Anti-Socinianism, Part 7
Valentinus Gentilis Campanus Cſentinus.
Gentili, falſo, nulli impietate ſecundo,
Supplicie capitis digna ruina fuit.
THE Church of God having, by thoſe excellent inſtruments of Gods glory the Senators of Geneva, rid her hands of blaſphemous Servetus, could not rid her ſelf of thoſe blaſphemies which were broached by him, and were left behind him; Inſomuch that that which proved his ruine, proved likewiſe to be the ruine of many others, that did adhere unto the ſame. Theſe curſed opinions did exceedingly moleſt and trouble the whole Church of God, eſpecially that at Geneva, to which there was at this time great reſort, partly for Religion ſake, which there was profeſſed, in its priſtine purity, and partly to avoyd the Papal perſecution, which was then very ſore and raging. Inſomuch that many ſtrangers, from ſeveral quarters, did frequent that place, and had there taken up their habitation; among whom, firſt cloſely and privily, then more apertly and openly the Doctrine of Servetus began to be broached afreſh. For the timely and ſeaſonable prevention of that miſchief which might hence enſue, it ſeemed good to that Church to draw up and publiſh a certain form of faith and confeſſion, to which they required a general conſent and ſubſcription; Againſt which Joannes Paulus Alciatus, a man of as much religion as a Horſe hath in him, a long time oppoſed and ſtood out, but Valentinus Gentilis at laſt overcame him by importunity, and brought him in; ſo that at length all of them ſuſcribing, did mutually engage themſelves that whoſoever ſhould do, or diſpute, otherwiſe then was conteined in this confeſſion, ſhould be accurſed of God, and accounted falſe, and fore-ſworn among men. But the Religion of an oath hath no prevalency with thoſe, who only uſe it for to promote their own baſe deſigns, and to further their wicked purpoſes; They muſt needs go, that the Devil drives, he having deſigned ſome of theſe for principal inſtruments, to …ow and diſperſe abroad the ſeeds of this damnable hereſy; firſt in the Church of Geneva, and from thence through all the parts of Europe, which they induſtriouſly perfornmed, and their black Maſter had a crop accordingly: For in leſſe then thirty years ſpace from their firſt diſsemination, this Socinian faction could reckon up ſome hundreds of Churches that were fallen to them; So readily and really did they go about their Maſters buſines, and ſuch an one was this Valentine of whom we are now to ſpeak, as the next Champion of the Socinian band.
This Valentinus Gentilis of …oſentine in Campania, with his confederates, made haſt to then old trade of life and manners. Now begins …e to publiſh his errours, to hold diſputations, uſed other machinations to tempt the faith, and try the conſtancy of others, to ſee whether he could bring them to has bent or no; He did much trouble the peace and quiet of the Church by teaching, that the eſſence of the Son, and Holy Ghoſt was diff…rent from that of the Father; That the Father only had a Divinee eſſence, and that the Son was eſſentiated and deified by propgation of eſſence from him; That there could not be more perſons in one eſſence, but there muſt needs be divers eſſences, and they different in degrees of deity, with many more ſuch vile and deviliſh opinions, by which he waxed great in the eyes of his admirers But at length both for his perfidious baſenes, and alſo for publiſhing ſuch heretical blaſphemies, by which both Church and Common-wealth was ſorely diſquieted, he was taken by the command of the Magistrates of Geneva and caſt into priſon. Where being examined concerning what he had done, and ſaid, of firſt he ſtood ſtoutly to the maintenance thereof, but ſuch was his levity, and hypocriſy, that he ſudainly relented, condemned his errours, and once more made a publick profeſſion of the true faith.
The Magistrates, yea the whole City having (as (as they thought a rare and eminent teſtimony of his repentance, gave him his enlargement; his recantation out of priſon he thus teſtified and deelarcd, by which we may be able to judge of his opinions.
Firſt, I have offended in that, I have affirmed, that only God of Iſrael to be the Father of Jeſus Christ, not conſidering that the Divinity of the Son was cloſely excluded, by thoſe oppoſtions, of only God the Father, and of Chriſt.
Secondly, when I conſidered the eſſence without the perſons, enforcing thereby a Quaternity, or a neceſſity of a fourth perſon: which I did very unadviſedly, becauſe the eſſence is no where to be conſidered, bu… in the three perſons, every one of which, being wholly the whole eſſence.
My third crime is, that I maintained the perſon of the Father to be ſophiſticate, ſeeming to be what indeed it is not, which among the reſt I profeſſe to be moſt falſe, as is now plainly ſhewed to me.
In brief there are many falſe conſequences, built upon theſe putrid and ruinous foundations, which I here deteſt and abominate, profeſſing my ſelf to take and underſtand theſe things no otherwiſe then the Conſistory hath explained them to me in their writ…ng.
The pennance which, according to the ſentence of the Judges he performed was this: Firſt, that being ſtripped to his ſhirt (they are the very words of the ſentence denounced againſt him) bare footed, and his head uncovered, holding a lighted candle or taper in his hand, and kneeling down upon the ground before the Judges, he ſhould ask pardon for thoſe blaſphemies which he had publiſhed, and thoſe writings of his, contaning ſo much hereſy, and ſuch horrible btlſphemy, a fire being made before them, he ſhould with his own hands caſt into the ſame, therein to be wholly conſumed; afterwards in the ſame faſhion, a trumpet ſounding before him, he was led through the moſt eminent ſtreets of the City, where he manifeſted, or rather handſomely counterfeited his repentance before all the people: for this fair and ſpecious ſhew of repentance ſoon vaniſhed away, and came to nothing, the Dog returning to his vomit, and the Sow, that was ſuppoſed to be waſhed, to wallowing in the mire; he had no ſooner got leave to be enlarged out of priſon, upon condition not to depart the City without the pleaſure of the Councell firſt known, and their favour procured, contemning his oath by which he had engaged himſelf unto them; and ſlighting the grave authority of thoſe, that might have taken away his life, yet dealt ſo gen…ly with him, he ſecretly ſteals out of the City and runs away.
Being thus unworthily fled from Geneva; he firſt took ſanctuary at the houſe of his old comrade and aſſociate Gribaldus, who lived in a Village, whereof he was Lord, and is on the confines of the juriſdiction of Geneva, but is under the rule and government of Guyen or Bernen, where he lived obſcurely, as one baniſhed …rom all company, but what did belong to the family; yet even there met he with Alciatus, who was much endeared to him, who with another in the houſe, which was the Maſter of Gribaldus his children, did often treat of, and diſcuſſe their affairs with many, and various diſputations. Hence he went to Lyons, which place finding not fit for his purpoſe, he ſoon got on his back, and then went to Grationopolis, Camarack, and ſo wandering through divers Regions, taking great pain… in all places whereſoever he came to make Proſ…lires, he returned again to Gribaldus his place. Where he had not long remained, ſecurely enough as he thought, he was taken, and caſt into priſon by the Governour of Guyen, being advertiſed of the Doctrine and diſpoſition of the man, but after a few daies indurance, he is freely diſmiſt, having given his faith to live peaceably and quietly, ſo long as he ſtayed in their jurisdiction. But he leaving them and their power to themſelves, and thoſe that ſhould have occaſion to uſe it, returned to Lyons, where he was for his peſtilential Doctrine which he had preached therein, apprehended by the Viceroy of the City, and was about fifty dayes in priſon, from whence he had not bin releaſed, had he not cloſely and cuttingly tampered with the Pontificians there, to whom he promiſed, that he would immediately enter into the liſts againſt Calvin, and would confute that Doctrine which was mainta…ned by him; which they verily believed; and ſo by reaſon of the inveterate hatred they had to Calvin, without any farther ſcanning of the matter, were eaſily perſwaded to ſet the man at liberty; From thence he event into Poland, after he had filled Italy and France, with the poyſonous contagion of his damnable Doctrines, whether he was ſent for by Blandrata and Alciatus, who had there received him before, that by their joynt labours and Devil…ſh endeavours, they might trouble and infeſt the Churches of Poland, being as yet but in their infancy, with thoſe deteſtable hereſies, wh…ch they were now ready to publiſh abroad a freſh, under the ſhadow of new truths, or new lights lately diſcovered to them, and they, (good men) being loath the World ſhould ſit any longer in ignorance and darknes, were willing to diſcover and impart unto others. He abode here two whole years and upwards, where he did, having time enough to do, much miſchief; and without queſtion they had not removed their camp ſo ſoon, had they not fallen out among themſelves., Blandrata turning perfect Arian, of whoſe opinions they were aſhamed, and whoſe name they abhorred, yet ſecretly cheriſhed his Doctrines, and embraced his hereſies; Alciatus becomming a Mahometan, they were all, by the Kings ſpeeial proclamation, commanded forthwith under the penalty of their heads, to depart his Torritories; whence they were forced to trudge with bagge and bagage; Gentilis ſtricks over to Moravia, where he conſorted with the aſſembly of the Anabaptiſts, as one who ſided with them in their dirty opinion, and with whom for ſome time he drove a great trade, and might no queſtion have longer reſided with them, but that there was ſome ſecret work of the Almighties hand in it. From Moravia then he paſſed to Auſtria, and laſt of all to Sabaudia. And here is to be obſerved, that which before was ſecret, namely, the juſt judgment of God inflicted on theſe heretiks. For although they go from place to place, and paſſe from Region to Region, yet vengeance all the while Doggs them at the heels, Ultio peccatum ſequitur, and are at length, by a certain ſecret inſtinct brought back again to that very place where incenſed juſtice which ſleepeth not, hath already prepared, deſerved judgment to wait for them. Thus it fared with this Gentilis, who having ranged thorrow whole Countries and ſerveral Regions, doth at length haſten to that very place, where ſome years paſt for his hereſy and blaſphemy, under the power of the Common-wealth of Bernen, he was caſt into priſon by the Governour of Gayen, who now would make ſure work, and not ſuffer himſelf to be deluded by another eſcape, the ſecond time, as he was before; he was therefore with a ſufficient guard conveighed thence to the councel of Bernen, and many times by the Senate and Judges, publickly examined concerning thoſe abhominable Doctrines which he had there delivered, which with all the arguments could be produced by him, he endeavoured to maintain, but how weakly he came off, and with what diſadvantage, you may perceive by the ſequel; being alſo demanded by the Judges, what was become of his two companions in miſchief Blandrata, and Alciatus, anſwered, that one was fallen away to Arianiſme, the other to Mahomitaniſme. Laſtly, being convicted of many notorious, hereſies, blaſphemies, perjuries, and ſeditious tumults and commotions, he was condemned to looſe his head, that head, which had plotted the ruine of many others, muſt now ſtoop to the ſtrock of Juſtice, and ſo the ſentence of condemnation pronounced by the Councel, being put in execution, he puts a period to his life, and his blaſphemies both together; but yet witthout the leaſt ſhew or viſible appearance of any remorſe for his ſin, or repentance for ſo foul a fact; But it was juſt with God, to deny it to him now, who had ſo deeply diſſembled with it, in the counterfeiting of it before. It is ill mocking either God or men, Specie virtutis & umbra, with a ſhadow inſteed of ſubſtance; God will one day cry quit vvith ſuch an one, to his greater ſhame, and more publick confuſion.