Anti-Socinianism, Part 15
Bernardinus Ochinus Senenſis Monachus.
Papicolas fugiens, verum profitetur Ochinus:
Corde tamen ſimulat; Nam que Arianus erat.
GOD, as he is one, ſo he loves ſingleneſs and ſimplicity in the inward parts; As therefore he hath bin pleaſed to give us thoſe ſenſes double, whereby we might let in our ſelves, as our eyes and eares; and thoſe limbs double, whereby we might act for our ſelves, as our hands and feet: So thoſe, which he would appropriate to himſelf, as our hearts for beleef, and our tongues for confeſſion, he hath given us ſingle; Neither did he ever ordaine, or can abide two hearts in a boſome, two tongues in one mouth; It is the hateful ſtile, which he Spirit of God gives to an Hypocrite, that he is double minded; In the Language of Gods Spirit, a fool is ſaid to have no heart, and a diſſembler hath an heart, and a heart; And ſurely, as a man that hath two heads is a monſter in nature: So he that hath two hearts, is no leſſe a ſpiritual monster to God; And ſuch an one was this Bernardine Ochinus, firſt a Monke of Siema, after that a Profeſſor, I would I had had occaſion to ſay, a true profeſſour of the true Religion. But making a ſhew thereof, (as Hypocrites are the Saints Apes, and can counterfeit to the life) he was therefore cited to Rome, to make anſwer for that, which he then was thought really to profeſſe, that is, manner of worſhip which they corruptly, call hereſy. By the advice of his friends, eſpecially of Peter Martyr, who loved him intirely, for his profeſſion ſake, and thoſe good parts that were in him; he openly defied both Rome and the Pope, with all their abominable traſh and trumpery: So that forſaking Italy, he was much furthered in his flight by the excellent & godly Dutcheſs of Ferrara; For he was accounted a moſt exquiſite and famous preacher; Dulcis erat in colloquio, ſuavis in Sermone, perſuadens animas & blandiens; His diſcourſe no leſſe ſweet, then powerful; and where he gains no conqueſt by perſwaſion, there he undermines by a ſecret kind of inſinuation, which could not be with ſtood. Peter Martyr firſt brought him to Geneva, where he often preached, and was approved and applauded by all; Alter that he went to Tigurum, where for a while they were exceedingly taken, both with the matter, and manner of his preaching; but not long after, he was diſgracefully put from his Miniſtry, and deſervedly expelled the City; when they perceived he did not foreign, foot it right in the way, and courſe of Religion, but did ſecretly bear a good will and affection to the damnable Doctrine, of that heretick Arius defended polygamie, as being deſirous to get another, his own wife, yet living but poorly, and in a ſervile condition, at a great diſtance from him, without either regard or relief to ſupport and maintain her: He brought in queſtion alſo, (that he might thereby the ſooner, and the better overthrow,) the chief foundations of the Chriſtian Religion. All is not manhood that looks bigg, and ſpits fire as it ſpeaks; Nor is all beauty, that the curious art of trimming doth ſet forth; There is a paint, a dreſſe of holineſs, which God ſhall waſh away with a floud of brimſton, and conſume with the fire of the ſame. What is an eye glotted up to Heaven, a hand martyring the breaſt, a knee kiſſing the Earth, a Talent of fine, nimble and running diſcourſe of true Religion, the parts and properties thereof, without a mite of pure ſincerity, and ſound integrity? This, this muſt carry us, not only into, but through our profeſsion, or elſe with Ochinus here, we ſhall ſurely be diſcovered, when we leaſt expect it, and ſo our faces be covered with ſhame and confuſion both here, and hereafter:
Being baniſhed from thence, he came to Baſil, but ſtayed not there, either finding the place unfit for him, or he unfit for the place. Belike he could not put off his bad wares to ſuch an advantage here as he deſired; and therefore ſpeedily quit the place; of whom we ſay according to our Proverb, A fair riddance without a ſeſſions. He wandered about from one Town to another, from one City, to another Kingdome, but could do no good to the purpoſe that he principally intended; The expectation of the wicked periſheth; and their high thoughts come to nothing. But cum nemini obtrudi poteſt, when neither one place nor another would receive him, nor give heed unto him, he betook himſelf to the Trithecta's, Arians and Samoſatenians, which to make ſhorter work of it, are our Socinian brood, chuſing rather to feed upon huskes with Swine, then to enjoy the wholeſome and plentiful food of his Fathers Table. As he out-ſtript Socinus in that article concerning God: So alſo he went beyond him in another concerning the office of Christ, his ſatisfaction for our ſins, and that merit, which by his ſuffering for us, and in our ſteed, is imputed to us; Inſomuch that Gregorius Zarnovecius a Polonian in the preface of his book, wherein he treats of the ſatisfaction of Chriſt, doth prefer Ochinus before Socinus, calling one the Maſter of the other; But in time Socinus catcht up this alſo, and made as much of it, as any that went before him, or (as I believe) will come after him. Ochinus coming from Baſil, met by chance, with the Cardinal of Loraine returning into Italy, with whom, to curry favour, he profferd to make known to him, if he pleaſed to hear him, the many groſſe errours, which the reformiſts maintained, and which he had diſcovered while he had his reſidence among us: intimating hereby, that he went over to us for no other purpoſe, but by ſtrictly obſerving us, to get the better advantage againſt us: But the Cardinal utterly refuſed to give him any admittance into his preſence, or to have any thing to do with ſo ſordid and ſottiſh a fellow. And thus he, that was uncertain in himſelf, found a great deal of incertainty from others: being repudiated, and caſt off on all hands, both of his own, whom he voluntarily forſook, and of the Churches of God, whom he deceived by an outward profeſſion only, like a vagrant he wandred from one place to another, with little heed and leſſe comfort from any, and ſo miſerably concluded the dayes of his pilgrimage.