Common Places, Letters · Letter 18 – Letter 20
To Maiſter Iohn Caluin.
WHen N. returned hither, hee marueilouſly ſet foorth your curteſie and goodwill towards him: wherefore I am glad that my commēdation was of ſome weight with you, and that he had an occaſion giuen him to louelove you as you deſerue. And truely I hope that (vnleſſe I be deceiued) he will hereafter doe his part and will liue quietlie and peaceablie. Wherefore I heartily thank you, & if any occaſion be offered, that you ſhall commende any to me, I will gladlie declare what account I make of your goodwill. I heard of ſome trouble that was in the Italian Church. For which cauſe I was ſo ſorie, that my minde coulde ſcarſe be at quiet neither day nor night. After the rumor was brought vntounto vsus, hither came George the Phiſitian. Forthwith he talked with me, and as I coulde perceiue by him hée thought that I woulde determine ſomwhat on his ſide. But he was verie farre deceiued: for if any man doe moſt deteſt this errour I confeſſe it is I. Twiſe or thriſe I conferred throughly with the man, and perceiued the thing to be as you writ: namely, that by theſe men is appointed in the diuine nature a monarke of the father onelyonly, & they affirme not that there is one eſſence of the father and of the ſonne. And ſince they will hauehave a diſtinction or diuerſitie in the diuine eſſence, they cannot auoide but that they confeſſe a multitude of Gods, which Gribald in plaine termes (as I heare) did affirme. Indeede in his words he denieth ſo much, but yet hee will hauehave thoſe thinges to be graunted him, which being graunted and ſet downe, this muſt of neceſſitie followe. I referred the matter vntounto Bullinger. He miſliked it and deſired me (which I alſo of my ſelfe wiſhed) that I would breake off the talke ſo ſoone as I coulde, becauſe ſuch kinde of mindes are not eaſilie cured. Therefore when I had nowe ſhewed vntounto that man whatſoeuer as I thought might be ſaide, I began to deſire him that he would reconcile himſelfe vntounto your Church, that otherwiſe he ſhould hauehave no place graunted him among vsus. And beholde letters, in verie good time were deliuered from you vntounto me, wherein I hearde to my great ioy that the Church of ye Italians were at agréement, and a certaine forme of writing giuen, whereunto they all ſubſcribed. Doubtleſſe the remedie is profitable, and is not ſtraunge from the auncient manner of the Churches. And thereof I tooke a rule many wayes to perſwade George vntounto the vnitie of the Church, and deſired him that with a pure and ſincere mind he would ſubſcribe vntounto a forme of writing ſet foorth which the Church had allowed: forſomuch as that was the onelyonly way both of reconciliation and edification of thoſe whom he had troubled and offended. But I perceiued my ſelfe to ſpende in vaine both my words and labour. Which being perceiued, and Bullinger being aduiſed both by Wolphius and by Gwalther, he willed me to perſwade the man to depart, otherwiſe that the magiſtrate ſhoulde commaunde him to goe his way. When I had this doone, he went his way, and eaſed me of no ſmall trouble. He ſaieth that he will go into Tranſiluania: but I feare that he will tarie a while at Baſil. He had another with him whoſe name is Iohannes Paulus Pedemontanus, who alſo departed & as I thinke went to Clauena. I would to God that he would bridle ſathan: he ſéemeth to be at liberty in this age of ours: for both he conſumeth the children of the church with fiers, and by all meanes corrupteth them with peruerſe opinions. But this I deſire of you for Chriſt his ſake, whom you ſerue moſt faithfully in ſpirite, that you will not for this cauſe either trouble the Italians, or louelove them any whit leſſe than yée did before. For if among many the moſt deare ſhéepe of God, he ſuffer ſome goates to lurke, and to go their wayes: yet they which tarie ſtill doe belong vntounto Chriſt, and as I hope ſhalbe cured by your miniſterie. Neither hauehave I added this in the ende, as though I miſtruſted your goodneſſe and indeuour, but to the intent I might powre my deſire into your boſome. Farewell my ſingular and welbeloued friende. Long may God kéepe you ſafe in his Church and aboundantly bleſſe all your labours. From Zurick the 11. of Iune, 1558.
To Maiſter Iohn Caluin.
WHereas you write hither more ſeldome, than either your ſelfe deſire, or I would wiſh, it doth not ſo much mooue me that I ſhould ſuſpect I am the leſſe beloued or the leſſe regarded of you, becauſe I knowe it for a certaintie, how you hauehave bin hitherto afflicted with ſickneſſe, and in a maner ouerwhelmed with great and manifolde buſineſſe. I would to God, as I knowe this very wel, ſo I could ſome maner of way eaſe you. But I truſt that the father of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, who is the fountaine of ſeaſonable helpe and ſound conſolation, will ſo at the length be preſent with you, as both you may be in better health of bodie, and that the troubles wherewith you are preſſed beyond your power, ſhalbe ſomwhat mitigated. I am verie ſorie that the matters of France do fare ſo ill, although I iudged before hand that things would ſo come to paſſe. For I perceiued nowe that they would ſoone beare the ſway, into whoſe hands if the chiefe ruler ſhould come, it was eaſie to be iudged what a fal the ſtate of religion ſhould hauehave. Others perhappes do maruell at the Quéene: But I maruell not: for I neuer perceiued hitherto any token of her godlineſſe towards ſincere religion. Howbeit it ſéemes to be verie new in the king of Nauarra, that hee which appeared before to fauour with a full ſpirit the Goſpel of the ſonne of God, ſhould ſhew himſelfe now when moſt néede was, to be voide of godlineſſe. What ſhall we héere doe? Hée that is the king of kings and Lord of Lords, ſhall defende and promote his owne cauſe without the Kings and Lords of this world, and as I hope will be a defendor and maintainer of your citie alſo: For he is not woont to faile the faithfull in ſuch times as they be oppreſſed. And ſince he hath not hitherto omitted this towards any, we are not to thinke that hee will nowe begin with you. Howbeit ſince it lieth not in vsus any other way to helpe, we doe aſſiſt your ſtate with earneſt prayers vntounto Chriſt: & we miſtruſt not but that according to his goodneſſe wee ſhall at the length be heard. I hauehave ſaluted Bullinger and the reſt in your name, who in like manner wiſh you verie much health. As for the young man whom you hauehave commended in your letters, I will willingly gratifie all the wayes I can. I pray you commende me heartily to your fellow miniſters, and eſpecially maiſter Viret and maiſter Beza, for whoſe ſake Letius gaue me the inſtitutions of your College, which I greatly reioyce that you hauehave erected, and for that cauſe I alſo giuegive God great thanks, beſéeching him that he will happily proſper that which yée hauehave well begun. Trulie I would with all my heart hauehave written now vntounto Beza, ſauing that the carrier made too much haſt. Fare you wel moſt louing Sir and reuerent brother in Chriſt. From Zurick the 16. of September.
To Theodore Beza.
MY good friend and louing brother in Chriſt I receaued by one Himmanuell, ye booke which you deliuered him for me whē he departed from vsus. Wherefore I giuegive you thankes for the gift aſwell for the excellencie and woorthineſſe thereof, as alſo becauſe I now perceiue there is a way open, whereby we ſhall not ſilentlie ſhut vp in our ſelues our good will which we hauehave through Chriſt and his Goſpell, but ſhall hereafter exerciſe the ſame by our mutuall letters and ſalutations one to an other. Truelie you began this excellent and comfortable kinde of coniunction: wherefore it is not méete that it ſhould ceaſe in me. This therefore did I receaue as méete it was with great delight and pleaſure: and for continuance thereof, theſe few lines I thought good to write, whereby I might reioyce with you for this happie ſtile [of writing,] this aboundance of learning and ſinceritie of faith, which excellent giftes (no doubt) ſince you acknowledge to be giuen you by God for the profit of the Church, now vſe you them diligentlie when they be moſt needefull for the flocke of Chriſt, and when your yeares are in ſtate to doe the ſame. Howbeit, becauſe it is but ſuperfluous to admoniſh him that is wiſe enough of himſelfe, therefore I will not make manie wordes. An other thing that I thought to ſignifie vntounto you is, that I, & as I thinke together with me all the godly and ſo manie as louelove the ſaluation of the Church doe giuegive you ſingular thankes, for the labour which you take in writing. And euen this would I ſhould be a ſpurre vntounto you, to procéede as you hauehave begunne: and that the greater number of enemies of the trueth there be, the greater forces and the ſtronger campe you prepare againſt them. God long preſerue you ſafe among vsus, and graunt that you may happilie liue to Chriſt and his Church. I pray you ſalute in my name Viretus, and ſignifie vntounto him, that the matter of the French Church hath at the length had a happie end. From Straſborough the 18. of Nouember, 1554.