likewise to be very angry with those, who conscientiously did believe and honestly professed them. The bishop has been charged with absurdities upon the doctrine of the Trinity, with Calvinism, &c.-but, let it be remembered, it was by Antitrinitarians, Pelagians, Socinians, and Arminians, who, it must be owned, are not very fair judges upon the case. A His "Private Thoughts," than which we have very few more excellent books, have been a particular object of their animadversion. One hundredth part of this good man's piety, in his adversaries, would have led them to different conclusions, and have caused at least a silent reverence for a character, which very few men of any order are over-disposed to excel, If such men as Whiston, and Collins his admirer, were to dictate the rules of orthodoxy, we can easily guess what would: become of all the confessions and formularies of faith, which are supported by divine authority, and by divine grace witness-i ing their truth in men's hearts and lives; and, what sort of respect might be shewn, in a very little time afterwards, to the bible itself: for the humour of impeaching divine, as well as political, positions knows no end, but subversion and anarchy. However, we have reason to be thankful for that gracious promise, that "the gates of hell shall not prevail" against the church or truths of God, to the end of the world; and, therefore, we need not be more deeply concerned, than in charity we ought to be for the self-deluding innovators themselves, concerning a matter, which has the wisdom of God to conduct, and the power of God to support, it at all times.

Bishop Beveridge left many works. 1. "De Linguarum Orien talium, præsertim Hebraicæ, Chaldaicæ, Syriacæ, Arabicæ, et Samaritanicæ, præstantiâ et usu." London, 1658.-2. "Institu tionum Chronologicarum libri duo, una cum totidein arithmetices chronologicæ libellis." London, 1669.-3. "SYNODICON, Sive Pandectæ Canonum S. S. Apostolorum et Conciliorum ab Ecclesia Græca receptorum," &c. Oxonii, 2 vol. folio, 1672.-4. “ Codex Canonum Ecclesiæ Primitivæ vindicatus et illustratus." London, 1679.-5. The Church Catechism explained for the Use of the Diocese of St. Asaph." London, 1704, 4to.-6. "Private Thoughts upon Religion, &c." Lond. 1709.-7. "Private Thoughts upon a Christian Life, or necessary Directions for its Beginning and Progress upon Earth, in order to its final Perfection in the Beatific Vision." Lond. 1709.-8. "The great Necessity and Advantage of Public Prayer and frequent Communion." London, 1710.9. "One Hundred and Fifty Sermons and Discourses on several Subjects." Lond. 1708, &c. in twelve vols. 8vo.-10. "Thesanrus Theologicus; or, A complete System of Divinity, &c." Lond. 1711, four vols. 8vo.-11. “A Defence of the Book of Psalms,

collected

collected into English Metre, by Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins, and others, with critical Observations on the New Version compared with the Old." Lond. 1710, 8vo.-12, “ Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles." Lond. 1710, 1716, folio.

BEZA, THEODORE, a great minister of Geneva, and one of the chief pillars of the Reformed church, was born June 21, 1519, at Vezelay, in Burgundy, where his family was in great esteem, and he was nobly descended by both pa rents. His father was called Peter de Beza, and was bailiff of the town. His mother's name was Mary de Bourdelot. He was sent to Paris very young, where he was tenderly educated under the care of his uncle Nicholas Beza,, counsellor of the parliament of Paris, till December 1528, when he was sent to Orleans, to study under Melchior Wolmar, a German, and professor of Greek at Bourges; but he left that employment, and returned to Germany in 1535. Beza then began to study the law at Orleans; but spent the best part of his time in composing verses, and reading the classics. He distinguished himself in a particular manner by his poetry, which made him caressed by the most learned men of the university, and highly extolled by the best poets of that time. His uncle the counsellor, who designed him for the church, died in 1532 but another uncle, abbot of Froidmont, had the same kindness for this nephew, and intended to resign his abbey to him, which was worth fifteen thousand livres a year. Beza took his licentiate's degree in 1539, when in his twentyfirst year, and then went to Paris, where some good preferments were provided for him, which he might well expect from the interest of his friends, his great talents, and uncommon reputation. The allurements of pleasure, the sweets of fame, and the hopes of the greatest honours, gave him very pleasing sensations, and combated for some time the resolution he had taken to follow Wolmar, and make a public profession of the Reformation.

He now thought of marriage, and accordingly paid his addresses to Claudia Denossa, a very amiable woman, and of noble extraction, if Ancillon is to be credited: and Scaliger says, she was the daughter of an advocate. He made this lady a solemn promise to marry her publicly, so soon as the obstacles which hindered him at that time should be removed; and not to engage himself in the ecclesiastical state till after the celebration of their nuptials. He faithfully performed these two promises; and says himself, that " he entered into a contract of marriage, but secretly; yet with the privacy of one or two

of

of his pious friends, partly that he might not offend the rest, and partly because of his ecclesiastical benefices."

Beza had published some poetical pieces which were esteemed worthy even of the Augustan age: but afterwards some new pieces of his, especially a witty epigram that he composed, being censured as licentious and too free; and some envious persons calumniating his life; he quitted his priory of Lonjemeaux, and retired to Geneva in 1548. His poems, entitled "Juvenilia," have raised great clamours. They were printed at Paris in 1548, by Conrad Badius, with a licence of the parliament for three years. The author was then twenty-nine years old, and dedicated these poems to Melchior Wolmar. They consist of Silva, Elegies, Pictures, Icones, and Epigrams. It cannot be denied that they contained verses too licentious, and little becoming the chastity of a Christian mind; but if the author's enemies had been reasonable, they would rather have praised him for the grief he expressed for them, than have put an ill construction upon the epigram on Candida and Audebert. These poems of Beza should be placed among the sins of youth, for which he asked pardon both of God and the world. He endeavoured by all means to suppress them, after his conversion; but the Papists, in order to vex and disgrace him, often reprinted them. One of that generation, objecting to him the loose poems of his youth, he answered; "That man vexeth himself, because Christ hath vouchsafed me his grace."

The honour which Beza afterwards acquired in zealously i maintaining the Reformation, caused his poems to be remarked, without which they had never been exclaimed against. Cardinal Richelieu has charged Beza with imitating the lewdness of Ovid and Catullus in his poems: but this proceeded from his negligence in transcribing some of the rhapsodies, which were thrown out against Beza by his inveterate enemies. We can never sufficiently deplore the malice or ignorance of men, when we remember that Beza was accused of an abominable crime, on so frivolous a ground as his epigram, " De sua in Candidam et Audebertum benevolentia." Maimbourg renewed this accusation in his history of Calvinism: but he is very fully refuted by an examination of the piece itself, without strengthening the apology from the great merit of Audebert who was a worthy man, a good Latin poet, and president in the court of assessors of subsidies in Orleans. Audebert justified Beza, who made use of the same argument, and says to one of his enemies; "What, when you are transported to such a pitch, as even to construe my most intimate friend

ship and familiarity, with a man of the highest honour, into so wicked and abominable a crime, as I cannot so much as mention without horror; though it serves you in your cells for jest and sport, must you not be detested by all good men?" Audebert died in 1599; and his epitaph, in the church of the Holy Cross at Orleans, says, that he was ennobled with all his posterity, and knighted by Henry III for his virtue only. Such an authentic piece alone (says a learned minister,) seems to me capable of putting an end to the abominable calumny which has hitherto been charged on the memory of that excellent and religious man." He meant Beza, of whom he wrote a small Latin apology.

Beza was of opinion, that the equality of pastors is of divineright, and that the ecclesiastical hierarchy is a fundamental corruption; meaning undoubtedly the perverted system of the church of Rome; for it appears (says Mr. Strype) " that af terwards Beza and Sadeel, in the name of the church of Geneva, professed, in a letter written to archbishop Whitgift, their respect, honour, and approbation of the church of England, by way of contradiction to some persons, who, under sanction of the Geneva form, attempted to overthrow its constitution." He fled to Geneva with his intended bride, and arrived there October 24, 1548. He was accompanied by John Crispin, a particular friend. But Beza went to see Melchior Wolmar, at Tubingen; and the following year, he accepted the Greek professorship at Lausanne, a city of Bern in Switzerland. He then married Claudia Denossa, with whom he lived forty years lovingly and honourably; for she was a lady of great merit, diligent, frugal, and particularly careful of her husband.

Beza soon became famous for his Latin compositions, and particularly for his excellent Translation of the Psalms of Da vid in verse. And he wrote a Treatise of the Rights that Magistrates have to punish Heretics. The last was upon the occasion of Michael Servetus, whom the senate of Geneva had ordered to be burnt. He published several other books at Lausanne, particularly, "A Short Explanation of Christianity; an Answer to Joachim Westphalius, concerning the Lord's Supper; Two Dialogues on the same subject against Heshusius; and an Answer to Castalio concerning the Doctrine of Predestination." Beza, at this time, had not tempered his fire, and moderated his gay disposition, which made him let fall many railleries in his works: it is true, he called them pious railleries; but they exposed him to the censure of his adversaries.

He went frequently to Geneva, to visit Calvin, during the VOL. I.-No. 10.

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vacations. Calvin was delighted with his poetry; but m horted him to dedicate his talents to the service of the chur and particularly advised him to finish what Marot had gun. He followed this advice, and translated into Fre verse, the hundred Psalms, which remained undone by rot. The translation of the remainder of Davia's Psal shews what Beza could do; though he has not so happ succeeded as Clement Marot in his fifty.

During the nine years that he continued at Lausanne, B would not confine himself to Greek lectures. He read somea in French on the New Testament, which were for the instr tion and consolation of several refugees of both sexes, wit lived at Lausanne: but they have been considered as the see of his Latin translation of the New Testament with nota which he first published in 1556: a second edition was pu lished ten years after, and dedicated to Elizabeth queen England: the fifth edition came out in 1558, which he de cated again to the same queen in a new epistle, and suppresse the first wherein he had largely explained his method and d sign. He revised this work several times, and made ma corrections in it, for which he has been cruelly reproache It was said, that many at Cambridge disregarded religion; ing induced by Beza to believe that the New Testament corrupt; as they had been by Edward Livilejus, that the O one was very much so: but no man, who is sensible of th difficulty of such a work, will think it strange, that Bea should make some alterations in each edition.

Calvin had a thorough knowledge of men, and intended Beza for his successor. He often commissioned him to con fer with the Lutherans, and at last invited him to Geneva. Before Beza quitted the professorship which he exercised at Lausanne, he made a journey into Germany, in the character of a deputy, and had the pleasure of conferring with Melanc thon as he passed through Frankfort in 1557, when he went with Farel and John Badæus to the courts of the elector pala tine, the landgrave of Hesse, and the duke of Wirtemberg to desire the intercession of those princes for the Vallies o Piedmont, which were then in possession of the French king

Beza taught Greek about ten years at Lausanne, and re turned to Geneva, where he settled, in 1559. He strong attached himself to Calvin at Geneva, where he soon becam his colleague in the church, and university. He succeede Claudius Pontanus as ininister; and composed his Confessio of Faith in Latin, which he had formerly written in Frenc to justify himself to his father, and with a view of convertin