Anti-Socinianism, Part 21
Chriſtophorꝰ Oſtorrodus, Smiglenſis caetus Miniſter
Eccleſiae pacem quis conturbavit amaenam?
Oſtorrodus erat, Daemonis arte potens.
CHriſtopher Oſtorrodus a Germane, Minister of the Socinian congregation at Smiglen, is another of this heretical crew, who did mightily infeſt the Churches (of God in divers parts: And ſure the trouble that befell his Maſter Socinus in the Univerſity of Cracovia, where by the riſing of the Students, for the ſuppreſſing of his hereſies, he was hardly entreated, inſomuch that he ſcarce eſcaped from thence with life) was the cauſe of the travail, and diſperſing abroad, of many of his moſt intimate diſciples and followers, and the coming of Oſtorrodus into Holland and Frieſland, Who with Andraeas Voivodius a companion of his, and fellow-Socinian, brought thither their Maſters book, de Chriſto Servatore printed, and divers others of the ſame kind, both manuſcripts, and printed books, prepared and provided for that very purpoſe, to propagate the Socinian hereſie in thoſe parts alſo, hoping to build their neſt there, and to ſettle themſelves, with more quiet and advantage, then they could in Polonia; But their project being diſcovered, and their cloſe underminings of the peace and tranquillity of the Churches, by Gods good providence timely detected, divers copyes of their peſtiferous books were taken, and brought before the States General of the United Provinces, by whoſe eſpecial command they were exhibited to the faculty of Divines in the Univerſity of Leyden, whoſe Reſcript; together with the States decree, which I conceived both neceſſary, and worthy to be inſerted, I have here preſented to the Reader.
A true Copy of the Reſcript.
REnowned Lords, the Copies of thoſe books which ye commanded to be ſent unto us, we have now thorrowly peruſed; ſome part whereof we have ſeen before, and have found out by diligent ſearch, divers others of the ſame argument.
That we may not be tedeous to your Lordſhips, we judge thoſe writings to come neer to Turciſme, endeavouring to overthrow the true, and eternal Deity of Jeſus Christ, the Son of the living God, and alſo of the Holy Ghoſt, the office of Chriſt, his ſaving benefits, ſatisfaction, redemption, juſtification, &c. the inſtitution of Holy Baptiſm, and our religious duty to Chriſt, conſiſting in prayer and invocation, which they deny to be due unto him, not being God, and true Creator of the World; with many other groſſe errours. As for example, in the book de Servatore are theſe very words; That the Juſtice of God could not require, that our ſins ſhould be puniſhed. Alſo, that Chriſt by his death and ſufferings did not ſatisfie the Juſtice of God for our ſins; yea, that Chriſt could not ſatisfy Divine Juſtice for us, by undergoing thoſe puniſhments, in our place, and ſteed, which by the Law of God, we were liable to have undergone. Laſtly, though there be many more to this purpoſe, that Chriſt could not ſatisfie the Juſtice of God for us, by performing thoſe things in our place, and ſtead, which we by the Law were enjoyned to perform. Such execrable blaſphemies are therein contained, which without inevitable danger of contagion, may not be ſuffered to paſſe among Chriſtians, being no ſmall diſparagement to their holy profeſsion, and an high meaſure of deſpight done to the Spirit of Grace. Which things being ſo, we are in hope your Honors will wiſely and ſpeedily take a courſe, that theſe men which have brought in, and diſperſed abroad, theſe curſed writings and books, may not long abide with you, or remain within your coaſts, and alſo that the writings and books themſelves may not come into the hands of any, to whom they may be a ſnare either through ſimplicity, or curioſity.
Renowned Lords, we beſeech God; that he would beſtow upon you more and more the Spirit of truth and wiſedome; and would be preſent with you from Heaven in all your affairs, and eſpecially in this great and weighty cauſe, which pertains ſo much to eſtabliſhing of the truth of God, and the common ſalvation of his people: that thoſe things, which are pious, holy and juſt, may be ſeaſonably provided for by you, and perfected in the Lord; That thoſe things alſo, which have any tincture of errour or hereſy, may be wholly extirpated by you. Dated at Leyden the 12. of Auguſt. 1598.
An extract of the Reſolution of the Lords States General of the United Princes March and September 1598. taken out of the Regiſtry.
THE States General of the United Provinces, being informed that there are certain books found with, and in the poſſeſſion of two Perſons here preſent at the Hague, which came lately from the Kingdome of Polonia, into theſe united Provinces, the one, named Chriſtopher Ostorrodus, the other, Andraeas Voidovius, which books, being examined in Leyden by the faculty of Divines, there are divers things therein found, to agree with the Doctrine or religion of the Turks, denying the Divinity, both of the Son of God, and of the Holy Ghoſt. And that the foreſaid perſons openly profeſſing the ſame Doctrine, came purpoſely into theſe Provinces, that they might publiſh the ſame herein, and ſo diſturb the preſent State, and quiet of the Church hereby. We therefore, be…ng willing to prevent …n time the enſuing miſchief hereof, for the maintaining of the honour of God, together with the profit and commodity of the United Provinces, (which like Democritus Twins, do laugh and cry, l…ve and dye together) have decreed, that the foreſaid books, in the preſence of the foreſaid perſons, ſhall openly be burnt to morrow before noon, oppoſite to our Chamber of General meeting. A…ter that, the aforeſaid two perſons ſhall be charged, and ſtraitly commanded, as by theſe preſen…s they are charged and commanded, that within the ſpace of ten dayes next to come, they ſhall depart out of theſe united Provinces, under the penalty of ſuch puniſhment as ſhall be inflicted on them according to diſcretion, if afterwards they be found or taken herein; All which we thought fit to ordain for the peace and quiet of the Church of Christ, and for the benefit and commodity of the united Provinces: Conceiving it alſo very neceſſary, for the better and more due accompliſhing hereof, that all the Provinces ſhould be admoniſhed of th…s, and a Copy of this Atteſtation be conveyed to them, which is above written, and ſubſcribed by the faculty of Divines at Leyden, concerning the foreſaid books; that the foreſaid perſons be not ſuffered to tarry or abide longer in theſe Provinces, then the time limitted for them; and that their abominable Doctrine, may be expelled hence alſo, Mar. 1599.
What better courſe could have been taken for the diſpatch of theſe Brethren in evill, with all their trumpery with them, out of theſe parts? But what are good and wholeſome Laws without execution? even like a body without a ſoul: for as a body without a ſoul doth quickly periſh, and come to nothing: So the beſt Laws that can be made, without due execution do dye in the very letter; For notwithſtanding this decree made, and publiſhed with ſo much ſtrictneſs, and good intention on the States part, there was ſome connivence in the matter, by which theſe perſons thus proſcribed, were yet retained and ſecured. If it be true which John Uytenbogardus ſaith, who wrote the ſtory, they remained ſtill in Frieſland, and there privily drew up an Apologie, to the decree of the States General, which they printed and publiſhed both in the Latine and high Dutch tongues.
I cannot but wonder at the mad folly, or fooliſh madneſs of thoſe, that profeſſe either reaſon or religion, that they ſhould be ſo far tranſported with the novell Doctrines of the…e half-Lunatick Teachers, that they ſhould keep them, and ſecure them within their own boſoms, who watch all opportunities to deſtroy them. Yet a new faſhion does not more take a proud Lady; nor a new Tavern a drunkard, nor a new drug an Emperick, then a new opinion does thoſe, that are affected to hereſy, be it never ſo diveliſh and blaſphemous. And I beleeve they made a great (I cannot ſay a good) reurn of them; For I have heard of above thirty Sects, and ſorts of Religion in one Town in thoſe parts: ſo that come will you be of our Church? was a ſolicitation as frequent as the ordinary ſalutation one to another, of good morrow, or good even. To be w…lling to be ſeduced, hath given occaſion to divers to attempt it, which otherwiſe, had never been attempted, ſo did theſe Hereticks play with, and play upon thoſe that gave them entertainment. This Oſtorrodus was a notable factour for the Devil, deceiving many with his couſening traſh: For beſides that diſputation againſt Tradelius which he had,, concerning the Deity of Chriſt, which was the mark they all ſhot at, the Deity alſo of the bleſſed Spirit, to deny which, I take to be an high degree of the ſin againſt the holy Ghoſt; the expiation of our ſins, the imputatio… of ſin to Chriſt, the ſatiſfaction he made to Divine Juſtice, paying the foreign of our redemption, that it ſtood not with the freeneſs of Gods mercy in pardoning ſin, to require ſatiſfaction for it, by which, and many other damnable opinions, deſtructive to the very eſſence of Religion, he drew many away after him, to the liking and embracing of his Socinian tenets. He wrote alſo certain inſtitutions of the cheif Articles, and principal points of Chriſtian, (he would, he ſhould have ſaid) Socinian Religion, which have perverted divers; yet are learnedly oppoſed and confuted by Iacobus ad Portum, that excellent inſtrument of Gods glory, and painful labourer in his vineyard.