Schaff - History of the Christian Church Vol. 8 - Media Sabda Org

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in my sermons and also in my writings and commentaries, to preach His
Word purely and chastely, and faithfully to interpret His sacred Scriptures.
I also testify and declare, that, in all the contentions and disputations in
which I have been engaged with the enemies of the gospel, I have used no
impos-tures, no wicked and sophistical devices, but have acted candidly
and sin-cerely in defending the truth. But, woe is me! my ardor and zeal (if
indeed worthy of the name) have been so careless and languid, that I
confess I have failed innumerable times to execute my office properly, and
had not He, of His boundless goodness, assisted me, all that zeal had been
fleeting and vain. Nay, I even acknowledge, that if the same goodness had
not assisted me, those mental endowments which the Lord bestowed upon
me would, at His judgment-seat, prove me more and more guilty of sin and
sloth. For all these reasons, I testify and declare that I trust to no other
security for my salvation than this, and this only, viz. that as God is the
Father of mercy, He will show Himself such a Father to me, who
acknowledge myself to be a miserable sinner. As to what remains, I wish
that, after my departure out of this life, my body be committed to the earth
(after the form and manner which is used in this Church and city), till the
day of a happy resurrection arrive. As to the slender patrimony which God
has bestowed upon me, and of which I have determined to dispose in this
will and testament, I appoint Anthony Calvin, my very dear brother, my
heir, but in the way of honor only, giving to him for his own the silver cup
which I received as a present from Varanius, and with which I desire he
will be contented. Everything else belonging to my succession I give him in
trust, begging he will at his death leave it to his children. To the Boys’
School I bequeath out of my succession ten gold pieces; as many to poor
strangers; and as many to Joanna, the daughter of Charles Constans, and
myself by affinity. To Samuel and John, the sons of my brother, I bequeath,
to be paid by him at his death, each four hundred gold pieces; and to Anna,
and Susanna, and Dorothy, his daughters, each three hundred gold pieces;
to David, their brother, in reprehension of his juvenile levity and petulance,
I leave only twenty-five gold pieces. This is the amount of the whole
patrimony and goods which the Lord has bestowed on me, as far as I can
estimate, setting a value both on my library and mova-bles, and all my
domestic utensils, and, generally, my whole means and effects; but should
they produce a larger sum, I wish the surplus to be divided proportionally
among all the sons and daughters of my brother, not excluding David, if,
through the goodness of God, he shall have returned to good behavior. But
should the whole exceed the above-mentioned sum, I believe it will be no