of the Old and New Testament JEROM The Life of Hierom who dyed Anno Christi 422. HIerom was born in a Town called Stridon in the confines of Dalmatia and Pannonia Anno Christi 331. His Fathers name was Eusebius a pious and godly man who before his Country was overrun and sacked by the barbarous Goths who about this time laid all waste before them was a man of a middle and competent estate and very careful of the education of this his Son His Mother also was a religious Woman and therefore from his infancy he was trained up like another Timothy in the knowledge of Christ and of the sacred Scriptures and as he grew in years so did he also in learning and when he was a boy he was by his Parents sent to Rome at that time the most famous place both for Piety and Religion in the West where he was brought up in the study of the Liberal Sciences For they seemed to foresee that they had begotten a son for the good of the World and therefore in his Education they did not indulge their private affections but sought to promote the publick good He quickly by reason of his ingenuity became very expert both in the Greek and Latine Tongues then he became a very good Grammarian and Rhetorician having an excellent wit and being of an indefatigable disposition And it was his hap to have excellent Schoolmasters Donatus for the Grammer and Victorinus for Rhetorick who were at that time famous men in Rome Afterwards being grown riper in years he fell to the study of Philosophy of all sorts as Aristotles Platos the Stoicks c. Yet he spent not too much time herein but proceeded to the study of History Cosmography and Antiquities because he perceived that even to that time amongst the Latines Theology was but an Infant whereupon many ahhorred reading of Divinity books and therefore he thought that if a man could attain to set forth the Dignity of Theology with excellency of speech it would come more into request besides he thought by this means to stop the mouths of the Ethnicks who reproached Christians as barren and barbarous persons He had for his fellow Students Pammachius of Noble Parentage a man of such I earning and Integrity that he was solicited to be Bishop of Rome Bonosus who also proved very famous Heliodorus whose vertue advanced him to a Bishoprick Having now sufficiently profited in the knowledge of Humane Arts he proceeded to more grave and weighty studies and after the example of other worthy men for the further polishing of his minde with Wisdom and Experience he travelled all over France procuring the acquaintance of and familiarity with the most worthy men of that Country Bonosus also was his companion in these travels He was very diligent in searching the Libraries in every place where he came and at Trevir he wrote out with his own hand a great Volume of Hilary de Synodis and having much profited himself not only in Learning but Religion also after a long time he returned to visit his Countries both where he was born and where he was new born 〈◊〉 Then did he begin to consider what course of 〈…〉 take himself to and in what place to fix his habitation 〈◊〉 that it would much conduce to his comfort if he 〈…〉 such a course with judgement as was most sutable to his 〈◊〉 He seriously considered that Rome was as yet over spread with Paganism and that it was not safe for a young man to be in a place of so much pleasure which himself sometimes called Babylon He also considered that his own Country was cerrupted with barbarous pleasures as himself somewhere notes in one of his Epistles Whereupon he consulted with some of his intimate friends resolving to depart to some place where he might with more privacy follow the study of Divinity and wholly dedicate himself to Christ. It was also a great trouble to his minde to consider how Christians and Pagans were intermixed together whence it necessarily came to pass that many who professed Christ were Christians rather in name then in truth He considered further that in marriage besides other incumbrances he should
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
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
time the Duke of Lancaster sent for Wicklief from Oxford who had now proceeded so far as to teach that in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper the accidents of Bread and Wine remained not without the substance proving his Assertion by the Authority of Scriptures and the Ancient Fathers and withall rejecting such as had written upon that Argument since Anno 1000 saying that after that time Satan was loosed and men were led into many Errors These things the Bishops hated him for exceedingly yet by the favor of the Duke of Lancaster and of Henry Lord Percy he was preserved from their rage and sury till Anno Christi 1376. at which time they had prevailed with their Archibishop Simon Sudbury who had before deprived him and prohibited him to meddle any more in those matters to send forth his Citation to have him brought before them The Duke having notice hereof and fearing that he being but one should be too weak for such a multitude sent for four Batchelors of Divinity to joyn with him and for more surety when the day of his appearance was come himself with the Lord Percy Marshal of England went along with him As they went along they enconraged him not to fear the faces of the Bishops who say they are all unlearned in comparison of you neither be you troubled at the concourse of the people for we will defend you from them Being thus encouraged Wicklief approached Pauls Church where multitudes of persons were assembled to hear what should be spoken and done insomuch as the Lord Marshal could searce make way in the crowd whereupon Courtney the Bishop of London seeing what stir he made amongst the people said to him if I had known what masteries you would have plaid amongst the people I would have kept you out of this place at which speech the Duke being offended said that he would keep such mastery there though he said nay When they came to the place where the Archbishop and Bishops sate Wicklief presented himself before them to know what should be laid to his charge Then the Lord Percie speaking to him bade him sit down for that having many things to answer to he had need have a soft seat whereupon the Bishop of London growing into a great fume said he should not sit there neither said he is it according to Law or Reason that he that is cited to appear before his Ordinary should sit down during the time of his Answer but should stand This kindled such a fire betwixt them the one rating and reviling the other that the people began all to be on a hurry Then the Duke taking the Lord Percies part gave some hasty words to the Bishop but neither did the Bishop spare him one jot returning rebukes for rebukes so that the Duke was ashamed that the Bishop should out-rail him telling him that he would take a course to bring down his pride and of all the Prelates in England Hereupon the Londoners cryed out that they would rather lose their lives then suffer their Bishop to be abused So that all things being in a confusion the Assembly was dissolved for that time and the Duke with the Lord Pertie returning to the Parliament that day a Bill was put up in the name of the King by the Lord Thomas of Woodstock another of the Kings sons and the Lord Percie that London should be no more governed by a Major but by a Captain a formerly it had been and that the Marshal of England should have all the power in taking the arrests in the City as he had in other Cities This Bill one John Philpot a Burgess for London stoutly opposed and the next day the Londoners assembled themselves together in Council to consider what to do about it and whilst they were in consultation came in two Lords the Lord Fitz-Walter and the Lord Guy Brian whom the Vulgar sort taking to be Spies were ready to flye upon them till they were enforced to swear that they came for no harm towards them and that if it proved otherwise they would be content to forfeit all their Goods and Possessions in the City Then did the Lord Fitz-Walter tell them of his love to them and of his care to preserve their Liberties which said he If you do not speedily look to and prevent you will lose the same for at this time the Lord Marshal hath one of your Citizens in prison in his house c. This was no sooner spoken but the rash Citizens ran to their houses armed themselves and going to the Lord Percies house brake open his gates rescued the Prisoner took the Stocks and burned them in the midst of the City searched and ransaked his house for the Lord himself whom if they had found they would certainly have slain and when they found him not they tore and cut his rich Beds and Hangings in pieces and then supposing him to be with the Duke they ran to the Savoy where though they were disappointed of their cruel purpose yet they took the Dukes Arms and hung them up in a reproachful manner in the midst of the City as if he had been a Traitor They also so wounded a Priest that spake in his defence that he dyed within a few days after and meeting one of the Dukes men with his Arms hanging in a Plate on his Breast they pulled him off his Horse pulled the Arms from him and had slain the man but that he was speedily rescued by the Maior But these out rages created much trouble to the Londoners which being beside my purpose I shall leave the Reader to search them out in the Chronicles of those times Shortly after the old King Edward dyed and his Grand-son Richard the second succeeded him upon which change the Bishops taking notice that the Duke and the Lord Percie had given over their Offices living privately at their own houses without medling with State affairs they thought it a fit time to revenge themselves upon John Wicklief whereupon they caused these Articles to be gathered and drawn up out of his Sermons against him 1. That the holy Eucharist after the Consecration is not the very body and blood of Christ but figuratively 2. That the Church of Rome is not the head of all other Churches in the World nor that Peter had any more power given him by Christ then any other of the Apostles 3. That the Pope of Rome hath no more power of the Keys then any 〈…〉 4. That the Lords Tomporal may lawfully take away the Temporalties of the Church men offending habitualiter 5. That the Gospel is of it self a sufficient rule both of Faith and Manners without any other rule 6. That neither the Pope nor any other Prelate ought to have Prisons of their own wherein to punish offenders c. These with some others the Bishops gathered out of his Sermons and Writings which they sent to Pope Gregory who
and to send them up to the Archbishop of Canterbury to be further proceeded against by him As also to attach and seize upon all their Books and to send them to the said Archbishop and this to do as they would avoid the forfeiting of all the Liberties and Priviledges of the University c. John Wicklief was hereupon either banished or retired for a while to some secret place but ere long he returned to his Parsonage of Lutterworth in Leicestershire where after all these storms he at last dyed in Peace Anno Christi 1384. He wrote very many Books many of which were burned at Oxford Anno Christi 1410. Aeneas Sylvius writes that Subincus Archbishop of Prague burnt two hundred Volumes of his excellently written richly covered and adorned with Bosses of Gold One that had all his works wrote that they were as big as the works of St. Augustine Mr. Wicklief received his first knowledge of the Truth from one Fryar Rainard Lollard who brought the Doctrine of the Waldenses into England and from whom his Disciples were called Lollards Mr. Wicklief was an Eloquent man and so profound a Scholar that he drew the hearts of many Noble Personages to affect and favor him whereby he was sheltred from the rage of the Popish Clergy till Pope Gregory the 11. raised up a Persecution by the Monks Inquisitors against him All his Books were commanded to be burnt but he had before enlightned so great a number who kept his Books carefully maugre all the diligence of his Adversaries so that they could never wholly deprive the Church of them For the more they laboured by horrible threats and death it self to hinder the knowledge and reading of them the more were many kindled in their affections to read them with ardency He wrote above a hundred Volumes against Antichrist and the Church of Rome Multos praeterea in Philosophia multos quibus S. Scripturam interpretatus est edidit Quorum Catalogum videre est apud Balaeum in suis Centuriis Transtulit etiam Wiclevus in Anglicum sermonem Biblia adhibitis praefationibus argumentis cuique libro suis. Vertit Libros 12. Clementis Lanthoniensis Ecclesiae Praesbyteri De concordia Evangelistarum cum multis veterum Doctorum Tractatibus He was a great Enemy to the swarms of begging Fryars with whom it was harder to make war then with the Pope himself He denyed the Pope to be the Head of the Church and pronounced him to be Antichrist He confuted and condemned his Doctrine about Buls Indulgences Masses c. He affirmed the Scripture to be the Supreme Judge of Controversies condemned Transubstantiation c. He was a painful and faithful Preacher under King Edward the third who always favored and protected him against the rage of his Adversaries by his means the Pope lost in England his power of Ordaining Bishops the Tenth of Benefices and Peter-pence whereupon Polidore Virgil cals him an Infamous Heretick He was buryed at his Parsonage of Lutterworth in Leicester-shire His dead body being digged up 51 years after viz. 1428. by the command of Pope Martin the fifth and the Council of Sâ—ne was burned And thus he suffered their cruelty after death whose cruelty he had Preached against in his life He wrote above two hundred Volumes most of which were burned by the Archbishop of Prague JOHN HVS The Life of John Huss who dyed Anno Christi 1415. IOhn Huss was born at a little Town called Hussinets about 18. miles from Prague in Bohemia under the Hercynian Wood of mean but religious Parents who carefully trained him up in Religion and Learning and having profited much at Schole he went to the University of Prague and whilst he was a Student there he met with our Wickliefs Books from whence he first took light and courage to profess the Truth Anno Christi 1393. he Commenced Batchelor of Arts with good approbation of the whole University and An. 1396. the commenced Master of Arts about which time two godly Noble men of Prague built the Church of Bethlehem and Anno 140â— Mr. Huss was chosen Pastor thereof who fed his people with the bread of life and not with the Popes Decrees and other humane Inventions The year after he was chosen Dean of the University and Anno 1409. by the consent of the whole University he was chosen Rector of it He continued in the Exercise of his Ministry with admirable zeal and diligence and faithfulness about the space of 12. years Preaching and Instructing his People in the Principles of Divinity which he confirmed by the holy Scriptures and adorned by an exemplary and blameless life He vigorously opposed the Popes proceedings whereupon the Devil envying the peace and progress of the Gospel stirred up Pope Alexander the fifth against him who cited him to Rome to answer to such Articles as should be laid in against him whereupon Huss sent his Procters to Rome who appeared for him answered the charge and cleared his innocency yet did the Pope and his Cardinals condemn him for an Heretick and Excommunicate him which caused the Popish Clergy and some of the Barons of Bohemia to oppose Huss being thus excommunicated and King Winceslaus banished him but he was entertained in the Country and protected by the Lord of the Soil 〈◊〉 Hussinets where he preached in the Parish Church and some places adjacent confuting the Popish Doctrine of Merit of Works and against the Pride Idleness Cruelty and Avarice of the Roman Court and Clergy multitudes of persons resorting to his Ministry Sometimes also he repaired to his Church of Bethlehem and preached there But upon the Popes death the Cardinals being divided chose three Popes whereupon there was a Council called at Constance Anno Christi 1414. unto which Council the Emperour Sigismund commanded Huss to come giving him his safe Conduct for his coming and return And Master Huss relying upon the goodness of his Cause the clearness of his Conscience and the Emperours safe Conduct with a cheerful minde and undaunted spirit went to Constance and in his journey set up writings in every City the tenor whereof was this Mr. John Huss Batchelor of Divinity goeth now to the Council of Constance there to declare his Faith which he hath hitherto holden and even at this present doth hold and by Gods grace will hold and defend even to the death therefore even as he hath manifested through all the Kingdom of Bohemia by his Letters and Intimations willing before his departure thence to have satisfied and given an account of his Faith unto every man which should object or lay any thing against him in the general Convocation held in the Archbishop of Pragues Court So also he doth manifest and signifie that if there be any man in this Noble and Imperial City that can impute any Error or Heresie to him that he would prepare himself to
Huss who opposed the Errors of Popery in Bohemia The 36. year from the condemnation of Dr. Wessalia who taught at Worms the same Doctrine before Luther was born that Luther did afterwards Anno Christi 1517. John Tecelius brought Indulgences into Germany to be sold averring that he had so large a Commission from the Pope that though a man had deflroured the blessed Virgin yet for money he could pardon his sin Luther's zeal being inflamed herewith it caused him to set forth some propositions against Indulgences which so enraged Tecelius that wheresoever he came he declamed against Luther and set forth contrary positions and not content therewith he burned openly Luthers propositions and the Sermon which he wrote about Indulgences This caused the Students at Wittenberg to burn his positions also The Propositions which Luther set up were 95 in number After which he made this Protestation I Martin Luther Doctor of the Order of the Eremites at Wittenberg would have it publickly testified that I have set forth certain Propositions against the Popes Indulgences as they call them But albeit neither the famous and worthy School of ours nor the Civil nor Ecclesiastical Power hath hitherto condemned me yet as I hear there are certain men of a violent and bold wit who dare to pronounce me an Heretick as if they well understood and throughly knew the whole matter But I beseech every one as I have often done before so now by the Christian Faith that they either shew me a better way if it be revealed by God to any of them or else let them submit their sentence to God and his Churches Judgment For neither am I so rash that I would have my Opinion alone to be preferred before all others neither am I so doltish that I would have the Word of God to be placed after Fables devised by Humane Reason Anno Christi 1518. Andrew Bodenstein from his Native place called Caralostadius with many other Divines of Wittenberg defended Luthers Doctrine by their writings Also the Elector of Saxony of his own accord without intreaty took upon him the Patronage of Luther neither would he suffer that he should be drawn to Rome Also about the same time Luther contrary to the advice of his friends went to the Chapter of the Angustine Fryars held at Heidleberg to defend his Doctrine and shew his obedience to their Summons He was honorably entertained by the Bishop of Wurstburg and at Heidleberg by Wolfgang the Count Palatine Amongst the Fryers there he disputed of 28 Paradoxes which he propounded out of St. Pauls Epistles concerning Justification by Faith without works Bucer being present and taking notes at this Disputation wrote thus of it to Beatus Rhenanus His sweetness in answering saith he was admirable his patience in hearing was incomparable you might have seen the acuteness of Saint Paul in resolving doubts so that he brought them all into admiration of him by reason of his short and pithy answers and those taken out of the Storehouse of Gods holy Scriptures In his return when he was at Erford he wrote to Jodocus a Divine of Isenach who had been his Master wherein he thus expresseth himself The whole Vniversity of Wittenberg is of my minde concerning the Doctrine of Faith and Works except one Licenciat and also the Duke of Saxony The Bishop of Brandenburg who is my Ordinary and many Prelates and the more Ingenuous Citizens say with one mouth that they never knew Christ and the Gospel before August following Maximilian the Emperor hearing of these Controversies between Luther others presently wrote to the Pope to provide timely remedies against those spreading evils as he called them promising that whatever he should Decree about the same he would see that it should take place through all the Provinces of the Empire Hereupon Pope Leo citeth Luther to Rome which he also signified to his Legat Cardinal Cajetan in these words Hearing that Luther defendeth certain ungodly opinions estranged from those of the Church of Rome which is the Mistris of Faith and Religion out of my Fatherly affection desiring to repress his rashness I have commanded the Bishop of Aeculan to cite him to Rome to answer those accusations that are laid against him This the said Bishop hath done yet Luther is so far from returning to soundness that being stubborn in his Heresie he hath set out writings much worse then the former to my great grief and perturbation c. Then he proceeds to require the Cardinal to see that Luther were brought to Auspurg and that he should implore the Emperour and Princes to set a guard upon him and carry him to Rome yet withall if he should repent and voluntarily confess his fault he bade the Cardinal pardon him otherwise to interdict him from holy services c. The Pope also wrote to the Duke of Saxony in which Letter after a few flatteries he tels him that he heareth many and grievous complaints against Luther an undone man who forgetting his Order and Profession doth many things very sawcily against the Church of God with great confidence braging that he is defended with the favor of his Prince and that he fears the authority of no man which thing he presumes to be false and scandalous to the Prince yet saith he I am willing to write to you to admonish you to be mindeful of the dignity and splendor of your Ancestors flying not only the fault but also suspition of it c. After which he tels him that it properly belonged to the Church of Rome to judge in these causes of Religion and therefore requires him at the request of his Legat to see that Luther be sent to Rome that there he might be either censured or pardoned according to his deserts The Pope wrote also to the Master of the Augustine Monks exhorting him by his Authority to endeavour to recal Luther from his undertakings and to sollicit him earnestly thereto both by Letters and learned men withall telling him that this must be done speedily whereby he might quench the flame that was but lately risen whereas by delays it was to be feared that the danger would grow greater and greater for the timely suppressing whereof he required him to use all his study care and diligence When Luther saw that he was called to Rome he earnestly sollicited that his cause might be heard in Germany before fit Judges appointed thereto and in a place least subject unto danger The University also of Wittenberg wrote to the Pope giving a notable testimony unto Luther both for his Life and Learning They said also that in regard of his sickliness and the danger of the way he could not go to Rome they beseeched the Pope that he would think no otherwise of him then of a good man that certain things indeed were propounded by him only for Disputation sake not to define them that his Adversaries interpreted him in the
finding his defect in the knowledge of the Tongues he learnt Greek wrote out S. Pauls Epistles and gat them by heart and grew so perfect that he understood Greek better then Latine and reading in S. Peter that no Scripture is of private interpretation he betook himself by earnest Prayer to God for the Spirit of Truth to be his Teacher and least he should be misled by a false spirit he compared Scripture with Scripture and expounded obscure Texts by those which were more clear In his Ministry he set himself much against the sins of the times especially against Pensions which the Switzers used to receive of Princes to serve as Mercenaries in their Armies which procured him much hatred After a while he was chosen to a place called Our Lords Hermitage by Theobaldus Guolzeggius the Baron thereof to which place there was great resort of people from all Countries who came on Pilgrimage which much moved him to embrace that Cal that he might have opportunity to disperse the knowledg of the Truth into several parts About this time one of the chief Ministers dying at Zurick they much desired Zuinglius to succeed him and he coming accidentally to that place was chosen Pastor there An. Chr. 1519. and began to Preach unto them the History of Christ out of Matthew Presently after there came one Sampson a Franciscan Fryar and a Preacher of Indulgences who was sent by the Pope into Switzerland to get money Zuinglius strongly opposed himself against him shewing him to be an Impostor The Bishop also of Constance wrote to Zuinglius to keep this Sampson out of Zurick because he had not acquainted him with his authority Yet when this Impostor came to Zurick because he was kept out he went to Badena setting forth the Popes Buls to sale Often crying out Behold they flie behold they flie as if he had seen with his Eyes the Souls which he had delivered out of Purgatory flying into Heaven Zuinglius also caused the Pope to be admonished by his Commissary not to Excommunicate Luther for that he foresaw the Germanes would despise both him and his Excommunication which also came to pass Anno Christi 1520. the Senate of Zurick by the Council of Zuinglius commanded the Preachers of their Jurisdiction freely to teach whatsoever might be proved by the Authority of the Prophets and Apostles passing by the Inventions of men Hereupon the Bishop of Constance by publick Proclamation forbad those of Zurick to Innovate any thing willing them to remain in the Faith of the Church of Rome till a Council might be convened But Zuinglius defended them and his writings and the Magistrates of Zurick entreated the Bishop to come to a Synod where learned men might confer together and determine what the people ought to believe Yet the Bishop wrote again to them shewing them what complaints he had heard of Zuinglius which he could not but take notice of the City belonging to his Jurisdiction But Zuinglius going to the Bench of Aldermen defended his Doctrine and satisfied them Anno Christi 1522. the Bishop wrote again to the College of Canons at Zurick exhorting them to take heed to themselves for that Pope Leo and the Emperour by their Proclamations had condemned those Doctrines he put them in minde therefore to obey those Decrees and not to innovate any thing in Religion till those whom it concerned had by Common-Council set down somewhat Hereupon Zuinglius wrote back to the Bishop that he understood by whose setting on he did these things but he wished him not to follow their Counsel For saith he the Truth is invincible and will not be resisted And afterwards some others joyning with him they wrote to the Bishop entreating him to Decree nothing against the Doctrine of the Gospel and that he would no longer endure the filthy and infamous life of the Priests but that he would suffer them to marry Zuinglius wrote also to the Helvetians that they should not hinder the course of the Gospel that they would not trouble Ministers for marrying for that the command for their living without Wives was the Doctrine of Satan He exhorted them also whereas their manner was in their Pages or parishes when they admitted a Priest to command him to take a Concubine least he should attempt the chastity of other women that instead thereof they should command them to take lawful ways About this time Luthers Books coming abroad though himself abstained from reading of them yet he perswaded his people to buy and read them which he did that they might see the agreement that was in their Doctrine being both taught by the same spirit There also he studyed Hebrew and gat the Senate to erect a School for Latine Greek and Hebrew and associating to himself Leo Judae he gat such skill in the Hebrew that he began to explain Isaiah and Jeremiah Shortly after there came to Zurick Franciscus Lambertus and disputed with Zuinglius about the Intercession of the Saints and the sacrifice of the Mass but being non-plus'd he left his Error and gave praise to God Zuinglius began also to write about this time and Pope Adrian wrote to him with great promises to oblige him to the Papal-Sea but all in vain Shortly after he perswaded the Senate to restrain the exorbitant number of Priests and Fryars yet withall to allow them a competent subsistence for their life time which was done accordingly and their revenues were imployed for the maintenance of the Ministry for advancement of Learning and for the Poor He pressed also the taking away of Images the abolishing of the Mass and the restoring of the Lords Supper which the Senate assented to and performed not only in the City of Zurick but through all the places within their jurisdiction Anno Christi 1523. when the Senators of Zurick understood that the Doctrine of Zuinglius was traduced everywhere as being wicked and ungodly they commanded all the Ministers of their Jurisdiction to meet together on the 29. of January about the differences of Religion promising that every one should be fully heard they beseeched also the Bishop of Constance that he would either come himself or send thither some of his Divines At the day appointed many met together John Faber the Bishops Vicar being also present who pleaded hard that this place was unfit to handle such causes but that they were to be referred to a general Council But Zuinglius urged him that if he had any thing against his Doctrine which he had published in 47 Positions he should produce it and he should be answered either by word of mouth or writing which when Faber would not consent to the Magistrates dismissed the Assembly and proclaimed throughout their Jurisdiction that the Gospel should be purely taught out of the Books of the Old and New Testament the Traditions of men being laid
to heaven whereupon they asked him whether he would have a Priest to confess to which he denyed then they willed him to call upon S. Mary which he also refused ever looking up to Heaven whereupon one gave him his deaths wound and when his body was known the Enemies condemned him to be cut into four parts and burned This fell out Anno Christi 1531 and of his age 44. after he had been Pastor at Zurick twelve years Three days after his death some of friends coming to the place found his heart untouched by the fire He began to preach at Glarona Anno Christi 1516. against many of the Popish Errors and abuses before the name of Luther was so much as heard of in those parts Beza made this Epitaph on him Zuinglius arderet gemino cùm sanctus amore Nempe Dei imprimis deinde suae patriae Dicitur in solidum se devâ—v â—sse duobus Nempe Deo imprimis deinde suae patriae Quam bene persolvit simul istis votâ— duobus Pro Patra examinis pro Pietate câ—nis He had a wit fitted for great matters honest candid sound and vehement yet not cruel or bloody but heroical and cheerfull His Doctrine and judgment were sound His study of Piety and reforming Religion from Popish superstitions is seen in his Works In his Sermons he was very Methodical teaching the Truth with great Perspicuity He was very sharp in reproving Vices especially the Pentions of the Switzers oppression of the Poor and Prodigality He used to say that it was a wicked warfare and nothing more hateful to God then for the hire of forreign Princes to spill blood When he thundred most against sin least the Innocent should be affrighted he used to say Bone vir haec te non moveant nihil ad te quad dico ne cures igitur Honest man be not affrighted at these things I speak not to thee therefore care not for it He used to study standing and tyed himself to certain hours which he would not omit except necessity compelled him From his first rising till ten a clock he imployed himself in reading writing interpreting the Scripture and making his Sermons After dinner till two a clock he conferred with his friends or gave counsel to such as sought it and so to his study till supper after which having walked awhile he busied himself in writing Letters which many times held him till midnight Monumenta ingenii eruditionis reliquit multa quae in quatuor tomos digesta typisque excusa extant JOHN OECVLAMPADIVS The Life of Oecolampadius who dyed Anno Christi 1531. OEcolampadius was born at Winsperg Anno Christi 1482. of rich and religious Parents especially his Mother for Wisdom Charity and Sanctity was very eminent in the place where she lived They brought up this their son in Religion and Learning His Father intending to make him a Merchant but his Mother by her earnest entreaties prevailed with him still to keep him at School where he profited exceedingly At twelve years of age he was sent to the University of Heidleberg and so profited there that at two years end he was made Batchelor of Art In that place he continued till he was Master of Arts and then went by the will of his Father to Bononia to study the Law But the ayr of Italy not argeeing with him he quickly returned to Heidleberg and betook himself to the study of Divinity read the School-men and profited much thereby He grew so famous both for Piety and Learning that Philip Prince Elector Palatine chose him for a Tutor to his sons But growing weary of a Court-life he left that charge and returned to the study of Divinity Not long after his Parents having no other childe gave all their Estate for the maintenance of a Minister in their own Town and chose this their Son to be the first that should undertake that charge which caused his return from Heidleberg to his own Country but finding himself as yet not throughly furnished for such a work he quickly left it and went to Tubing and from thence to Stutgard where under John Capnio he studyed Greek and from thence he went to Heidleberg where he began to study Hebrew And being by this means better furnished he returned into his own Country to his former Charge and became a severe Preacher and very grave in his carriage He associated himself but with a few and those the best But especially he contracted a strict bond of love with Capito which continued betwixt them so long as they lived From this place he was at last called to be a Preacher at Basil and there also he commenced Doctor in Divinity about which time Erasmus Roteradamus coming thither to print his Annotations on the New Testament he chose Oecolampadius as his assistant in that work and confessed that he was much holpen by him Shortly after he was called to Auspurg to be a Preacher there but finding some timorousness in himself in so great a work he thought that a retired life wherein he might betake himself to Prayer and study would be better for him for the present and therefore he entred into a Monastery near to that City in which also he thought to continue but all his friends especially Capito disswaded him from it which advice he at last hearkning unto and taking occasion to declare his judgement in several things against the Popish Doctrine he began to be much hated and threatned with Prison and death yet he daily encreasing in courage contemned their threats But after awhile the danger growing greater at the importunity of his friends he departed and not long after came to Basil to Print some Works which in his retiredness he had made During his abode there having no other means of subsistence he was maintained by Andrew Cratander the Printer where also to finde himself imployment he translated Chrysostom upon Genesis and preached Christ freely to some that resorted to him Anno Christi 1522. Sir Francis Sickengen sent for him concerning which himself thus writeth Because saith he Sir Francis Sickengen that most famous Knight of Germany and Captain of the Emperours Army hath sent for me to instruct his Family yea rather to feed it with spiritual Sermons being long since instructed I thought it my duty to endeavor that the Law of God should be made familiar in it whereby it might grow in the true and sincere study of Christianity whereupon I dayly read the Gospel and expounded it to those that were present familiarly exhorting them to the study of Piety and whereas they had been accustomed to hear Sermons only upon the Sabbaths and to have Masses all the Week after I so prevailed that Masses were laid aside and some part of the Epistles and Gospels was read and expounded every day to them Shortly after the Senate of Basil chose him to be a
Professor of Divinity in that City though the Popish party sought by all means to oppose it where he read on the Prophet Isaiah and after awhile he was called to a Pastoral charge in that City to the great regret of the Papists Anno Christi 1524. In that City he caused Infants to be Baptized in the Dutch Tongue He administred the Lords Supper in both kindes by the consent of the Magistrates He confuted by the holy Scriptures the Sacrifice of the Mass Purgatory and other Popish Traditions of the like kinde whereupon by little and little they vanished away Upon this John â—ochlaeus sent Letters to him from Stutgard full of great promises thereby endeavouring to withdraw him from the Truth and the Mass Priests thundred against him and his companions saying that they deserved the punishment of the worst Hereticks But the Magistrates of Basil commanded all the Preachers within their Jurisdiction to Preach to the People the Word of God and not of men and to abstain from railing and evill speeches threatning severe punishments to those that offended against their Proclamation so that not long after there was a general Reformation of Religion not only in Basil but in the parts adjacent A Decree being made by the Senate that as well within the City of Basil as without throughout all their Jurisdiction the Mass with all Idols should be abandoned and the Ash-wednesday following all the Wooden Images were distributed amongst the Poor of the City to serve them for fire-wood but when they could not agree upon the dividing of them it was Decreed that all the said Images should be burnt together so that in nine great heaps all the stocks and Idols were the same day burnt to ashes before the great Church door Oecolampadius also like a faithful Minister of Jesus Christ was careful to restore Christs Discipline and brought in the censure of Excommunication And presently after being sent for to Vlm together with Blaurerus and Bucer he carryed on the work of Reformation there At Marpurg by the invitation of the Lantgrave of Hess there was a Disputation for three days between Luther Jonas and Melancthon on the one part and Oecolampadius Zuinglius and others on the other about the controversie concerning Christs presence in the Sacrament but the Sweating sickness breaking out there put an end to it yet they agreed about all other Fundamentals in Religion and parted in a brotherly manner Oecolampadius returning to Basil spent the remainder of his days in preaching reading writing publishing of books visiting the sick c. Anno Christi 1531. and of his Age 49. he fell sick about the same time that Zuinglius was so unhappily slain the grief of whose death much aggravated his weakness yet intermitted he not his labors till an Ulcer breaking forth about his Os sacrum he was forced to keep his bed and though his friends Physitians and Chyrurgeons used all means for his cure yet he told them that his disease was mortal He spent his time in Divine meditations and comforting his friends and sending for the Ministers of the Churches to him he spake to this purpose O my Brethren the Lord is come he is come he is now calling me away c. I desired to speak with you to encourage you to continue faithful followers of Christ to persevere in purity of Doctrine in lives conformable to the Word of God Christ will take care for the defence of his Church therefore Let your light so shine forth before men that they may see your good Works c. continue in love unfeigned walk as in Gods presence adorn your Doctrine with holiness of life a cloud is arising atempest is coming and some will fall off but it becomes you to stand fâ—st and God will assist you c. For my self I pass not the aspersions that are cast upon me I bless God I shall with a clear conscience stand before the Tribunal of Christ I have not seduced the Church of Christ as some affirm but leave you all witnesses that at my last gasp I am the same that formerly I was He had nothing to give and therefore made no Will The fifteenth day of his sickness he called for his children took them by the hand strok't them on the head and though the eldest was but three years old yet he said unto them Go to my three children see that you love God Then speaking to his wife and kindred he desired them to take care that his children might be brought up in the fear of God and then commanded them to be taken away The Ministers continued with him that night and a certain friend coming to him Oecolampadius asked him what news his friend answered None but saith he I 'le tell you some news I shall presently be with my Lord Christ and some asking him whether the light offended him he putting his hand to his heart said Here 〈◊〉 abundance of light In the morning he prayed earnestly with the words of David in the 51. Psalm which he repeated from the beginning to the end and presently after said O Christ save me and so he fell asleep in the Lord. The Papists spread many lyes abroad of his death some said that in dispair he slew himself others that he was murthered or poysoned c. He dyed Anno Christi 1521. and of his Age 51. Erasmus wrote to his friends concerning his Book about the Sacrament Oecolampadium emisisse libellum tam accuratè scriptum tot machinis argumentorum tótque testimoniis instructum ut posset vel electos in errorem pertrahere In the beginning of Reformation he was another Doctor in Helvetia of a milde and quiet wit Somewhat slow in dispatching businesses but very circumspect He took pleasure in nothing so much as in reading and writing Commentaries wherein he wrote upon Genesis Psalms Job Isaiah Jeremie Ezekiel Daniel and most of the small Prophets as also upon the Books of the New Testament Before his Conversion he was superstitiously religious So oft as he read the words of Institution of the Lords Supper he thought that some spiritual sense was included in them and yet still drave out those thoughts with this Wilt thou be wiser then other men You should believe as others believe But it pleased God at last to inlighten him with his truth which he submitted to He was most studious of the peace and concord of the Church He excelled in the knowledge of the Latine Greek and Hebrew and was very skilful in Ecclesiastical Antiquities He was older then Martin Luther by one year Scripta ejus vel sunt Exegetica vel Didascalica vel Apologetica vel conversa è Graeco Multa praeterea ab ejus amicis edita multa ab Hedione aliis Germanicè conversa Multa a Gastione collecta quae non sunt impressa
Haec omnia vir magnae doctrinae pietatis laboris in ipso quasi aetatis vigore hinc discedens nobis reliquit The Life of John Frith who dyed Anno Christi 1531. IOhn Frith was born at Westram in Kent and had from his childehood a marvellous love to Learning a wonderful promptness of Wit and was of a ready Capacity to receive and understand any thing neither was there any diligence wanting in him equal to that worthy disposition that God had given him He was first a Student in Cambridge where he profited exceedingly in the knowledge both of the Arts and Tongues where it pleased God he fell into acquaintance with William Tindal through whose Instructions he first received into his heart the seed of the Gospel and sincere godliness About the same time Cardinal Wolsie undertaking to build a stately College in Oxford sought out the most learned men to be Fellows in the same and amongst others John Frith though but Batchelor of Arts was appointed for one But when divers of them were persecuted for Religion and accused of Heresie he together with some others who were chosen with him out of Cambridge was committed to Prison in a dark Cave where salt fish was then kept the savor whereof infected them all so that some of them dyed but Mr. Frith by Gods Providence escaped the danger in the same year wherein Queen Elizabeth was born having been dismissed out of his former Prison by means of Cardinal Wolsies Letter whereupon he went beyond Sea to avoid the storm But after two years he came back and having some business in Reading he was there taken for a Vagabond and set in the stocks where they suffered him to sit till he was almost pined with hunger At last he desired to speak with the Schoolmaster of the Town who when he came to him Frith in Latine bewailed his captivity The Schoolmaster being overcome with his Eloquence began exceedingly to affect and pity him the rather when he spake in Greek to him also and repeated divers verses out of Homâ—r upon this the Schoolmaster repaired speedily to the Magistrates and procured his enlargement yet neither then was he in safety for Sir Thomas Moor the then Lord Chancellor persecuted him both by Land and Sea promising great rewards to those that could bring any news of him Frith to avoid this storm changed place and apparrel often yet at last he was betrayed by one William Holt a Taylor who Judas-like pretended great friendship to him aud so was sent to the Tower where he had many conflicts with the Bishops but especially in writing with Sir Thomas Moor and in his Disputations he used such strength of Reason and evidence of Scripture that Doctor Canner Archbishop of Canterbury never gave more credit to any Author then to John Frith and at Friths candle he lighted his lamp also he converted Rastal to his part who was Moors son in law During his Imprisonment in the Tower it happened that Doctor Curreine Chaplain in Ordinary to King Henry the Eight preached a Sermon in Kent before his Majesty wherein he inveighed bitterly against the Sacramentaries as they then were called which denyed the Real Presence And he proceeded so far herein as that he said It 's no marvel though this abominable Heresie doth so much prevail amongst us seeing there is now one in the Tower which is so bold as to write in the defence of it and yet no man goeth about his reformation c. This Doctor was set on work by Gardiner Bishop of Winchester on purpose to procure the destruction of Mr. Frith They also suggested to the King that he was kept in the Tower rather for his safeguard then for his punishment by súch as favoured him as by the Lord Cromwel and others Hereupon the King called to him the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Lord Cromwel willing them forthwith to call Frith to Examination that so he might either be compelled to recant or to suffer condign punishment But when as they delayed time the King took it so hainously that he sent a Commission to the Archbishop to Stokesly Bishop of London and some others without further delay to proceed to Examination of him and that there should be no concourse of Citizens at the said Examination the Archbishop removed to Croydon whither Stokesly and the rest of the Commissioners resorted But before the day for his Examination came the Archbishop send one of his Gentlemen and one of his Porters to fetch Frith from the Tower to Croydon This Gentleman had the Archbishops Letter and the Kings Ring to the Lord Fitz-Williams Constable of the Tower for the delivery of the Prisoner The Lord Fitz-Williams lodging then at Westminster understanding for what end they were come fel a cursing and banning Frith and all other Hereticks saying Take your Heretick with you I am glad that I am rid of him Frith being delivered to these two men as they went in a Wherry towards Lambeth the Gentleman being very sorry for his condition said to him Consider the state wherein you are a man altogether cast away in this World if you do not the more wisely behave your self But though your case be very dangerous yet may you help your self by giving way for a time and somewhat relenting of your opinion which hereafter when occasion and opportunity shall serve you may promote again You have many friends which will stand for you so far as they are able and dare do It 's great pitty that one which hath such singulâ—r knowledge in Greek and Latine and is so ready and ripe in all â—inde of Learning as well in the Scriptures as in the Antient Fathers should now suddenly suffer all those excellent gifts to perish with little profit to the World and less comfort to your Wife Children and Kindred And as for your opinion about the Sacrament it 's so unseasonably vented at this time in England that it 's like to do more hurt then good therefore be ruled by good counsel till a â—itter opportunity may serve This I am sure of that my Lord Cromwel and my Lord of Canterbury much favour you knowing you to be an eloquent and learned youngman young in years but old in knowledge and likely to be a profitable Instrument of much good in this Realm and therefore they will never suffer you to sustain any open shame if you will be advised by their counsel But if you stand stiffe in your opinion it 's not possible for them to save your life for as you have good friends so you have mortal foes I most heartily thank you Sir said Mr. Frith for your good will and counsel whereby I see your love to me yet my Cause and Conscience is such that in no wise I either may or can for any worldly respect without danger of damnation start aside and fly from the Truth
Most High which I also miserable sinner have often tasted and felt whereas before I had spent all that I had upon these ignorant Physitians so that I had little strength left in me less money and least wit and understanding But at last I heard speak of Jesus even then when the New Testament was translated by Erasmus which when I understood to be eloquently done I bought it being allured thereto rather by the elegant Latine then the Word of God for at that time I knew not what it meant and looking into it by Gods special Providence I met with those words of the Apostle S. Paul This is a true saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners Whereof I am the chief O most sweet and comfortable sentence to my soul This one sentence through Gods instruction and inward working did so exhilarate my heart which before was wounded with the guilt of my sins and being almost in despair that immediately I found marvellous comfort and quietness in my soul so that my bruised bones did leap for joy After this the Scripture began to be more sweet unto me then the Hony and the Honycomb whereby I learned that all my Travels Fastings Watchings Redemption of Masses and Pardons without Faith in Christ were but as S. Augustine cals them an hasty and swift running out of the right way and as the Fig-leaves which could not cover Adams nakedness Neither could I ever obtain quietness and rest or be eased of the sharp stings and bitings of my sinâ— till I was taught of God that Lesson Joh. 3. 14 15. As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the Wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life Assoon as according to the measure of grace given unto me by God I began to taste and rellish this heavenly Lesson which none can teach but God only I desired the Lord to encrease my Faith and at last desired nothing more then that I being so comforted by him might be enabled by his holy Spirit and Grace from above to teach the wicked his ways which are all Mercy and Truth that so sinners might be converted to him by me I did with my whole power teach that all men should first acknowledge their sins and condemn them and afterwards hunger and thirst for that righteousness which is by Faith in Christ c. For these things I have been cryed out of attached and am now cast into Prison though I exhorted all men not so to cleave to outward Ceremonies as to be satisfied therewith and so to loath and wax weary of Christ c. Yet at last through infirmity rather then by conviction he was drawn to abjure and submit himself Anno Christi 1529. After Mr. Bilneys Abjuration which we mentioned before he fell into such terrors of conscience that he was near the point of utter despair and returning to Cambridge he continued under such terrors that his friends were fain to be with him night and day endeavoring to comfort him but all in vain this continued a whole year he was in such anguish that nothing did him good neither eating nor drinking c. yea he thought that all the Word of God was against him and sounded his condemnation But Anno Christi 1531. he began through Gods mercy to feel some comfort being resolved to lay down his life for that Truth which before he had renounced whereupon taking his leave of his friends he went into Norfolk preaching first in private to confirm the Brethren afterwards in the fields confessing his fact and intreating all to beware by him and never to trust to their fleshly friends in the cause of Religion At Norwich he was apprehended and by the Bishop cast into prison whither Dr. Cole and Dr. Stoaks were sent to dispute with him but Bilneys Doctrine and good life so prevailed with Cole that he was somewhat reclaimed and brought to favor the Gospel Also whilst he was at Ipswich there came one Fryar Brusierd to reason with him about those things which he had taught at which time Mr. Bilney told him that the signs and lying wonders attributed by S. Paul to the Pope were those wonders which were dayly wrought in the Church not by the power of God but by the illusions of Satan whereby he labors to draw men to put their Faith in our Lady and other Saints and not in God alone as we are commanded in the holy Scriptures This free speech so incensed the Fryar that he spake thus to him But that I believe and know that God and all his Saints will take everlasting revenge upon thee I would surely with these nails of mine be thy death for this horrible and enormous injury against the pretious blood of Christ. For whereas God saith I desire not the death of a sinner but rather that he should convert and live thou blasphemest him as though he should lay privy snares for us to betray us which were it true we might say with Hugo de Sancta victoria If it be an Error it is of thee O God that we are deceived for these be confirmed with such signs and wonders which cannot be done but by thee alone But I see you rest the Scriptures to a reprobate sense so that I am scarce able to hold mine Eyes from tears hearing these words from you therefore farewel During his latter Imprisonment they used many means to have withdrawn him from his stedfastness which not prevailing he was condemned to death The day before his Execution some friends finding him eating heartily with much cheerfulness and a quiet minde said that they were glad to see him at that time so heartily to refresh himself O said he I imitate those who having a â—uinous house to dwel in yet bestow cost as long as they may to hold it up Discoursing further with them for their edification some put him in minde of the heat of the fire yet told him withal that the comforts of Gods Spirit should cool it to his everlasting refreshing whereupon he putting his finger into the flame of the candle as also he did at divers other times I feel said he by experience that fire is hot yet I am perswaded by Gods holy Word and by the experience of some spoken of in it that in the flame they felt no heat and in the fire no consumption and I believe that though the stubble of my body be wasted yet my soul shall be purged thereby and after short pain will be joy unspeakable alleaging that text Isai. 43. 1 2. The next morning the Officers fetching him to Execution a certain friend intreated him to be constant and to take his death patiently to whom he said I am sailing with the Marriner through a boisterous Sea but shortly shall be in the Haven
c. help me with your Prayers By the way as he went he gave much Alms and at the place of Execution he spake to the people confessing his Faith by rehearsing the Articles of the Creed and afterwards prayed privately with earnest elevation of his Eyes and Hands to Heaven Being tyed to the stake the Fryars desired him to declare his charity to them by assuring the people that they were not the causers of his death for said they they think that we have procured it and thereupon will withdraw their charitable alms from us whereupon he said I pray you good people be never the worse to these men for my sake for they were not the Authors of my death The fire being kindled the winde drove away the flame from him so that he was the longer a burning holding up his hands crying sometimes Jesus sometimes Credo and so at last yeelded up his spirit unto God Anno Christi 1531. WILLIAM TINDALL The Life of William Tindal who dyed Anno Christi 1536 WIlliam Tindal was born about the borders of Wales and brought up from a childe in the University of Oxford where he grew up and encreased in the knowledge of the Tongues and the Liberal Arts but especially in the Scriptures whereunto his minde was singularly addicted insomuch as being in Magdalen-Hall he read privately to some Fellows and Students some parts of Divinity instructing them in the knowledge and truth of the Scriptures His â—ife also was so blameless that he acquired much love and esteem thereby After he had profited exceedingly and taken his degrees there he remoued to Cambridge and being well ripened in the knowledge of Gods Word he went to live with one Mr. Welch in Glocestershire where he was Tutor to his children and many Abbots and Doctors resorting thither Mr. Tindal discoursing with them of Luther Erasmus c. shewed them plainly his judgement in Religion proving the same by the Word of God and confuting their Errors which caused them to bear a secret grudge in their hearts against him Not long after it happened that some of these great Doctors invited Master Welch and his Lady to a banquet where they had talk at will uttering their blinde Superstitions without gainsaying Then Master Welch and his Lady coming home and calling for Master Tindal began to reason with him about those matters whereof they had talked before with the Priests Mr. Tindal answering by the Scriptures maintained the Truth and confuted their Errors whereupon the â—ady Welch said There was such a Doctor as may expend 100 l. per annum and such an one as may spend 200 l. per annum and such another as may spend 300 l. per annum and is it reason think you that we should believe you before them Mr. Tindal gave her no answer at that time and talked but little afterwards of those matters because he saw it was in vain But fell upon translating a book called Enchiridion miliâ—s Christiani and having finished it he gave it to the Knight and his Lady who after they had well read and perused the same did not more so often invite the Doctorly Prelates to their house as before neither had they that chear and countenance when they came as formerly which they well perceiving supposed that it was by the means of Mr. Tindal whereupon they utterly withdrew themselves and came no more thither Then did the Country Priests cluster together storming and railing against Mr. Tindal in their Alehouse-meetings concerning whom himself writes thus I was saith he in that Country much molested by a company of unlearnnd Priests that had never seen more Latine then in their Portesses and Missals which yet many of them can â—carcely read and if they be but sorrily learned they get Albertus Magnus de secretis mulierum which they pore night and day upon making notes therein c. These men railed and raged against him affirming that he held heretical opinions and thereupon accused him to the Bishop and Chancellor whereupon the Chancellor appointed those Priests and Mr. Tindal also to appear before him and Mr. Tindal suspecting the matter as he went prayed heartily unto God to give him strength to stand fast to the Truth When he came the Chancellor threatned him grievously reviling and rating him as though he had been a Dog accusing him of many things whereof no proof could be brought and so dismissed him for the present Not long after Mr. Tindal happening into the company of one that was esteemed a learned Doctor in disputing with him he drave him to that issue that the Doctor burst out into these blasphemous words We had better be without Gods Laws then the Popes Mr. Tindal hearing this full of godly zeal replyed I defie the Pope and all his Laws and if God spare me life ere many years I will cause a boy that drives the Plough to know more of the Scripture then you do The rage of the Priests encreasing Mr. Tindal told Mr. Welch that he well perceived that he could stay there no longer with safety and that his stay might be prejudicial to his Family and therefore with his good leave he departed and went to London where he preached a while as he had done in the Country before And then hearing a great commendation of Cuthbert Tonstal Bishop of London he endeavored to get into his service but the Lord saw that it was not good for him and therefore he found little favor in the Bishops sight Remaining thus in London about the space of a year and being desirous for the good of his Country to translate the New Testament into English he found that there was no place for him to do it in England and therefore being assisted by Master Humphry Manmouth a godly Citizen and other good men he left the land and went into Germany where this good man being inflamed with a tender care of and zeal for his Country refused no travel nor pains if by any means possible he might reduce his Brethren and Countrymen of England to the same taste and understanding of Gods holy Word and Truth which the Lord had endued him withall Then conferring with Master John Frith he thought in his minde that no way would more conduce thereunto then if the Scriptures were translated into their vulgar language that so the people might fee the plain text before them for he well perceived that one great cause of Error was because the knowledge of the Scriptures was hidden from the peoples Eyes upon these considerations he there set upon this work Translating the New Testament Anno Christi 1527. and then setting upon the Old he finished the five Books of Moses with sundry most learned and godly Prologues prefixed before every one of them the like also he did upon the New Testament Besides divers other godly Treatises which he wrote there
which being published and sent over into England became exceeding profitable to the whole English Nation At his first going over into Germany he went into Saxony and had much conference with Luther and other learned men in those quarters and then returning into the Netherlands made his greatest aboad at Antwerp He wrote also divers other Books under sundry titles amongst which is that most worthy monument of his called The Obedience of a Christian Man with divers other Treatises as the Wicked Mammon the Practice of Prelates with divers Expositions upon sundry portions of Scripture As also some answers to Sir Thomas Moore and other Adversaries of the Truth no less delectable then right fruitful to be read These Books being sent over and dispersed in England it cannot be imagined what a dore of Light they opened to the Eyes of all the Nation which for a long time had been shut up in darkness He wrote also one Book of the Declaration of the Sacrament and against the Mass but he kept it by him and did not print it considering how the people for the present were held under their gross Idolatry and therefore judging that it would be odious to them to hear these things at the first he waited a fitter time for the publication of it These godly Books but especially his translation of the New Testament coming abroad as they brought singular profit to the godly So the ungodly Clergy disdaining and envying that the people should be wiser then they and withall fearing least by the shining beams of the Truth their hypocrisie and works of darkness should be unmasked they began to make a great stir but especially the Devil envying the progress of the Gospel sought by all means to hinder the blessed travels of this worthy man For when he had finished his translation of Deuteronomy minding to print it at Hamborough he sailed thitherward But by the way upon the coast of Holland he suffered shipwrack by which he lost all his Books and Writings and so was compelled to begin all again to his great hinderance and doubling of his labors Thus having by that shipwrack lost all his mony copies and time yet through Gods mercy he was not discouraged but taking the opportunity of another Ship he went to Hamborough where he met with Mr. Coverdal who assisted him in the translation of the five Books of Moses the sweating sickness being in that Town all the while which was Anno Chri. 1529. And during their imployment in that work they were entertained by a religious widow Mistress Margaret Van Emerson When his English Testament came abroad Satans and the Popes instruments raged exceedingly some saying that there were a thousand Heresies in it others that it was impossible to Translate the Scriptures into English others that it was not lawful for the Laye people to have it in their own language c. and at last the Bishops and Priests procured of King Henry the Eight a Proclamation prohibiting the buying or reading of it Anno Christ 1527. Yet not satisfied herewith they suborned one Henry Philipâ— to go over to Antwerp to betray him who when he came thither insinuated himself into Mr. Tindalâ— company and pretended great friendship to him and having learned where his abode was he went to Bruxels and there prevailed so far that he brought with him the Emperours Atturney to Antwerp and pretending to visit Mr. Tindal he betrayed him to two Catchpoles which presently carryed him to the Atturney who after examination sent him to Prison in the Castle of Filford 18 miles of and withall they seized upon all his writings and what else he had at his lodging The English Merchants at Antwerp who loved Tindal very well did what they could to procure his release also Letters were sent by the Lord Cromwel and others out of England in his behalf but Philips so bestirred himself that all their endeavours came to nothing and Tindal was at last brought to his answer and after much reasoning although he deserved not death yet they condemned him to dye When he was brought forth to the place of Execution whilst he was tying to the stake he cryed with a fervent and loud voyce Lord open the King of Englands eyes And so he was first strangled by the Hangman and then burnt Anno Christi 1536. The power of his Doctrine and the sincerity of his Life was such that during his imprisonment which was about a year and an half he converted his Keeper and his daughter and some others of his houshold and Philips that betrayed him long enjoyed not the price of innocent blood but by Gods just judgement was devoured by lice The Emperors Atturney that prosecuted against him left this testimony of him that he was Vir doctus pius bonus a learned pious and godly man Whilst Mr. Tindal was Prisoner in the Castle there was much writing and great Disputations betwixt him and them of the University of Lovain which was but nine or ten miles from thence so that they had all enough of him not knowing how to answer the authorities and testimonies of Scriptures whereupon he grounded his Doctrine On a time the Company of English Merchants being a Supper together at Antwerp there was a Jugler amongst them who by his Magical Art could fetch all kinde of dainty dishes and wine from any place they pleased and set it on the Table incontinent before them with many other such like things This being much talked of abroad Mr. Tindal hearing of it desired of some of the Merchants that he might be present at supper to see the Jugler play his pranks Accordingly supper was appointed and Mr. Tindal with the Merchants went to it and the Jugler being requested to play his pranks and to shew his cunning he after his wonted boldness began to utter all that he could do but all was in vain So that at last after all his sweating toiling and labor when he saw that nothing would go forwards but that all his enchantments were void he openly confessed that there was some man present at supper which disturbed and hindred all his doings Concerning his Translation of the New Testament which was so vilifyed by his Adversaries he thus writes in an Epistle to John Frith I call God to record against the day we shall appear before our Lord Jesus to give up reckoning of our doings that I never altered one syllable of Gods Word against my conscience nor would do it for all that is in the Earth whether honour pleasure or profit c. Most of his Works are mentioned before in his Life The Life of Bertholdus Hallerus who dyed Anno Christi 1536. BErthold Haller was born in Helvetia Anno Christi 1502. and from his childhood was much addicted to Learning and therefore after he had been trained up at School he went to
unmoveable in the Truth The sufferings of these godly Divines grew famous in forreign Nations whereupon Bucer and Fagius were sent for by Cranmer into England where they arrived Anno Christi 1549. and were honorably entertained by Doctor Cranmer in his own house where they were instrumental to the great encrease of Religion Also by Cranmer they were set upon the Translation of the Bible with brief notes to which they added an enucleation of hard Texts and a reconciliation of seeming contradictions in Scrâ—pture In this work Fagius undertook the Old Testament and Bucer the New But the work was hindred by the sickness of them both and the death of Fagius who being taken with a Feaver about the end of the Dog-days for change of Ayr was carryed to Cambridge where the 13. of November he ended his days joyfully An. Chri. 1550. and of his Age 45. but not without the suspition of Poyson and was there honorably buryed Yet afterwards in Queen Maries time An. Chr. 1556. he was condemned of Heresie his bones digged up and burned to ashes He was tall of stature of a swarthy complexion under a severe countenance full of curtesie and very Eloquent in his Ministry He translated out of Hebrew Thisbites Heliae Apothegmata Patrum Sententias morales Ben Syrâ— Precationes Hebraicas A little Tractate written by a Iew that turned Christian. Expositionem dictionum Hebraicarum in quatuor capita Geneseos â—ui adâ—icitur Paraphrasis Chaldaica Onkel Comment R. David Kimbi in decem primos Psalmos Targum i. e. paraphrasis Onkeli Chaldaica in 5 libros Mosis with divers others MARTIN BVCER The Life of Martin Bucer who dyed Anno Christi 1551. MArtin Bucer was born at Selestade in Alsatia Anno Christi 1491. being of an excellent wit he entred very young into the Monastery of the Dominicans there and afterwards by consent of the Prior he went to Heidleberg for the encrease of Learning and having gone through other Arts he studied Divinity together with the Greek and Hebrew Tongues whilst he was there he met with and read Erasmus and Luthers Works whereupon he began to dis-rellish Popery and Frederick Prince Elector Palatine being much pleased with his Eloquence and singular Humanity as also with his clear and strong Voice and freedom in reproving the vices of men by the instigation of Sir Francis Sickengen chose him to be his Minister so that he Preached often in Heidleberg and elsewhere During his abode in that place Luther came thither whom he heard disputing against Free Will which kindled in his Breast the first sparks of the Divine Truth which by his conversing with Luther were further encreased Afterwards going with his Prince into the Low-countries he Preached freely against the Superstitions and sins of the times and began to bethink himself of leaving his Order whereupon the Monks lay in wait to take away his Life but escaping thence he went to Sir Francis Sickengen who sheltered him from danger till the Controversies about Religion were determined in his Castle at Naustall and when Luther was sent for to the Diet at Worms he went along with him and after some converse he embraced and defended his cause Not long after War arising between Sickengen and Trevir Bucer finding that he could not follow his studies in the midst of those tumults craved leave to depart and obtained it but a Neighbor Pastor of Wissenburg intreated him to Preach in his charge which he did till by the unhappy fall of Sickengen they were both driven thence by the prevailing power so that he fell into great danger About this time the seeds of the reformed Religion began to be sown in Strasborough by Matthew Zellius and Gasper Hedio Sigismund Count of Hohenlâ— favoring them to whom therefore Bucer went and was curteously entertained and Anno Christi 1523. was appointed publick Preacher in the Church and to read Divinity in the Schools These Colleagues excelling in Wit Eloquence and Zeal did propaâ—â—te the Gospel of Christ notably in that City and the year after published in Print the reasons why they changed the Mass into the Lords Supper c. which Book they dedicated to Frederick the Elector Palatine This Book was subscribed by Capito Hedio Zellius Pollio Niger John Latomus Fâ—rn Hag and Bucer Hereupon the Senate of Strasborough by a general Vote reformed their City casting out Popery and establishing the pure Gospel of Christ. An. Chr 1529. when the Gospellers agreed not in all things amongst themselves a conference was appointed at Marpurg between Luther and Zuinglius whereupon Bucer with Hedio went thither and had much discourse with them wherein they agreed upon all points of Divinity except about the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and so parted friendly resolving ab omni contentione in posterum abstinendum utrinque esse Deumque orandum ut Spiritu suo erudiat ducatque that both sides should abstain from contention c. The year following at Auspurg he disputed with the Papists and had a large testimony for his Learning and modesty hearing his Adversaries patiently rather seeking Truth then Victory and answering them mildly yet strongly He took much pains to reconcile the difference between Luther and Zuinglius about the Lords Supper fore-seeing the great mischief that that difference would bring upon the Church An. Chr. 1531. the Citizens of Vlm sent for him to Reform their Churches where he with Oecolampadius performed the trust put in him with much prudence and faithfulness He was so studious of peace that some said he complyed too much with Luther in that Doctrine against which he had formerly both Preached and Written Whereupon in the Moneth of May Anno Chrâ—sti 1533. he went to Zurick and there in an Assembly of the Ministers of the Church he purged himself from the suspition of revolt shewing that he did still retain the same Doctrine concerning the Supper of the Lord which he had formerly professed and had defended in the Disputation at Bern against the Adversaries thereof and that by the grace of God he would continue therein to his lives end but yet that it seemed to him that Luther dissented from Zuinglius rather in words then in Doctrine and very deed He requested also the Ministers of Zurick that they would not attempt nor write any thing more bitterly against Luther by reason of that Epistle which he had sent to the Magistrates of Franckford To this they of Zurick answered that they admitted his excuse yet withall shewed him out of that Epistle what Luther seemed to think of the Supper of the Lord and what was to be expected of them hereafter withall telling him that they were determined with Gods help to remain in that Doctrine which they had taught hitherto in the Church of Zurick till they were otherwise convinced out of the holy Scriptures and in
profited in learning very much Then by hiâ— mother who was very rich he was bound to a Marchant in London called S ir William Chester But Almighty God who hath his secret workings in all things provided better imployment for his servant for he no way liked that cours of life so that when his other fellows were busily imployed about their worldly affaires he would secretly withdraw himself into some privat corner and there fall into his solitary lamentations And it fell out that his Master being a good man one day heard him in his secret prayers bewayling his condition whereupon questioning with him he found that he did not fansie that kind of life but that his mind was wholly bent to his book and spirituall contemplations upon this occasion his Master acquainting his friends with it gave him back his Indentures and released him from his service And Laurence Saunders being ravished with the love of learning especially with reading Gods Word shortly after returned to Cambridg where also he studied Greek and Hebrew but especially the holy Scriptures to fit himself for the work of the Ministry He was frequent and very fervent in prayer and when assaulted by temptations he still found much support and comfort in prayer whereby he gained such experience that he became a great comforter of others with the same consolations which himself had found from God He Commenced Master of Arts and stayed long after in the Universitie In the beginning of King Edward's Reign he began to preach being first Ordained a Minister and that with such generall approbation that he was chosen to read a Divinity Lecture at Fotheringaie where by his Doctrine and life he edified many and drew many ignorant persons to God and stopped the mouths of the adversaries About this time hee married a wife and from thence was removed to the Minster of Liechfield where also he by his life and Doctrine gat a good report even from his adversaries for his learning and godlines From thence he was removed to Church Langton in Leicestershire where he taught diligently and kept a bountifull house and from thence to Alhollows in Breadstreet-London and after his admission there he went back into the Countrey to resigne his Benefice which fell out when Queen Mary raised stirs to get the Crown by reason whereof hee could not accomplish his purpose In his journey he preach'd at Northampton not medling with the state but boldly delivering his conscience against Popish Doctrine and errors which said he are like to spring up again as a just plague for the litle love which England hath born to the true Word of God so plentifully offered to them Some of the Queens men which were there and heard him were highly displeased with him for his Sermon and for it kept him prisoner amongst them for a time but partly out of respect to his brethren and friends which were chief sticklers for the Queen and partly because there was no Law broken by his preaching they at length dismissed him And he seeing the dreadfull day approaching inflamed with godly zeall preached faithfully at both his Benefices not having opportunitie to resign either but into the hands of Papists And notwithstanding the Proclamation to the contrary he taught diligently the Truth at his Countrie place where he then was confirming the people and arming them against fals-doctrine till he was not onely commanded to cease but by force was resisted Some counselled him to flie out of the Kingdom which he refused and being hindred there from preaching he travelled toward London to visit his flock in that place But coming near London Master Mordant one of the Queen's Councill overtook him asking him whither he went I have said Mr Saunders a Pastorall charge in London whither I am going to instruct my people according to the truth If you wil follow my counsel quoth Mordant let them alone and come not at them But said Mr Saunders how then shall I be discharged before God If any be sick and desire consolation or if any want good counsell and want instruction or if any should slip into error and receive false Doctrine Then did Mordant ask him if he did not preach such a time in Breadstreet Hee said Yea And will you said Mordant preach so againe Yes said he to morrow you may heare me there where I will confirme by God's Word all that I then preached I would counsell you said the other to forbeare Saunders said if you will forbid me by lawfull Authority I must then forbear Nay said Mordant I will not forbid you and so they parted Mordant went presently to Bishop Bonner and informed him of Master Saunders his purpose to preach the next day which accordingly he did and at his lodging being somewhat troubled in his thoughts a friend of his asked him how he did Truly said he I am in prison till I be in prison The Text which he preached upon in the forenoon was 2 Cor. 11. 2. I am jealous over you with godly jealousy for I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chast Virgin to Christ But I feare least by any meanes as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. In the afternoon he prepared himself to preach againe but Bonner sent an Officer for him who carried him to the Bishop where he found Mordant The Bishop charged him with Treason for breaking the Queen's Proclamation and with Heresy and Sedition for his Sermon An Heretick he would prove him to be because he taught that the administration of the Sacraments and all orders of the Church were most pure which came neerest to the order of the primitive Church for said Bonner the Church was then in her infancy and could not abide that perfection which afterwards it grew to by Ceremonies M. Saunders answered out of St. Augustine that Ceremonies were given to the infirme and weak and that therefore it was a signe of the great perfection of the Primitive Church that it had few Ceremonies whereas the Popish Church had many and those partly blasphemous partly unsavory and unprofitable After much other discourse the Bishop required him to write his judgment about Transubstantiation which he did saying You seek my blood and you shall have it I pray God you may be so baptized in it that you may hereafter loath blood-sucking and become a better man Then Bonner sent him to Gardiner where he waited foure houres in the Bishops absence in a roome where the Bishops Chaplaine and many of his servants were merrily playing at Tables At last came the Bishop from the Court and after he had dispatched many Sutors being informed of Master Saunders and his cause he sent for him in Master Saunders kneeling at the end of the Table
depended his innocencie being known he might come out with greater credit But said the King I will not have Cranmer so handled nor any that are dear to me But I perceive some crooked and cankred hearts raise these Tragedies which unlesse they bee quiet I will interpose my authority to restrain them and so he departed in a chafe and all the Counsellors shook hands with Cranmer desiring to be reconciled to him And hee being of a most sweet and mild disposition easily forgave all offences blotting them utterly out of his mind and from that time forward he lived secure from all treacheries being in such high favour with the King But when Doctor Cox and Hussey lay loitering at Canterbury not without suspition and did nothing in the inquisition the King secretly sent Doctor Lee to search out what was done in Cranmers behalf who going speedily to Canterbury acquainted himself with some godly persons by whose directions he searched the houses of some Popish Priests at midnight where hee found Letters written from Gardiner which opened the whole plot against Cranmer These he immediately carryed to the King who viewing of them from that time forwards began to withdraw his affections from those Popelings and withall acquainted Cranmer with those Letters bidding him beware of his enemies now hee knew them Amongst the Letters that were found in Kent one was written by the Suffragan of Dover another by Doctor Barber a Civilian which two men were well esteemed of by the Archbishop and promoted by him and he alwayes shewed them great favour When the Archbishop had their Letters he called these two men into his study and said unto them You two are men in whom I have alwaies put most confidence and to whom I have alwaies communicated all my secrets you must now give me some good counsell for I am shamefully abused by one or two whom I have trusted as my self but these persons have not onely disclosed my secrets but also have taken upon them to accuse me of Heresie and are become witnesses against me I require you therefore to give me faithfull advice how I shall behave my self towards them c. Marry quoth Doctor Barber such villains and knaves deserve to be presently hanged without further tryall Hanging is too good saith the Suffragan and if there want an Executioner I would be the Hangman my self At these words the Archbishop lifting up his eyes to heaven said O Lord and most mercifull God whom may a man trust in these dayes It 's true which is said Cursed be he that trusts in man and makes flesh his arme There was never man used as I am but Lord thou hast evermore defended me and lent mee one good Master meaning the King without whose protection I could not be safe for one day I praise thy holy name for it Then did he pull out of his bosome those two Letters saying Know you these Letters my Masters With that they fell down on their knees asking forgivenesse with many tears Well said the gentle Archbishop God make you both good men I never deserved this at your haâ—ds But ask God forgivenesse against whom you have highly offended Thus we see how his enemies from time to time endeavouâ—ed by all meanâ— to have brought him into displeasure with the King Yet it pleased God so to over-rule the King's heart that hee would never be alienated from him which favour the King continued to him so long as he lived and in King Edward the sixth's daies he continued in his place and much holp forward the work of Reformation But in the beginning of Queen Maries Reign he was a principal man whom she maligned Manet altâmentâ— repôstum Judicium Cleri spretaeque injuria Matris Her Mothers wrong was déeply laid to heart And Clergies dooâ— for which they now must smart and therefore she appointed Commissioners to examin him who commanded him to bring to them an Inventory of all his goods which they seized upon and shortly after he was sent prisoner to the Tower for Treason as was pretended but for Religion indeed Before he was committed to the Tower some of his friends perswaded him to fly and to reserve himself for better times but he answered stoutly If I were accused of Theft Murther or any other wickedness perhaps I could more easily be perswaded to fly but now I â—ee that I must be questioned not for my faithfulnesse towards men but for my faith towards God and concerning the truth of the holy Scriptures against Papists and therefore I will rather lose my life in the defence of the truth then by flying out of the Kingdome to desert such a cause From thence he was removed to Oxford where again he was called before the Pope's Delegate and the Queens Commissioners to the latter he did obeisance but to the Pope's Delegate hee would doe none Before them he made a worthy Confession of his Faith When they proceeded to Degrade him he pull'd forth an appeale from the Pope to the next general Councill but his death being determined his appeal was rejected and he Degraded When he came back into prison he desired to eat for he had eaten nothing that day before for said he I was before somewhat troubled but now I thank God my heart is quiet He had not one penny in his purse to help himself but the Lord stirred up a Gentleman's heart to give him some mony for which he had like to have come into great trouble He was kept in prison almost three years and the Doctors in Oxford laboured by many subtle tricks to draw him to a Recantation removing him to the Dean's house of Christ-Church where hee had dainty fare recreations and what else might entice him from Christ to the world they promised him life the Queens favour his former dignity and what not if hee would but with his hands subscribe to a few words by way of Recantation which if he refused there was no hope of pardon With many such provocations and flatteries they at last prevailed with him to subscribe it After which hee neither had inward quietnesse in his own conscience nor any outward help from his adversities For the Queen being glad of his Recantation yet presently resolved his death appointed the time when he least expected it and the persons that should see it performed He had no notice of his death till the very morning a little before he was to suffer At which time there was a great concourse of people some expecting that he should make his publick Recantation at his death others hoping better of him From prison he was brought to St. Maries Church where Doctor Cole by the Queens order preached and in his Sermon affirmed that God was so incensed for the slaughter of Sir Thomas Moore and Doctor Fisher bishop of Rochester who were beheaded in the Reign of K.
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
at him with his drawne sword and if God by a speciall providence had not prevented had slaine him The Flacians especially continually railed upon and threatned him whereupon he said Avide tranquillo animo expecto exilia sicut ad Principes scripsi dixerunt adversarii se perfecturos esse ut non sim habiturus vestigium ubi pedem collocare possem in Germania Utinam hoc cito perficiant ut filius Dei ad Judam dicit Erit mihi vel in caelo morienti vestigium vel si vivam in hoc corpore apud honestos Doctos viros vel in Germania vel alibi At stultitiam inimicorum miror qui sese Dominos Germaniae esse existimant me his minis terreri He was somewhat sickly being sometimes troubled with the Cholick and hypocondriacall winde He had a strong braine without which it had not been possible for him to have gone through so many and great businesses for so many years together In his diet he was content with a little He was modest in all his life In his apparel he had respect to his health He was liberall to all affable and courteous One George Sabine travelling to Italy and Rome for the improvement of his learning a certain Cardinall discoursing with him about Wittenberg asked him what stipend they allowed to Melancthon Sabine answered Three hundred Florences by the year Then said the Cardinal O ungratefull Germany who makest no more account of the many and great labours of so eminent a man On a time Prince Maurice Elector of Saxony asked Melancthon if he wanted any thing for the supplie of his necessities He told him No. Then did the Elector bid him Ask what he would to which he answered that he had his stipenâ—â— with which he was well content yet the Elector bid him again Ask to which he answered Since your Excellency will have me to ask something I crave leave to be dismissed from my place and imployments Whereupon the Elector intreated him to continue in them still wondring at his contentedness with so small means When he was first himselfe converted he thought it impossible for his hearers to withstand the evidence of the Truth in the Ministry of the Gospel But after he had been a Preacher a while he complained that Old Adam was too hard for young Melancthon He is called by one Phoenix Germaniae alter Elizaeus He used to say that there were three labours very difficult Regentis Docâ—ntis Parturientis of Magistrates Ministers and Women in Travel He made his own Epitaph Iste brevis tumulus miseri tenet ossa Philippi Qui qualis fuerit nescio talis erat Here lies iâ— terred in these stones Much afflicted Philips bones For alwayes such 〈◊〉 life was her I know not what in death heel hee Scripsit Melancthon volumina insinita variis in locis impressa Cuâ—us tamen lucubrationes editas usque ad annum 1541. Hervagius excudit Basiliae Tomis quinque anno Christi 1546. But afterwards there were many more of his works published the Catalogue whereof you may find in Verheiden JO ALASCO The Life of Iohn Lascus who died A no Christi 1558. JOhn Lascus was borne of a Noble family in Poland and brought up in learning Afterwards travelling to Zurick in Helvetiad he was by Zuinglius perswaded to betake himself to the study of Divinity and having thereby imbraced that Religion which hath its foundation upon the word of God he was very desirous to increase in holiness He had a very great love to Christ and his people A great hatred to Popery and Superstition and a great contempt of the world so that whereas he might have been preferred to great honour in his own Countrey such was his love to Christ and his Church and such his hatred to Popery that he chose with Moses to suffer affliction with the people of God rather then to live in worldly honour and peace amongst his friends Coming into Frisland Anno Christi 1542. he was called to be a Pastor at Embden where he fed and ruled his flock with great diligence The year after he was sent for by Anne the widow of Count Oldenburg to reform the Churches in East-Frisland and the next year after by Albert Duke of Prussia but when he agreed not with him in judgement about the Lords Supper the work remained unperfected He remained in Frisland about ten years at the end whereof the Emperor persecuting the Protestants he was sent for by King Edwaâ—d the sixth upon Crammer's motion into England where he gathered preached unto and governed the Dutch-Church which remains to this day In the dayes of Queen Mary Anno Christi 1553. he obtained leave to return beyond Sâ—a and went with a good part of his Congregation into Denmark to the Royal City of Coppenhagew But Noviomagus the Court Preacher and a Lutheran took occasion in a Sermon to impugne the error as he called it of the Sacramentaries Hereupon Lascus set forth a writing wherein he asserted the truth and confuted the error of Consubstantia iâ—n This occasioned a conference between Noviomagus and him where Lascus and his Church did not dissemble their opinion but asserted the truth which the K. of Denmark Christian being informed of made a decree that they should not stay in his Kingdom except they would follow the Doctrine of Luther and use the Ceremonies ordained by him Lascus and his Church refused this yet intreated that the 〈◊〉 might be dâ—ferred which the King would be no means permit but commanded them presently to depart his Kingdom By this means they were forced in a most cold winter season with their wives great with child their children to depart out of Denmark the Hanse-towns refused to receive them The Churches of Saxony also rejected them not suffering them to live amongst them upon like reason At length that poor Congregation found entertainment in Frisland under the Lady Ann Oldenburg and setled at Embden Anno Christi 1555 he went thence to Francford upon Main where with the consent of the Senate he gathered a Church of strangers especially out of Belgia From thence the year after he wrote a Letter to the King of Poland and his Council vindicating his Doctrine from some aspersions cast upon it by Westphalus Timan and Pomeran shewing that their Doctrine about Consubstantiation was contrary to the sense of the Scripture to the analogie of faith and to the generall judgement of the Churches of Christ and that it could not be retained without contumely to Christ He complained also that his Doctrine about the Sacrament was onely condemned by reason of prejudice That his adversaries dealt with him after the manner of the Papists who carry their business not by Scripture and arguments but by force accusing all for Hereticks which close not with them in all things About the same time many
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
under whom by reason of his sharp wit he profited so much that from the Grammer he proceeded to the study of Logick and other arts His Father from the beginning designed him to the study of Divinity which he judged him to be very much inclined to being religiously addicted from his childhood and a severe reprover of his School-fellows faults And being thus resolved he procured a Benefice of the Bishop for him in the Cathedrall Church of Noviodune as also a Cure in a neighbour Village called Bishops-bridge where himself was borne though afterwards he removed to the City of Noviodune in which place our John before his Ordination preached divers Sermons to the people But this purpose of his both their minds changing was afterwards altred For his Father seing that the study of the Law was a certainer step to riches and honour altered his mind upon that account and his Son growing into acquaintance with a certain kinsman of his called Peter Robert Olevitane was by him instructed in the true reformed Religion whereupon he addicted himself to the study of the sacred Scriptures and beganne to abominate and withdraw himselfe from the superstitious services in the Popish Church Upon this occasion hee went to Orleans where Peter Stella the most famous Lawyer in France read his Lectures whose Auditor John Calvin was and in a short space wonderfully profited in that study So that many times occasionally supplying his Masters room he rather seemed a Doctor then a learner of the Law And when he was about to depart all the Professors in that University proffered freely to bestow the degree of a Doctor upon him as having so well deserved of the University But all this while he neglected not the study of the sacred Scriptures and Divinity insomuch as few in that City that were addicted to the reformed Religion but they came to him to be satisfied in their doubts and went away admiring his learning and zeal And some that were intimately acquainted with him at that time testified that his manner was constantly to continue his studies till midnight and in the morning so soon as he wakened to ruminate what he had read over night whereby he fixed it in his memory neither would he suffer himself to be disturbed during the time of his meditation And the better to fit him for his studies he alwaies supped very sparingly By which practise he attained to excellent Learning and a very good memory Yet withall hereby he contracted such weaknesse of stomack as brought upon him many diseases and at last an immature death About this time the University of Biturg grew famous for that they had procured out of Italy the eminentest Lawyer of his time Andrew Alciat whom our John also would needs be a hearer of Thither therefore he went and during his abode there he grew into familiar acquaintance with Melchior Wolmarus a German the publick Professor of Greek in that University a man famous for Religion and Leaâ—ning Under him he studied the Greek tongue for which benefit he so much prized him that afterwards he dedicated to him his Comment upon the second Epistle to the Corinthians Whilst he was imployed in these studies he neglected not that of Divinity so that he preached divers Sermons in a neighbour Towne called Liveria But whilst hee was thus buâ—ied news came to him of his Fathers death which called him back into his own country And having setled his affaires there hee went back to Paris being now about four and twenty years old at which time he wrote that excellent Commentary upon Seneca de Clementia being much affected with that Author whom he used to say agreed very well with his Genius After a few moneths stay at Paris he grew acquainted with all that professed the Reformed Religion and amongst the râ—st with Stephen Forgeus a famous Merchant who afterwards sealed the Truth with his blood From hence forward at the earnest request of all the godly that held their private meetings in Paris he layd aside all other studies and wholly applyed himself to that of Divinity wherein also he found the speciall assistance of God At this time Nicholas Cope was Rector of the University at Paris who being to make an Oration upon the Kalends of November at which time the Pontificians used to celebrate â—heir All-Saints day at the instigation of John Calvin hee spake of Religion more purely and clearly then they used to doe This the Sorbonists could not bear and the Parliament of Paris was angry it insomuch as they cited him to appear before them which accordingly he was about to submit to but as he went some of his friends advised him to take heed of his adversaries whereupon he returned home and immediately after left France and went to Basil where his Father was a Professor of Physick The Officers sent by the Parliament searching for Cope went into Master Calvins house who by chance not being at home they ransacked his study and amongst his papers found many of his friends Letters which had like to have endangered the lives of many So bitterly were the enemies of the Church at that time enraged against the people of God especially one John Morinus whose abhominable cruelty is infamous till this day But it pleased God to divert that Storm by the prudent and pious diligence of the Queen of Navar the onely Sister of King Francis a woman of an admirable wit and exceeding tender of the welfare of the Professors of the Reformed Religion She also sent for Mr. Calvin into her Court used him very honourably and heard him gladly But Mr. Calvin finding Pais too hot for his abode went to Xantone where sojourning with a friend at his request he drew up short Christian admonitions which were dispersed amongst certaine Priests to be taught to their people that so their people might by liâ—tle and little be drawn to searching out of the Truth Shortly aâ—ter he went to Nerac a City of Aquitane where he visited that good old man James Faber Stapulensis who being formerly a Professor of the Mathematicks and Philosophy in Paris was perâ—ecuted for the Trutly by the Scybomsts but by the friendly help of the Queen of Navar was delivered and sent to this Town of her jurisdiction This good old man received young Mr. Calvin with very fatherly affections prophesying that in time to come he would prove a famous instrument for the building up of the French Church From thence Mr. Calvin went again to Paris being called thereto by the speciall providence of God For at this time that wicked Servetus was come thither dispersing his poyson against the sacred Trinity who hearing of Calvin pretended that he was desirous to confer with him and a time and place was appointed for their meeting whither Calvin went not without perill of his life who was faine to hide himselfe from the rage of
year in Preaching Teaching and dictating For at least ten years together he abstained from dinners taking no food at all till Supper so that it was a wonder how he could escape a Ptisick so long He was often troubled with the head-ach which his abstinence onely could cure whereupon he sometimes fasted thirty six hours together But partly through straining his voice and partly through his too frequent use of Aloeâ— which was taken notice of too late he was first troubleâ— with the Hemorrhoids which at length proved ulcerous and then five years before his death he did many times spit blood And when his Quartan Ague left him the gout took him in his right leg then the Collick and lastly the Stone which yet he never discerned till a few months before his death The Physicians applyed what remedies possibly they could neither was there ever man that was more observant of their rules But in respect of the labours of his mind he was extreame negligent of his health so that the violent paines of headach could never restraine him from preaching And though he was tormented with so many and violent diseases yet did never any man hear him utter one word that did unbeseem a valiant or Christian man Onely lifting up his eyes to heaven he used to say How long Lord For he often used this Motto in his health when he spake of the calamities of his brethren which always more afflicted him then his own When as his Colleagues admonished and earnestly increated him that in his sicknesse he would abstaine from dictating but especially from writing himself He answered What would you have me Idle when my Lord comes March the tenth when al the Ministers came to him they found him cloathed and sitting at his little Table where he used to write and meditate He beholding them when he had rubbed his forehead a while with his hand as he used to doe when he meditated with a cheerfull countenance said I give you hearty thanks my dear Brethren for the great care you have of me and I hope within these fifteen dayes which was the time that they were to meet about Church censures I shall be present at your Consistory For then I beleeve God will declare what he will determine concerning me and that he will receive me to himselfe Accordingly he was present that day which was March the four and twentieth and when all their businesses were quietly dispatched he told them that God had given him some further delay and so taking a French Testament in his hand he read some of the Annotations upon it and asked the Ministers judgements about the same because he had a purpose to amend them The day after he was somewhat worse as being tyred with the former dayes labour March the sever and twentieth he caused himself to bee carried in his chair to the Senate door and then leaning upon two he walked into the Court and there presented to the Senate a new Rector for the School and with a bare head he returned them thanks for all their former favours and in particular for the great care they had of him in his sicknesse For I perceive saith hee that this is the last time that I shall come into this place Which words hee could scarce utter his voice failing him and so with many teares on both sides hee bade them farewell April the second which was Easter-day though hee was very weak yet he caused himself to be carried to the Church in his chaire where after Sermon hee received the Sacrament of the Lords Supper at Mr. Beza's hands and with a chearfull countenance though weak voice sang the Psalme with the rest of the Congregation shewing though in a dying countenance signes of much inward joy April the â—ive and twentieth he made his Will in this form In the name of God Amen Anno Christi 1564 April the five and twentieth I Peter Chenalat Citizen and Notarie of Geneva doe witnesse and professe that being sent for by that Reverend man John Calvin Minister of the Word of God in the Church of Geneva and a free Denizon of the same City who then truly was sick in body but sound in mind told me that his purpose was to make his Testament and to declare his last Will desiring me to write it down as he should dictate unto me with his tongue which I professe I did presently word by word as he told me neither did I adde or diminish any thing from that which hâ— spake but have followed the very form suggested by himâ— Whicâ— was this In the name of the Lord Amen I John Calvin Minister of the Word of God in the Church of Geneva oppreâ—â—ed and afflicted with divers diseases so that I easily think that the Lord God hath appointed shortly to lead me out of this world I therefore have determined to make my Testament and to coâ—mit to writing my last Will in this form following First I give thanks to God that taking pitty on me whom he created and placed in this world hath delivered mee out of the deep darknesse of Idolatry into which I was plunged and that he brought me into the light of his Gospel and made me a partaker of the Doctrine of Salvation whereof I was most unworthy Neither hath he onely gently and graciously born with my faultâ— and sinnes for which yet I deserved to be rejected by him and driven out but hath used towards me so great meckâ—esse and mildnesse that he hath vouchsafed to use my labours in preaching and publishing the Truth of his Gospell And I witnesse and professe that I intend to passe the remainder of my life in the same Faith and Religion which he hath delivered to mee by his Gospell and not to seek any other aid or refuge for Salvation then his free Adoption in which alone Salvation resteth And with all my heart I embrace the Mercy which he hath used towards me for Jesus Christ his sake recompensing my faults with the merit of his death and passion that satisfaction may be made by this meanes for all my sins and crimes and the remembrance of them may be blotted out I witnesse also and professe that I humbly begge of him that being washed and cleansed in the blood of that highest Redeemer shed for the sinnes of mankinde I may stand at his judgement seat under the Image of my Redeemer Also I professe that I have diligently done my endeavour according to the measure of grace received and bounty which God hath used towards me that I might preach his Word holily â—nd purely both in Sermons Writings and Commentaries and interpret his holy Scripture faithfully I also witnesse and professe that I have used noâ—uglings no evill and sophisticall arts in my controversies and disputations which I have held with the enemies of the Gospel but I have been conversant candidly and sincerely in maintaining the Truth But out alasse that study
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
where he might do more good And accordingly from thence he went to Lipsich where he spent his time in writing upon the Psalmes and afterwards having it left to his choice whether to stay at Lipsich or to goe to Wittenberg being sent for thither he chose to stay where he was and was chosen professor of Divinity in that University Where he continued his Lectures till Anno Christi 1566. at which time he came to deliver his judgement about the Lords Supper Whereupon by the command of the Rector of the University the doors of the Colledge were shut against him and he not suffered to read any more yet they would have restored him to his place if he would have promised to meddle with that point no more But he refused to make any such promise and withall complained to the Elector of Saxonie of the wrong done unto him from whom he received a sharpe answer and therefore leaving Lipsich he went to Amberg in the upper Palatinate where after a short stay he received Letters from the Elector Palatine and the University inviting him to Heidleberg whether he presently went and was made Professor of Ethicks In which place he took very great paines both in reading his Lectures and Writing But his body having contracted some diseases by his former imprisonment An. Christi 1569. he fell very sick whereupon he said Sperare se finem vita suae adesse c. That he hoped that his life was at an end whereby he should be delivered from the fraud and miseries of this evill world and injoy the blessed presence of God and his Saints to all eternity and accordingly presently after he quietly departed in the Lord Anno Christi 1569. and of his age 44. Having taught the Churches both by voice and writing in many great changes above twenty three years attaining that which he had often desired viz. That he might not dye a lingring death He was an excellent Divine and Philosopher Eloquent and framed by nature to train up youth Scripsit Commentarios in varias Philosophiae partes Orationum Epistolarum libros Hypomâ—emata in utriusque Testamenti libros JO BRENTIVS The Life of Iohn Brentius who died A no Christi 1570. JOhn Brentius was borne at Wile in the Imperiall Snevia Anno Christi 1499. His Father was Major of that City twenty four years who carefully brought up his Son in learning and at eleven years old sent him to Heidleberg to School and at thirteen years old he was admitted into the Universitie and at 15 years old he Commenced Bachelor There also he studied Greek and Hebrew and was so studious that he usually rose at midnight to his book whereby he contracted such a habit that he could never after whilst he lived sleep longer then till midnight the rest of the night he spent in holy meditations and in his old age he had a candle by his bed-side and deceived the time by writing and meditation Partly by his diligence and partly by his acute wit and strong memory he profited so much both in the Arts and Tongues that at eighteen years old he was made Master of Arts. About this time Luthers books coming abroad Brentius by reading of them came to the knowledge of the Truth which he willingly imbraced And being desirous to propagate it to others he began to read upon Matthew first to som friends of his own colledges but his auditors increasing out of other Colledges he was fain to read in the publick Schools for which the Divines hated him because he grew so popular saying That neither was the place fit for Divinity Lectures nor he fit for such a work being not yet in orders wherefore to take away that objection he entred into orders and preached often for other men to the great delight of his hearers From thence he was called to be a Pastor at Hale in Sweveland where his gravity gesture phrase voice and doctrine did so please the Senat that though he was but twenty three years old yet they chose him to that place and he carried himself with such gravity holiness of life integrity of manners and diligence in his calling that none could contemn his youth And the Lord so blessed his labours there that many were converted to the Truth yea amongst the very Popish Priests some of them were converted others left their places for shame and went elsewhere He used much modesty and wisedome in his Sermons and when in the beginning of his preaching there the Popish Priests railed exceedingly upon him and his doctrine and the people exspected that he would answer them accordingly he contrariwise went on in teaching the fundamentall points of Religion and as he had occasion confuted their errors without bitterness from clear Scripture arguments whereby in time he so wrought upon them that he brought them to a sight of their errors and to a detestation of their Idolatry About this time Muncer and his companions rose up and stirred almost all the Boors in Germany to take Arms against the Magistrates and rich men abusing Scripture to justifie their proceedings Whereupon Brentius was in great danger for many cryed out that his opposing Popery and casting out the old Ceremonies was the cause of these Tumults Yet when as the boors in Hale were risen up and threatned to besiege the City of Hale and the Magistrates and Citizens were in such fear that they were ready to fly or to joyne with the Boors Brentius encouraged them and told them that if they would take Arms and defend their City God would assist them c. and so it came to passe for six hundred Citizens beat away four thousand of those Boors He also published a booke in confutation of their wicked opinions and shewed how dissonant they were to the Word of God Presently after rose up that unhappy contention between Luther and Zuinglius about Christs presence in the Sacrament which continued divers years to the great disturbance of the Church scandal of the Reformed Religion and hinderance of the success of the Gospel And when a conference was appointed for the composing of that difference Luther Brentius and some others met with Zuinglius and some of his friends but after much debate they departed without an agreement Anno 1530. was the Diet held at Auspurg unto which the Protestant Princes brought their Divines with them and amongst others Brentius at which time George Marquesse of Brandenburg told the Emperor That he would rather shed his blood and lose his life or lay downe his neck to the headsman then alter his Religion Here the Divines drew up that famous Confession of Faith which from the place is called the Augustane Confession Brentius at his return home married a wife Margaret Graetenna famous for her chastity modesty and piety by whom he had six children
answered him stoutly That such arguments might prevail with children but could not with him Having leave at last through bribes to lie amongst the other captives in a more open and cleanly place he wonderfully refreshed and comforted them by his godly exhortations and consolations drawn from the Scriptures whereby they were much confirmed in the Christian Faith And whereas before they were almost pined through want of food God so stirred up the hearts of some to bring relief to Zegedine that all the rest of the prisoners were provided for plentifully thereby Remaining thus in prison he was not idle but wrote there his Common-places and some other Works and his Citizens having tried all means and used the intercession of all their friends for his release began now almost to despair of obtaining it And to adde to his affliction it pleased God in the time of his imprisonment which was above a year three of his children died which added much to his affliction But when all hopes failed let us see by what means through Gods mercy he obtained his liberty It pleased God that a noble Baron and his Lady passing by that way saw this worthy man of God in so miserable a plight that the Lady much pittyed him and afterwards being in Child-bed and ready to dye she requested her Lord who loved her dearly for her sake to improve all his interest in the Beg to procure Zegedines liberty which he with an oath promised to perform and accordingly engaged himself to the Turk that he should pay 1200 Florens for his ransom upon which he was released and went about to divers Cities to gather his ransom and God so enlarged mens hearts towards him that in a short time he carried 800 Florens to this Baron and so returned to his people at Calmantsem The year after being 1564 as he was going by coach to Buda when the horses came near the River Danubius being very hot and dry they ran violently into the river but behold the admirable providence of God when they had swam some twenty paces in the river they turned back again of their own accord and drew the coach and him safely to the shore The same year by Imposition of hands he ordained three excellent men Ministers Aboâ—â— that time there came a bragging Friar and challenged him to a disputation which he willingly accepting of the great Church was appointed for the place and many of both sides resorted thither and the Friar came with much confidence hiâ— servants carrying a great sack of book◠〈◊〉 But in the disputation Zegedine did so baffle him that 〈…〉 shrunk away with shame aâ—d he Frier with his great 〈◊〉 was left all alone so that himself was faine to take it on his own shoulders and go his way About that time the Vayvod who had before betrayed him coming to the place where Zegedine was desired to speake with him and requested him to forgive him professing that he could rest neither night nor day he was so haunted with apparitions and the Furies of his own conscience which Zegedine easily assented unto An. Christi 1566 Zegedine being very hot invited a friend to go with him to the River of Danubius to bathe themselves but as they were swimming his friend looking about him saw not Zegedine and wondering what was become of him so suddenly at last spied his hoary hairs appearing above water and swimming swiftly to him Zegedine was sunk whereupon he diving to the bottom of the river caught hold of him and drew him forth carrying him to a Mill that was not far off where he laid him to bed About midnight Zegedine coming to himselfe enquired how he came there and who drew him out of the River his friend told him the whole story and kept him carefully till he recovered Anno Christi 1572 he fell into a lingring disease in which he loathed meat slept little was much troubled with rheume complained of Head-ach and could find no ease either sitting standing or lying yet he drank much milk and thought that if he could procure some sleep hee might easily recover his former health whereupon he sent for a Chirurgion who gave him a bitter potion which caused him to fall asleep but after a little while he quietly breathed forth his last being 67 years old Anno Christi 1572. He was a zealous assertor of the Truth against Arianism Mahometism and Papism with all which Heresies Hungary at that time was much infected His writings were these Adsertio de Trinitate contra quorundam deliramenta in quibusdam Hungariae partibus exorta Speculum Romanorum Pontificum Loci communes Theologicae Tabulae analyticae de fide Christiana J. KNOX The Life of John Knox who died A no Christi 1572. JOhn Knox was born at Gifford in Lothaine in Scotland Anno 1505. of honest parentage Brought up first at School then sent to the University of Saint Andrews to study under Mr. Jo. Mair who was famous for learning in those dayes and under whom in a short time he profited exceedingly in Philosophy and School-Divinity and tooke his Degrees and afterwards was admitted very young into Orders Then he betook himself to the reading of the Fathers especially Augustines and Hieroms Works and lastly to the earnest study of the holy Scriptures by which being through Gods mercy informed of the Truth he willingly embraced it and freely professed it and imparted it to others But the Bishops and Friers could by no means endure that light which discovered their darknesse and therefore presently raised up a persecution against him especially David Beton Archbishop and Cardinal who caused him to be apprehended and cast into prison purposing to have sacrificed him in the flames But it pleased God by a special providence that he was delivered and therefore presently fled to Berwick to the English where he preached the Truth of the Gospel with great fruit and defended it against the Popish party so that his fame spread abroad exceedingly Hee preached also at Newcastle London and in some other places So that K. Edw the sixth taking notice of him profered him a Bishoprick which he rejected as having Aliquid commune cum Antichristo Something in it common with Antichrist King Edward being dead the persecution raised by Queen Mary made him leave England and goe to Franckfort upon Maine where for a time he preached the Gospel to the English Congregation But meeting with opposition there both from Papists and false brethren he went to Geneva where also he preached to an English Congregation and was very intimate with Master Ralvin continuing there some years Anno Christi 1559 and of his Age 54 the Nobility of Scotland with some others beginning the reformation of Religion sent for him home and at his coming to Edenborough he was lodged in the house
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
the Lords Supper the Ubiquity of Christs Body the use of Images in the Churches Predestination and the Perseverance of the Saints About these things they raised contentions which were partly occasioned by the book of Heshufius printed at this time at Strasborough About the Lords Supper and it came to this pass that they put Zanchy to his choice either to depart of himself or else they would remove him from his place And though many waies were tried for the composing of this difference yet could it not be effected But it pleased God that about this time there came a Messenger to signifie to him that the Pastor of the Church of Clavenna in the borders of Italy being dead he was chosen Pastor in his room wherefore obtaining a dismission from the Senate of Strasborough he went thither and after he had preached about two moneths the Pestilence brake forth in that Town so violently that in seven moneths space there dyed twelve hundred men yet he continued there so long as he had any Auditors but when most of the Citizens had removed their families into an high mountain not farre off he went thither also and spent above three moneths in Preaching Meditation and Prayer and when the Plague was stayed hee returned into the City again And thus he continued in that place almost four years to the great profit of many but not without afflictions to himself Anno Christi 1568 hee was sent for by Frederick the third Elector Palatine to Heidleberg to be Professor and was entertained with all love and respect where he succeeded Ursin and at his entrance made an excellent Oration about the preserving and adhering to the meer Word of God alone The same year he was made Doctor in Divinity About which time that excellent Prince Frederick who was a zealous promoter of the Doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles required him to explicate the Doctrine of one God and three Persons to confirme it and to confute the Doctrine of those which at that time denyed the Deity of Christ and the Holy Ghost in Poland and Transilvania and to answer their arguments whereupon he wrote those learned Tractates De Dei naturâ De tribus Elohim c. In which book the whole Orthodox Doctrine about that great Mystery is so unfolded and confirmed that all adversaries may for ever be ashamed which goe about to contradict the same Laelius Socinus and other of his complices that defended the Heresies of Servetus tried by divers waies and reasons to have drawn him to their opinion but when they found him wholly estranged from them and a zealous Defendor of the Truth against their Blasphemies they renounced all friendship with him and left him for which he gave hearty thanks unto God and our Lord Jesus Christ. He taught in that University tenne yeares till the death of Prince Frederick Then by Prince John Cassimire he was removed to his new University at Neostade where he spent above seven years in reading Divinity Though in the year 1578 he had been earnestly solicited to come to the University of Leiden then newly begunne as also the yeare after the Citizens of Antwerp called him to be their Pastor yet the Prince would by no means part with him knowing that hee could not bee missed in his University The Prince Elector Palatine Lodwick being dead and Prince Cassimire being for the time made Administrator of his estate the University was returned from Neostad to Heidleberg and Zanchy being now grown old had a liberal stipend setled upon him by Prince Cassimire whereupon going to Heidleberg to visit his friends he fell sick and quietly departed in the Lord Anno Christi 1590 and of his age seventie five He was excellently versed in the writings of the ancient Fathers and Philosophers he was of singular modesty and very studious to promote the peace of the Church His Workes are well known being usually bound up in three volumes His Commentaries are upon Hosea Ephes. Phil. Col. Thess. and John His other works are Miscellanea Theologica De tribus Elohim De natura Dei De operibus Dei De Incarnatione Filii Dei De sacra Scriptura Compendium praecipuorum capitum doctrinae Christianae De Religione Christiana c. The Life of Anthony Sadeel who died A no Christi 1591. ANthony Sadeel was born at Cabot upon the confines of Savoy and France not far from Geneva Anno Christi 1534 and his Father dying whilst he was young his Mother brought him up in learning and sent him to Paris where he was educated under Mathias Granian from whom also he first received the seeds of true Religion From thence after a while he removed to Tholous where falling into the society of some godly students of the Law it pleased God that by degrees he attained to the knowledge of the Truth and began to abstain from the defilements of Popery whereupon hee went to Geneva where he was further instructed in the truth and was much holpen and encouraged by Calvin and Beza But after a while his Uncle dying and leaving a large inheritance some contention arose about it whereupon Sadeel was sent for home and went to Paris about that businesse At which time a private Congregation was gathered by John Riparius who shortly after suffered Martyrdom into which number at his request Sadeel was admitted in whom there shon forth a great ingenuity with an incredible love to the holy Scriptures And when afterwards that Church was encreased they sent to Geneva for a Pastor who sent them Collongius a man famous for piety and wisdom who when he was come calling together the young men he exhorted them to apply themselves to the study of Divinity which afterwards turned to the great good of the French Churches and amongst others Sadeel faithfully promised to apply himselfe thereto And Collongius beganne to frame and fashion the minds of those young men by private exercises Amongst whom Sadeel most excelled there appearing no light or unbeseeming carriage in him Yea in those his young years he gave signs of au excellent mind that was fit to undertake great things In so much as being scarce twenty yeares old he was by approbation of the whole Church chosen one of the Pastors And though in regard of his great parentage hee was not without hope of attaining to great riches and dignity whereas entering into this course of life he exposed himself to labours dangers banishment and grievous death in those bloody times yet none of these hindered but that he chearfully undertook the office he was chosen to which was to be Pastor of the Church in Paris The year after fell out that horrid violence offered to this Church when they were met together to hear the Word and receive the Sacrament where above 150 of them were laid hold of and cast into prison but by a miracle of
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
Supper Beza was about to answer him but another Sorbonist Sanctaesius rising up and repeating sowerly what Espensaeus had said interrupted him He insisted principally upon Traditions which he affirmed to be certainer then the holy Scriptures quoting something out of Tertullian But Beza shewed that this froward speech of the Sorbonist made little towards setling the peace of the Church and therefore intreated the Queen that such unreasonable clamours might hereafter be restrained After which hee answered Espensaeus about the calling of Ministers and Traditions Whereupon Sanctaesius beginning again his clamours would have thrust in divers other questions but Lorrain fearing that the Queen would be offended at it put an end to that question and propounded a new one about the Supper of the Lord which unlesse it were determined he protested for himself and his associates that he would not change another word with the Ministers and thereupon hee asked them if they were all ready to subscribe the Augustane Confession Beza replyed And are you all ready to joyn with us therein But the Cardinal instead of an answer produced a Writing of the Opinions of some German Divines which he said was lately sent to him importunately urging the Ministers that they also would set down their opinions This was craftily done of him that if the Ministers should refuse to doe it he might set them and the Germans at variance and if they should doe it he might insult over them as a conquerour Beza therefore to shun this Rock said that he and his Colleagues were come thither to defend the Confession of Faith published by their Churches and that they had nothing else in command and that the Disputation was to be continued about the points contained therein as the likeliest way to come to an happy issue And that the best Method was to beginne with such things as were most easie and that since the Sacraments dâ—pended upon the Doctrine that it was fittest to beginne with the Doctrine But when the Cardinall would by no meanes alter his former resolution the Ministers suspecting that if they wholly resisted him he would thence take occasion to dissolve the conference and to transfer the fault upon them they desired that the writing miâ—ht be produced and thaâ— they might have time to consider of it which being granted the meeting was dissolved for that day September the six and twentieth the conference began again and Beza again diâ—â—ouâ—sed of the Calling of the Pastors of the Church and then of the Lords Supper But Lorraâ—n being neâ—ed about some expressions which Beza used about the vitious calling of their Ecclesiasticks cried out that the Maâ—esty of the King was violated Then Beza replyed That he had said nothing which might be justly blamed for that Kings had therefore drawn the choice of Ecclesiasticks inâ—o their own power because it had been so long abused Lâ—râ—â—in passing by that subject asked the Ministers why they refused to subscribe the Augustane Confession To which it was answered That if the Pontificians also would admit it there were hopes that ere long they might agree But saith Beza if you refuse to assent to this Confession its unequall that wee should bee pressed every way to approve of it Then the speech of the Lords Supper being again renewed Espensaeus quoted a speech of Calvin That we receive the substance of Christs Body To which was answered That by substance we are not to understand the fleshly eating of Christ but it signifies the spirituall and true feeding upon him as opposed to the Imaginary and phantasticall upon which occasion Peter Martyr because he could not speak French produced many things in Italian Though Lorrain often interrupted him saying that he would not dispute with men of a strange Language Yet had Peter Martyr for this speech the testimony of Espensaeus That of all the Divines of that age none had handled that question about the Lords Supper so fully and clearly as he Whilst the Ministers were preparing to answer Espensaeus a certain Spaniard that was Generall of the Jesuits standing up for an hour together declamed in Italian calling the Ministers Dissemblers Apes Foxes c. saying that they were not to be heard there but to be commanded to the Council of Trent And so proceeding to the question about the Lords Supper He said that Christ was present as a Prince who having gotten a victory will have the memory of it to be continued by some Anniversary Playes which himself would be over And so by an unusall impudence he laboured to stir up the Queen against the Ministers till he provoked some to laughter others to indignation But Beza advised him to keep his reproaches to himself Told him that the Queen had no need of the counsell of a Fryar who would wisely govern affairs according to the custom of the Kingdom and that he spake of the Lords Supper as if it were a Stage-play wherein Christ should act the first part And so leaving him he turned to Espensaeus saying As it s said This is my body so it s sayd This is the cup of the New Testament which cannot be understood without a Figure For Sacraments should not be Sacraments if they should not resemble those things whereof they are Sacraments and Signs as St. Augustine teacheth But said Espensaeus if our Sacraments should be Signs they would not much differ from the Jewish Sacraments and they would be Signs of Signs which is absurd But Beza shewed that there was no absurdity when the Apostle compared Circumcision with Baptism c. Then said a Sorbonist In this Proposition This is my body what doth This signifie Beza answered It signifies both the Bread and Christs Body The Sorbonist replyed That it was against the Rules of Grammer that Hoc This should bee applyed to the Bread but that it was Individuum vagum Beza took away this answer and told him that his Individuum vagum was unknown to all learned Antiquity Then one of the Sorbon Doctors holding up his finger to Beza in a threatning manner said Oh if we could once catch thee within the walls of Sorbon thou shouldst not get out again Thus the day being spent the conference was dissolved And seeing nothing could be effected this way some thought of another which was that John Monluc Bishop of Valentia and Espensaeus who were counted middle and moderate men should transact these businesses privately with Beza and Galasius which being assented to they met September the seventeenth at Saint Germans in a private house being commanded by the Queen that if it were possible they should agree upon some form about the Lords Supper which might give content to both parts which after much debate they did and the form was this Confitemur Jesum Christum in Coenâ nobis offerre dare verè exhibere substantiam sui corporis sanguinis operante spiritu sancto Nosâ— recipere edere spiritualiter per fidem verum
fast failing yea the middle strength of the whole body the stomach is weakned long ago Arise make ready shake off thy fetters mount up from the body and goe thy way I saw not my children when they were in the womb yet there the Lord fed them without my knowledge I shall not see them when I goe out of the body yet shall they not want a Father Death is somwhat drierie and the streams of that Jordan between us and our Canaan run furiously but they stand stil when the Ark comes Let your Anchor be cast within the vail and fastned on the Rock Jesus Let the end of the threefold cord be buckled to the heart so shall ye goe thorough His Works are bound up together in one volume Soli Deo Gloria A. WILLET The Life of Andrew Willet who dyed A no Christi 1621. ANdrew Willet was born in Ely in Cambridgshire Anno Christi 1562. His Father was a Minister who carefully brought him up in the School of that City where by his extraordinary paâ—ns and diligence he profited so much that at fourteen years old he went to Cambridge and was admitted into Peter-house yet not long after was transplanted to Christ's Collegde where Doctor Downham and Master William Perkins were of his own standing There he applyed himself so seriously to his studies that in short time he gained a good measure of knowledge in the learned tongues and Arts yea hee attained to such a measure of perfection therein that at twenty two years old he published his book De animae natura viribus wherein he did Philosophically Theologize in five subtil and abstrase questions About that time also he was made Minister and began sometimes to Preach being furnished with Piety Learning and Gravity beyond his years Insomuch as an accident befalling a Proctor of that Colledge hee suddenly undertook his place at the Commencement and so well and dexterously perfâ—rmed it that thereby he gained the applause yea the admiration of all his Auditors Having thus spent thirteen years in the University by the favour of Queen Elizabeth he was made a Prebend in Ely where also he married a Wife by whom he had eleven sons and seven daughters But his Wife being a carefull yoak-fellow his houshold affairs troubled him not so that he pursued his old course of study which was his delight and of which he never was weary His manne was to rise early in a morning and to get half way on his journey ere others could set out At the hour of Prayer he came down and took his Wife and Family with him to Church where he had publick Prayers to the great comfort of his Parishioners Prayers being ended he returned to his study till near dinner time when his manneâ— was to recreate himself either upon a little Organ which he had in his house singing to it or sporting with his young Children Sometimes also he would cleave wood for his health-sake At his meals he used pleasant discourse seasoned with some profitable application After dinner he used to sit and discourse a while or walk abroad and then to his study again so that without extraordinary avocations he spent eight houres a day in his study By which means he read over the Fathers Councels Ecclesiastick Histories a great part of the Civil and Canon Law Polemick Controversies between Rome and us and most Commentaries upon the holy Scriptures in his papers he had couched the whole substance of his reading So that he might say Exiguis Patres â—rctantur pellibus omnes Quos mea non totos Bibliotheca capit Lo here few leaves th' old fathers all infold Whom whole at once my study ne'r could hold He improved his Talent for the publick good so that every year he either published a new book or reprinted some old with a new Edition He is one of those concerning whom Doctor Hall saith Stupor mundi clerus Britannicus The English Clergie is the Worlds wonder In his younger time he preached the Lecture for three years together in the Cathedral Church of Ely And for one year in Saint Paul's at London in both with a most singular approbation of a frequent Auditory Sometimes he preached in Cambridge and therein discovered himself the man quem rus non infuscavit whom the Country had not stained When hee was once called to a Pastorall charge at Burley in Herfordshire he was alwaies constant in Preaching instructing his people in a plain familiar way applying himself to their capacity He would also sometimes sharpen his stile and cut them up roundly for their sin But when he spake words of Consolation he was wholly composed of Sweetnesse In denunciations of Judgements he would put on the bowels of compassion and the spirit of meeknesse sugaring every bitter pill that it might goe down more pleasantly His very presence was powerful and perswasive mildnesse mixed with gravity sitting in his countenance insomuch as one word from him was able to effect more then thousands from some others But especially his godly conversation exemplifying what he gave in charge out of Gods Word did most of all convince his peoples judgements and subdue their affections to obedience so that the Lord blessed his labours much to them His house was a little modell of a Church and house of God Here morning and evening sacrifices were offered to God daily His children after supper read some part of holy Scripture and he required of every one present that they should remember some sentence or other and afterwards he would repeat the same adding some exposition and sometimes something of application to them Yea he made himself an exact pattern and example to all his family His Charity will eminently appear if we consider quantum ex quantillo how much out of how little means he freely gave to the poor and needy He maintained two of his near Aâ—lies being faln into want many years at his own table and maintained for the most part a son of either of them at the University and though his many children might have restrained his bounty yet he was of Cyprian's mind The more children the more charitie He gave a dole of bread to the poor on the Coronation and Powder-treason daies At Christmass he gave Corn to some money to others and to the rest of his neighbours liberal and loving entertainment In the Harvest he would say to the poor as Boaz did to Ruth Go not to glean in another field c. And when at any time himself came into the field he would scatter of his heaps with a ful hand so that the poor would be ready to leap for joy at his coming When he set any on work he payd freely and speedily When the poor bought corn of him they were sure to gain both in price and measure and yet as Wels drawn spring more freely so
Greek Tongue so that he made excellent Greek Verses which also were printed He laid solid foundations also of Philosophy so that his Masters caused him to keep publick Disputations about sundry controversies in Philosophy He was so studious that that time which other boys spent in play he refreshed himself by variety of studies His Masters now finding him fit resolved to send him to the University where he might better be instructed in the Arts then he could be in that School For which end he went to Leiden in April Anno Christi 1596. and sojourned in the house of Thomas Spranckhusius Minister of Leiden and presently began to consider how he might best imploy himself for the advancement of his studies whereas other boys used to spend the first year in looking about them And he resolved to go on in this method First to perfect his knowledge in the Tongues then of Philosophy and at last to proceed to the study of Divinity And that he might perfect his skill in the Greek he resolved to read over the Poets who best express the genius of the Language and amongst them he made choice of Homer because he useth every Dialect his speech flows pleasingly and he makes his Reader more wise and that he might better pierce into the profundity of that Language upon every occasion he consults with Joseph Scaliger a man of stupendious Learning to whom Wallaeus was always very dear and he was much delighted with his wit Afterwards from Greek he proceeded to the study of Hebrew wherein he was assisted by Francis Rapbelingius a very courteous man but he shortly after dying and Francis Iunius being chosen into his room our Wallaeus profited so much under him that he could understand the Books of the Old Testament without an Interpreter He proceeded not to the study of the Rabbins because he judged that they that bestow much time in the study of the Tongues are very seldom good Artists For mans minde cannot contain all things the knowledge of the Tongues will take up the whole man and therefore our Wallaeus whilst he studyed the Languages laid aside all other studies only sometimes for recreation-sake he would read over some old Latine Authors Historians Poets and Orators When he was well furnished with the Tongues he went to the study of Philosophy but finding that Leiden at that time was not well furnished with Philosophers he attended the Lectures of Raph Snel the Mathematick Professor under whom he learned Geometry Astronomy and the Opticks which proved very useful to his future studies In his study of Logick he made use of Keckerman to whom he added Zabarel Monlor and some others In Physicks he used Tolet Zabarel Picholhomini In Ethicks he was most taken with Accioalus yet he read Picholhomini Magirus Muret Quarsius Metaphysicks He read over also Thomas and Scotus after which he proceeded to Plato and Aristotle whom he read in their own Language wherein they are most perfect To these he added Plotinus Ficinus Simplicius Aphrodisaeus and Averrhoes And in these studies he could the better proceed without help because he had been well grounded in all the parts of Philosophy by his Master Murdison and indeed he made such a progress therein that he exceeded all his contemporaries so that in his Disputations he often gravelled the Moderators themselves For he was prompt and subtile in Invention clear in Explication and sharp in pressing home his Arguments The chiefest scope which he proposed to himself in the study of Philosophy was to further him in Divinity and therefore judging it necessary to have the advice and assistance of some able Divine with the good leave of Spranckhusius he removed to the table of Francis Gomarus hiring a chamber in the next house till he could get a lodging in Gomarus his house which fell out within some few moneths after At this time Francis Junius was made Professor of Divinity a Divine of profound Learning Grave and of a deep Judgment as also Luke Tralcatius the Father a solid Divine and Francis Gomarus a man of much Learning and servent Piety But Wallaeus preferred Iunius above all and therefore endevoured to follow his example Yet taking Gomarus his counsel he did not begin his study of Divinity by reading Common places least being led with other mens opinions and thereby prepossessed with prejudice he should be led aside from the Truth But he first read the several forms of Concord of the reformed Churches the Catechism of Heidleberg and the Belgick Confession of Faith and so wholly betook himself to the reading of the sacred Scriptures which he read with great attention and assiduity getting the chiefest heads of Doctrine by heart So that when he was old he could repeat without Book the Epistle to the Romans the second to the Corinthians to the Galathians Ephesians and Philippians But he read them all in the Originals so that in his Sermons he was very ready in the words of Scripture Yet finding that by reading the Scripture alone he could hardly comprehend in his minde the whole Body of Doctrine being now well versed in the Scriptures he betook himself to the Theological Institutions of Bucanus that so he might at once see into the whole compendium of Divinity yet did he not stay long upon a Compendium but proceeded to the study of Calvins Institutions and Peter Martyrs Common places yet was he best pleased with Martyr because he handled the whole Doctrine plainly discoursed largely of Controversies and answered them solidly Whilst he was thus busied Luke Tralcatius first and after him Francis Gomarus began privately to read Common places whom he resolved to hear because in private they handled all thing more familiarly and largely then in publick yet especially he attended the publick Lectures because they were more accurate and learned and if after the Lectures he doubted of any thing he repaired to them in private for further satisfaction When he had profited well in the study of Common places he proceeded to the reading of Commentaries upon the Sacred Scriptures and first be read over Piscators Analysis whereby he might get the whole context of each part of Scripture into his minde then for the sense of the Scripture he read Calvin whom he used to call A Divine Interpreter To whom in his reading of the New Testament he adjoyned Beza and in reading of the Old Testament Mercer and Arias Montanus whereby he might attain to the knowledge of the Governments and Rites amongst the Iews without the knowledge whereof it is impossible to attain to the sense of many texts of Scripture Wallaeus having now read much and heard long began to prepare himself for action and disputed publickly three times De vera Theologia De Mysterio Trinitatis Et de Christi mediatoris Officio By which Disputations he procured to himself much admiration For being excellently versed in Philosophy he answered to the terms appositly
was most gratefully and heartily welcomed by them and so soon as he came thither it was observed that there ensued a great alteration both in his stile conceptions phrases and manner of life so that he lived amongst the Hollanders as if he had been born amongst them In his Oration which he made at his Inauguration he shewed himself a learned pious prudent and peaceable Divine In his Disputations he was earnest quick and altogether insuperable as one that knew all the lurking holes of Sâ—phâ—â—iers and withall knew how to overthrow them in their own Artifices He was so acute that at the first word he understood the meaning of his Antagonists and many times did so happily enucleate it that expressing it better then themselves could he taught them thereby and when any difficulty arose he could easily by the light of reason discuss and make it clear But when he handled the cause of God and was to assert his truth and honor against the impudence of adversaries you might have seen him go beyond himself rising up with a great spirit and unusual zeal to dispel the objections of his adversaries Many times also in Disputations least they should be jejune and frigid he would furnish the Oppâ—nent with Arguments and arm him against himself least an hour should pass without profit to the Hearers His care was not only to learn the first grounds of some of the Arts but he rested not till he had gained the exact knowledge of all the Arts and had dived into the profundity of Philosophy For it s the sign of an ignoble and slothful minde to retain and conclude it self with in narrow bounds yet rested he not in the knowledge of humane Arts but only made them Handmaids and Servants to Divinity For that indeed he prized above all other studies and therein he spent most of his time endeavouring throughly to understand the Sacred Scriptures and to vindicate the same from all the false glosses put upon them by Hereticks He if ever any man was studious of the Truth to the defence whereof he consecrated all his studies and indeed was then in his Paradice when he had attained to the knowledge of obscure Truths or had brought light to difficult Texts or had â—reed them from the wrestings or cavils of Hereticks He was truly a Scribe taught to the Kingdom of Heaven who out of his treasury brought forth things new and old And although his minde was estranged from contentions yet was he so great a lover of Truth that no bonds of friendship or acquaintance nor fear could divert him from the defence thereof he alwayes preferred the cause of God before all other relations and respects And though he often professed that his chiefest desire was to grapple with the open Adversaries of the Church yet withall he declared that he could not be silent towards those Brethren who through ignorance or infirmity sought to undermine the Truth for many times a little spark neglected at first proves a dangerous fire When men have once undertaken the Patronage of an opinion they begin to cling close unto it and the Error of it being not timely discovered to them begins to please them and at last shame of detracting what they have published makes them incorrigible A great wit sound judgement and strong memory seldom meet in one man by reason of the different tempers whence they proceed but they did all so concur in our Spanheim that it was hard to say in which he most excelled He was somewhat cholerick by nature yet so suppressed the same that he brake not forth at any time into sinful anger He was a man so addicted to his study and the Schools that its a wonder how he could understand any thing else But God had made him a man both for contemplation and action as may appear by the use which Noble men and women made of him for advice in civil affairs When he wrote of Politicks you would have thought that he had studyed nothing else in the whole course of his life Before he grew old he was an old man for wisdom and intentness upon businesses His whole life was an Idaea of wisdom whereby as occasion required he could accommodate himself to affairs of all sorts He was a wary estimator of humane affairs In his friendships he observed this rule that though he did not admit all promiscuously yet did he admit not a few into his familiarity He was very ready to do good to and to deserve well of all and whereas many had daily occasion to make use of him he rather numbred then weighed the good turns he did them He had almost so many friends as acquaintance especially of those that excelled in Learning In England Vsher Selden Prideaux Morton and Twisse who a little before death would trust no body but our Spanheim with sundry writings which he had prepared for the press In France besides many Noble men who were in great places of dignity he had Molinaeus Troâ—chinus William Rivet Garissolius Beaumontius Mestrezatius Drelincourtius Bouteroviusâ— Muratus Blondellus Ferrius Petitus Croius Vincentius Bochartus almost all of them famous for their writings Iâ— Germany he had Zuingerus Vlricus Buxtorsius Crocius with some others yea out of Sweden the Queen her self the mâ—racle of her sexe did lately salute him very kindely by her Bishop and by her Letters signified how much she esteemed him and how much she was delighted with his Works In Transylvania Bisterfield a very learned man kept constant correspondence with him by frequent Letters But we must not forget Andrew Rivet who was inferior to none of the Divines that then lived with whom he had a most strict bond of friendship so that they seemed to have but one soul in two bodies they willed and nilled the same thing their opinions and judgements never differing But as he was always an acute observer of wit and learning so he never desired more intimacy with any then with such as by an unusual kinde of Learning excelled all others whereupon seeing Salmatius as the bright Sun obscuring all other Stars acknowledging the immensity of his Learning and the magnitude of his Heroick motions he often professed that he delighted in nothing more then in his friendship and Salmatius also willingly imbraced the same insomuch as when Spanheim lay sick hearing that he desired to speak with him though at that time he lay sick of the Gout Salmatius hasted to him where with many tears and sighs they imbraced each other conferring of such things as became Christians and such great men to speak of to their mutual satisfaction He lived also most friendly with his other Colleagues weighing prudently what each of them deserved But amongst all observing Bernard Schot to excel for his skill in the Law and dexterity in dispatching businesses as also for his obsequious minde towards him he made choice of him especially to impart his secrets to
the mean time they would do what might conduce to peace so that the Truth was not wronged and so they dismissed Bucer lovingly and honorably Anno Christi 1537. He encouraged the Senate of Strasborough to erect a School in which himself taught He was present at many Disputations and Conferences wherein he carryed himself with singular prudence He was one of the Disputants at Ratisbone against Eccius and others of the Popish party in which he grew acquainted with John Gropper who at his return commended him so much to Herman Archbishop of Collen that he sent for Bucer to assist him in the Reformation of his Churches yet afterwards that Gropper became a deadly Enemy to Bucer and the honest Archbishop was first Excommunicated by the Pope and then thrust out of his Government by the Emperour Anno Christi 1548. the Emperour with the consent of the Princes chose some moderate men to write a form for amendment of the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church the persons imployed therein were Julius Pslug Michael Helding Iohn Agricola Phil. Melancthon and Iohn Brentius these wrote a Book which was called the Interim Hereupon the Elector of Brandenburg wrote to the Senate of Strasborough entreating them to send Martin Bucer to him For saith he the Emperour seeing how loth the Pope is to have a Council hath thought of another way so that good men hope there will be an amendment of things in the Church Bucer comming to Auspurg lodged with the Elector of Brandenburg who shewed him the Book and told him that it was written with as great moderation as could be and therefore perswaded him to approve thereof but when Bucer had perused it he refused to allow it for that there were many Popish Doctrines contained therein At this the Elector was very angry and the Lord of Granvel was very earnest with him to subscribe it but he would by no means be drawn thereto and so he returned home with great danger of his life going through the Country of Wittenberg which was full of Spanish Souldiers Shortly after his return to Strasborough the Interim was by the Emperour obtruded upon them and the Protestant Divines were everywhere in great danger Some being dragged unto Prison and others driven into Exile and it so fell out by Gods Providence that the fame of Bucers suffering with his Colleagues flew into England where the Reformation of Religion was begun under Edward the sixth whereupon Thomas Cranmer Archbishop of â—anterbury by his Letters earnestly sollicited Bucer with P. Fagius to come into England and when they saw no hope of recovering their liberty in Germany they assented and went over Anno Christi 1549. by the consent of the Senate of Strasborough and at their arrival were kindely entertained especially by the Archbishop who shortly after provided them houses at Cambridge that there they might be imployed in the interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures Bucer had also a stipend of 240 Crowns per annum setled upon him that with his Family he might live comfortably amongst strangers He was also imployed in interpreting the New Testament wherein he began with the Gospel of John He had such a dexterity in reconciling seeming contradictions in Scriptures as was a wonder to his Auditors The English much admired as his Learning so his integrity of Life simplicity of Apparrel Modesty and Sobriety in his food his tolerance of Labors and great Patience in several Diseases Shortly after with the change of ayr he fell into a fit of sickness which was a pain in his Bowels the Stone a nauseaâ—ing in his Stomach Costiveness and a violent Catarh upon which diseases he lay sick for some moneths yet would he never be idle for when he could not go to the Publick Schools he read his Lectures in his own house yet in January following he read again in the Schools though he continued crasie He had great Authority in Teaching his Doctrine was excellent his Life blameless his Wisdom great his Voice strong agreeing with the matter he delivered He used a modest freedom in noting mens manners and as he abhorred idleness himself so neither would he suffer others about him to be idle Thus exercising himself indefatigably for thirty days together he fell into a relapse yet being a little recovered he Commenced Doctor in Divinity but relapsing a second time he imployed himself wholly in Heavenly Meditations and prayed God to keep England from those sins which had brought upon Germany so much misery and that that form of Discipline which he had written to King Edward the sixth might be here established Mr. John Bradford going to Preach told him that he would remember him in his Prayers whereupon Bucer weeping said Cast me not off O my God in my old age now when my strength faileth me withall adding He hath afflicted me sore but he will never never cast me off And being admonished to arm himself against the temptations of Satan he answered I am wholly Christs and the Devil hath nothing to do with me and God forbid that I should not now have experience of the sweet consolations in Christ and so with sweet and heavenly ejaculations he resigned up his spirit into the hands of God at Cambridge February the 27. Anno 1551. of his age 61. and had about three thousand persons attending him to his grave Walter Haddon and Dr. Parker Preached his Funeral Sermons Anno 1556. in Queen Maries days he was condemned of Heresie his body digged up and together with his Books burned Cardinal Contarene returning out of Germany from the Disputation at Ratisbone being asked his judgement of the Germane Divines answered Habent Germani Martin Bucerum qui eâ ubertate doctrinae Theologicae Philosophicae eâ ctiam in disputando subtilitate felicitate est instiâ—uctus ut unus ille nostris omnibus Doctoribus possit opponi They have amongst others Martin Bucer endowed with that excellency of Learning both in Theologie and Philosophie and besides of that subtilty and happiness in Disputation that he only may be set against all our learned men Omnia hujus viri opera Latina Germanica si in unum conjungerentur justa magnitudinis Tomos 9 efficerent ex quibus cognoscere licebit quanta in Bucero Eruditio cura vigilantia peritia quanta fuerit in agendo dexteritas in reformandis conciliandisque Ecclesiis authoritas atque felicitas The Life of Gaspar Hedio who dyed Anno Christi 1552. GAspar Hedio was born at Etling in the Marquisat of Baden of honest Parents and educated in Learning at Friburg where also he Commenced Master of Arts and from thence went to Basil where he studyed Divinity and Commenced Doctor Anno Christi 1520. About which time the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ beginning to appear in Germany Hedio embraced and made a profession of the same whereupon being called to Preach in