Common Places, Letters · Letter 26 – Letter 30
To Henrie Bullinger. 28.
MOſt louing and reuerende man in the Lorde I receiued your letters ful of great courteſie & Chriſtian louelove, whereby I perceiue that you in appointing a ſucceſſor in place of the good and godlie olde man that is dead, were verie mindfull of your Martyr. I knowe that I hauehave not deſerued ſo great an honour, but whatſoeuer I vnderſtande to bee moſt friendlie doone by you and your aſſociates, that doe I wholie attribute to your goodneſſe & Chriſtian affection. Wherefore doubt you not but that I ſhoulde moſt thankefullie hauehave accepted your calling of me: ſauing that our Schoole and Senate tooke the ſame gréeuouſlie. For manie indéede hauehave indeuoured by diuerſe wayes and meanes and yet doe indeuour to diſcourage me from conſenting vntounto your calling of me. But I which preferre the conſent of Religion and godlineſſe aboue all thinges, am ſtedfaſt in my determination, and being demaunded of our noble and honorable Senate what my minde was, I nothing at all diſſembled, but ſaide that leaue to depart woulde be verie acceptable vntounto me, truely not that I am vnmindfull and vngratefull for benefites receiued: for I knowe that I am much indebted to this noble Commonweale, from the which doubtleſſe I woulde not ſuffer my ſelfe to bée plucked awaie, if I coulde agrée with their miniſters in the matter of the Sacrament. But ſince I am in no hope thereof, I hauehave openlie ſhewed how deſirous I am to goe whither I am called by my moſt louing brethren: and hauing an occaſion offered, I complained to the Magiſtrate that our doctrine of the Euchariſt ſhoulde in open audience be ſo vnmeaſurably and ſhamefully ill ſpoken of by the miniſters in this citie. And I added, that I woonderfullie maruell and am ſorie that they will not teach and diſpute of this matter openlie in the ſchoole, whereas neuertheleſſe in the Churches they vtter ſpéeches verie outragious and bitter. Brieflie I hauehave nowe twiſe pleaded the cauſe before them, and ſometime by ſuch as were appointed to talke with thē apart. And I thought that the matter woulde hauehave béene altogether diſpatched in foure dayes: but this daie the Senate aunſwered me that they perceiued the cauſes were reaſonable for the which I deſired leaue to depart, howbeit that they thought not that anie thing ſhould be doone raſhlie in ſo great a matter, and therefore I was deſired, that I woulde at the leaſtwiſe abide patientlie the reſpite of one monethmonth for an abſolute anſwere. For then they promiſe that either they will offer mee ſuch conditions, as I maie with a quiet conſcience remaine among thē, or elſe they will ſet mee at libertie to goe vntounto you as I deſire. This requeſt of our Magiſtrate, vntounto whom I am much beholding, and who I knowe is much of our opinion, I coulde not in right and honeſtie refuſe, eſpecially ſince they added that there bee certaine cauſes for the which they might not vponupon the ſudden giuegive me an abſolute anſwere, and ſo againſt my wil I yéelded to that ſpace of time which they required. But I pray you bee of good chéere: I will not deſiſt as much as in me lieth that your calling of me ſhall not be in vaine. A monethmonth ſpace will ſoone ſlip awaie. Wherfore according as you deſired me by your letters, I will be preſent with you at ye feaſt of Iohn Baptiſt, if the Lord graunt (as I hope he will) that the matter may be brought to an end. But how much I am beholding to your puiſſant and wiſe Senate for the vocation which they hauehave offered me and for the letters which they hauehave ſent hither, doubtleſſe I hauehave ſignified by my letters and hauehave giuen them thankes. But I beſéech you my ſingular good friende that you alſo will yet more at large teſtifie the ſame vntounto them. Alſo I giuegive thankes vntounto al your aſſociats, and my moſt louing brethren in Chriſt, vntounto whome I had now moſt willinglie written, but I was let of theſe affaires and talke which I hauehave with friends, who by reaſon of this matter doe euerie hower come vntounto me, I pray you vouchſafe to excuſe me vntounto them, for I will write vntounto them ſo farre as I can, or elſe my ſelfe will be preſent with them before they be aware. I detained your meſſenger with mee two daies longer than reaſon woulde, but this I did, becauſe I hoped that this thirde day I might hauehave diſpatched the matter. I pray you therefore that you will take this his tariance in good part, and procure that I maie not be blamed for the ſame. Salute you all the fellowe miniſters and aſſociates. Fare you well and happilie maie you liue in Chriſt. From Strasborough the 7. of Maie, 1556.
To Lodouick Lauater. 29.
I Am not a little delighted (my déere brother) with your courteous letters: For by your reioyſing with me for my deliuerance out of the Engliſh perils, you ſhewe your ſingular great louelove towardes me: which although it were well enough knowen to me before, yet is it now made farre more manifeſt. I ſtay as yet at Strasborough, but I hauehave not yet determined what I will doe: whereof when I am reſolued, I will finde the meanes that you alſo ſhall vnderſtand it. They hauehave not hitherto reſtored me to my former ſtate. And what the lette is that I hauehave not bin hitherto receaued, you your ſelfe can better geſſe than is requiſite and ſafe for me to expreſſe by letters. And if it happen that I tarie, I will not ſuffer either my lippes or my tongue to be depriued of that libertie of ſpéech which you exhort me vntounto, vſing neuertheleſſe both moderation and fit oportunitie. Wherefore if it be my chaunce to labour here in the field of the Lord, I ſhall by mine owne prayers and by the prayers of other godlie brethren, obtaine of the Lord, that I may at the length gather ſuch fruite as I néede not repent me of. For the lodging in your houſe which you willinglie offer if I come thither, I giuegive you thankes, neither doe I refuſe your good turne or rather courteſie. Wherefore if I come it may well be that I will turne in to you. As for the ſetting foorth of my bookes we will talke more thereof at an other time when leaſure ſhall ſerue. In the meane time liue and farewell in Chriſt, cōmending me to al your aſſociats and fellowe miniſters, eſpecially to Iohn Abulmis when you ſhall ſée him. From Strasborough the 30. of December, 1553.
It is at length decreed that I ſhal remaine héere at Strasborough, and they doe reſtore my former place vntounto me which I had heere before my departure into Englande. The Calendes of Ianuarie, 1554.
VntoUnto Lodouicke Lauater. 30.
YOur letters (woorthie Lodouicke) I receiued full of curteſie and louelove towardes mée: which I accepted moſt thankefullie for two cauſes, aſwell for that by ſo friendlie and gentle ſending of letters you ſhewe that I am continuallie remembred of you as alſo becauſe you certified mée by what ſtrange ſightes men be there warned of God. As the firſt cauſe doth not a litle delight mee, ſo it perſwadeth me to wiſh and deſire you to continue remembring mée as you hauehave doone: For I alſo in like manner will not be forgetfull of you. Prayer the remedie againſt prodigious ſights.And as touching the other cauſe, I thinke it méete by prayers ſtirred vppe with a ſingular faith and ſome amendement of life, to deſire God that he will turne awaie his wrath. If that the Ethnickes, as we reade in Liuie and other good writers, whē they vnderſtood of ſtrange ſightes and woonders ſhewed in anie place vſed diuerſe and manifoulde kindes of ſacrifices, to the intent that thoſe thinges might not take effect? what ought we to doe which be inſtructed with the true light of Chriſt? Wee hauehave no ſlaine ſacrifices ſauing Chriſt Ieſus alone, but yet prayers, repentance, and holy life (whereby oftentimes are diminiſhed the ſcourges hanging ouer our heade) be ſet foorth vntounto euerie one of vsus in the holy ſcriptures. Great vndoubtedlie is the ſlothfulneſſe and moſt deadlie ſecuritie in euerie place; therefore it is no maruaile, if the heauenlie father for his merciemercy ſake prouide that we may be ſtirred vp by ſuch kinde of ſtrange ſightes. For he called not vsus vntounto his holie Goſpell, that we ſhould ſleepe in idleneſſe: therefore he ſéeing that men are not in ſuch ſort mooued as they ought to bee by the word of preaching, and by the doctrine of the holie ſcriptures: Why he ſendeth prodigious ſights.hee alſo giueth warning from heauen, not to the intent hee would terrifie thoſe which he accounteth for his moſt deare children, but that he may ſtir them vp to goe forewarde in their indeuour, and to lift vp their heades, becauſe they perceiue that their redemption draweth néere, yea to be euen at hande. Of theſe kinde of ſignes from heauen are the wicked afraide, who doe whollie depende on the ſeconde cauſes of nature, neither hauehave they ſtedfaſt hold of the diuine promiſes nor yet of the moſt ſafe ankerhoulde of faith whereunto they may cleaue. Whereas contention is renued about the ſacrament, it is to be lamented: but ſince that the ſtrife is growen by the obſtinacie of others, it is not méete for our men to leaue the trueth vndefended. And for my part I am fullie perſwaded, that this is the Lordes doing who will not that ſo good and ſo neceſſarie a cauſe ſhould be ſet at naught. Wherefore I commende our men which hauehave written, and I doe earneſtly allowe of their ſtudie, labour and faithfulneſſe: neither doe I miſtruſt, but that they ſhall at length obtaine that good ſucceſſe which is deſired. Laſtly I warme you that you neuer doubt but that your letters will be moſt acceptable vntounto me. Wherefore I wiſh that you may liue happily in Chriſt. HaueHave a diligent and faithfull regarde vntounto your vocation, and let not your ſtudies of the holie ſcriptures either decaie or reſt. For they which either nowe be ſpent with age or within a while ſhall bee ſpent, will leaue the lamps vntounto you that be young men. Wherefore it is your part to prouide that they may ſafely and fruitefully be committed vntounto you. Praie vntounto Chriſt for mée, and moſt friendly ſalute in my name Maiſter Pellican. From Strasborough the fourth of Aprill, 1556.
To Lodouicke Lauater. 31
SInce hitherto (my learned friende and verie louing brother in Chriſt) I had nothing ſure or certaine to write to you as touching my comming vntounto you, therefore you hauehave hitherto receiued no letters from me. But nowe at the length I write ſignifying vntounto you that vppon Saint Iohns day leaue was giuen mée to depart. In which matter I ſo greatlie labored, as I neuer in al my life obtained anie thing with greater difficultie. Al the good and learned men earneſtly withſtood my purpoſe. The magiſtrate draue mee off euen vntill this time, and when he gaue me leaue, he teſtified in plaine termes, that he did it againſt his will. And afterwarde when I tooke leaue of my auditorie, (which was a verie great number) all that were preſent did wéepe at my departure. Theſe thinges hauehave I therefore rehearſed, to let you vnderſtand that I had a great deſire of comming vntounto you. You therefore my Lauater and others your fellowes, hauehave that which you deſired. I come and am now wholie occupied in preparation of my iorney, which I might much ſooner and more commodiouſly hauehave doone, if I could ſooner hauehave béene diſcharged. I will write no more, becauſe I hope verie ſhortlie that I ſhall mine owne ſelfe inioie the preſence of you all, fare you well therefore, and louelove me as you doe, and commende mee to all the Brethren. From Strasborough the xxx. of Iune, 1556.
To Philip Melanchthon. 32.
SInce I iudged (right worthie and reuerent man) that you ſhould be incredibly occupied in this aſſembly of Woormes, I thought good to forbeare troubling you by my letters. But nowe that I had knowledge of thoſe things which our reuerend friende Maiſter Bullinger tolde me of, I could not be drawen from writing vntounto you. I ſée that it hath happened there which in times paſt happened in the Synode of Nice, where the Biſhops which mette together, leauing in a manner the cauſe which was to be dealt in againſt the Arrians, diſcredited one another with accuſations and libels. But this difference I perceiue to bee betwéene the maner of our aſſemblie and their Synode, that the Nicene Councell was gouerned by the godlie Emperour Conſtantine, who repreſſed the inconſtancie (I will not ſay the fooliſhneſſe) of the vnwiſe Biſhops, and at the length helde them in their duetie: but in our aſſemblies there was no ſuch authoritie of godlie Princes that coulde ſo much as ſtaie the bread worſhipping Diuines frō departing. This hauehave I therefore called to minde, that ſince we perceiue the lot of Chriſtes Church to be ſuch, as it is aſſaulted both within and without, we may perceiue that there hath no newe thing happened vntounto vsus: of which kinde of conſolation, although you that are a ſtrong captaine of the warres of the Lord, hauehave no néede, yet hauehave I rehearſed the ſame that I might lament this infirmitie of godly men which happened long ago, onelyonly it hath not bin perpetuall. You no doubt as you hauehave doone the office of a good man, and of a faithfull defender of iuſtice: ſo hauehave you marueilouſlie bounde all our heartes vntounto you, who accounted it no iuſt waie that they ſhoulde bee condemned, which hauehave neither deſerued ill of Religion, nor yet were either cited or heard nowe in your iudgement. In déede a cleare conſcience is a great comfort vntounto vsus, but nowe doe we reioyce more aboundantly: becauſe God hath through you being our principall and courteous patrons prouided, that euen our cauſe which we aſſuredly truſt to be good, ſhoulde not be condemned by a newe and vnaccuſtomed forme of iudgement. Wherefore I moſt heartilie thanke you: and I beſéeche God the Father of our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, that he wil graunt good ſucceſſe to the indeuours of you & your fellowes: which I doubt not but wil come to paſſe, howſoeuer they departed which would hauehave had vsus to be condemned. For by the benefite of GOD, there be many wayes (as Pindar ſaieth) of well dooing. But becauſe I knowe that you hauehave no leaſure at this time to reade long letters, I will not write any more. I pray you ſalute your ſonne in lawe Peucerus, a ſingular man for his godlineſſe and learning, and alſo that verie godly and learned man Paulus Heberus. From Zurick the 20. of October, 1557. God preſerue you long in ſafetie to vsus and to the Church of Chriſt. Fare you well therefore, and louelove me in Chriſt: for in him I doe make great account of you.