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T has been afferted *, that this great divine was born at Alzano, a town of Italy, fituate in the valley of Seri, or Serio. But the learned John Sturmius, who was not only Zanchy's contemporary, but one of his moft intimate friends, exprefsly affirms, in afpeech delivered on a public and important occafion, that he was nobili natus familia Bergomi; born, of an illuftrious family, at Bergamo, the capital of a little province, in the north-weit of Italy: antiently, a part of Gallia Cifpadana; but, A. D. 1428, made a parcel of the Venetian territory; as it ftill continues. I look upon Sturmius's teftimony, as decifive: it being hardly credible, that he could mistake the native place of a colleague, whom he fo highly valued, who was living at the very time, and with whom he had opportunity of converfing daily. Sturmius adds, that there was then remaining, at Bergamo, a fortrefs (built by fome of Zanchy's anceftors) known by the name of The Zanchian Tower.

*Melch. Adam. Vit. Theolog. Exteror. p. 148. and Bayle's Hift. Dict. under the article Zanchius.

+ Addressed, by Sturmins, to the Senate of Strafburg, March 20, 1562, and inferted, afterwards, into the Works of Zanchy, tom. vii. part 2. col. 408.

Complete Syft. of Geog, vol. i. p. 843.

In this city was our author born, Feb. 2, 1516. At the time of his birth, part of the public fervice, then performing, was, A light to lighten the Gentiles, &c. And, by God's good providence the Reformation broke forth, the very next year, in Germany, under the aufpices of Luther; and began to fpread far and wide.

At the age of twelve years, Zanchy loft his father, who died, of the plague, A. D. 1528. His mother furvived her husband but three years. Deprived, thus, of both his parents, Zanchy refolved on a monaftic life: and, accordingly, joined himself to a fociety of canons regular. He did this, partly, to improve himself in literature; and, partly for the fake of being with fome of his relations, who had, before, entered themselves of that houfe. Here he continued nineteen years: chiefly devoting his studies to Aristotle, the languages, and School-divinity.

It was his happiness, to become acquainted, very early in life, with Celfus Maximian, count of Martinengo: who, from being, like Zanchy, a bigotted papift, by education; became, afterwards, a burn-, ing and fhining light in the reformed Church. Of our author's intimacy with this excellent nobleman, and its bleffed effects, himself gives us the following account §: "I left Italy for the Gofpel's fake; to which I was not a little animated, by the example of count Maximian, a learned and pious perfonage, and my most dear brother in the Lord. We had lived together, under one roof, and in a ftate of the ftricteft religious friendship, for the greater

Francis Zanchius: who feems to have been a native of Vepice; and was, by profeffion, a counsellor.

+ Barbara; fifter to Marc Antony Mutius, a nobleman of great worth and diftinction.

At Lucca. See the Biogr. Dict. vol. viii. p. 267, under the article Peter Martyr.

Zanchii Epift. ad Lantgrav. Operum. tom, vii. part 1, col. 4.

part

part of fixteen years; being, both of us, canons regular; of, nearly, the fame age and ftanding; unifons in temper and difpofition; pursuing the fame courfe of ftudies; and, which was better ftill, joint hearers of Peter Martyr, when that apoftolic man publicly expounded St. Paul's Epiftle to the Romans, and gave private lectures on the Pfalms to us his monks." From this memorable period we are, evidently, to date the æra of Zanchy's awakening to a true fight and experimental fenfe of divine things. His friend the count, and the learned Tremellius, were also converted, about the fame time, under the miniftry of Martyr.

This happy change being effected, our author's ftudies began to run in a new channel. "The count," fays he, "and myself betook ourselves to a diligent reading of the Holy Scriptures to which we joined a perufal of the beft of the fathers, and, particularly, St. Auftin. For fome years, we went on thus, in private; and, in public, we preached the gofpel, as far as we were able, in its purity. The count, whofe gifts and graces were abundantly fuperior to mine, preached with much greater enlargement of fpirit, and freedom of utterance, than I could ever pretend to: it was, therefore, no wonder that he found himself constrained to fly his country, before I was. The territory of the Grifons was his immediate place of retreat from whence removing foon after, he fettled at Geneva; where he commenced the first paftor of the Proteftant Italian Church in that city. Having faithfully executed this facred office, for fome years, he, at length, comfortably fell asleep in Chrift *," A. D. 1558, after having, on his death-bed, commended the overfight of his flock to the great Calvin.

It was in the year 1550, that Peter Martyr himfelf was obliged to quit Italy; where he could no

• Zanch, ut fupra.

longer

longer preach, nor even stay, with fafety. Toward the latter end of the fame year, eighteen of his difciples were forced to follow their mafter from their native land: of which number Zanchv was one. Being thus a refugee, or, as himself used to exprefs it, "delivered from his Babylonish captivity;" he went into Grifony, where he continued upwards of eight months and then to Geneva, where, after a stay of near a twelvemonth, he received an invitation to England (upon the recommendation of Peter Martyr, then in this kingdom), to fill a divinity-profefforfhip here; I fuppofe, at Oxford, where Martyr had been for fome time fettled. Zanchy embraced the offer, and began his journey: but was detained, on his way, by a counter invitation to Strasburgh; where the divinity chair had been lately vacated by the death of the excellent Cafpar Hedio.

Zanchy was fixed at Strasburgh A. D. 1553, and taught there, almoft eleven years: but not without fome uneafinefs to himself, occafioned by the malicious oppofition of feveral, who perfecuted him for much the fame reason that Cain hated righteous Abel, 1 John iii. 12. Matters, however, went on tolerably, during the life-time of Sturmius; who was then at the head of the univerfity, and Zanchius's faft friend. At Strafburgh it was, that he presented the famous declaration of his faith concerning predeftination, final perfeverance, and the Lord's Supper. He gave it in, to the fenate, October 22, 1562. Of this admirable performance (i. e. of that part of it which refpects the first of thefe points) the reader may form fome judgment, by the following tranflation.

In proportion as the old fenators and divines died off, one by one, Zanchy's fituation, at Strafburgh, grew more and more uncomfortable. Matters, at length, came to that height, that he was required to fubfcribe to the Aufburgh confeffion, cn

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pain of lofing his profefforfhip. After mature deliberation, he did indeed fubfcribe: but with this declared restriction, modò orthodoxè intelligatur. Notwithstanding the exprefs limitation, with which he fettered his fubfcription, ftill, this great and good man feems, for peace fake, to have granted too much, concerning the manner of Chrift's prefence in the Lord's Supper: as appears, by the first of the three theses, maintained by him at this time: 1. Verum Chrifti corpus, pro nobis traditum; & verum ejus fanguinem, in peccatorum noftrorum remiffionem effufum, in Cand verè manducari & bibi. Though the other two pofitions do, effectually, explain his meaning: 2. Verùm id, non ore, & dentibus corporis, fed verá fide. 3. Ideòque, à folis fidelibus. I fhall, here, beg leave to interpofe one queftion, naturally arifing from the fubject. What good purpose do the impofition and the multiplication of unneceffary subscriptions to forms of human compofition, tend to promote? It is a fence, far too low, to keep out men of little or no principle; and too high, fometimes, for men of real integrity to furmount. It, often, opens a door of ready admiffion, to the abandoned; who, oftrich like, care not what they fwallow, fo they can but make fubfcription a bridge to fecular interest and for the truly honeft, it, frequently, either quite excludes them from a sphere of action, wherein they might be eminently useful; or obliges them to testify their affent, in fuch terms, and with fuch open, profest restrictions, as render fubfcription a mere nothing.

Not content with Zanchy's conceffions, feveral of the Strasburgh bigots* perfifted in raifing a controverfial

Particularly, John Marbach, native of Schawben, or Swabia: a turbulent, unfteady theologift; pedantic, and abufive; a weak, but fiery difputer, who delighted to live in the fmoke of contention and virulent debate. He was, among the reft of his good qualities, exceffively loquacious: which made Luther fay of him, on a very

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