276 



CALVIN. 



Calvin. 



ly did, from no party view, or paltry resentments, 

 but from a strong sense of duty, and an ardent love 

 to truth. What he did in it, indeed, he did with 

 his characteristic steadiness and zeal. It is evident, 

 however, that his chief anxiety was, not to punish 

 Servetus, but to make him retract his error. He 

 tried most earnestly and patiently to prevent the ca- 

 tastrophe which followed ; but this design was frus- 

 trated by the obstinacy, the violence, and the impi- 

 ous language of Servetus himself. Even after this 

 unhappy man was condemned, Calvin felt for him ; 

 and though he could not g"t the execution of the 

 law suspended, endeavoured, but in vain, to procure 

 a remission of the more harsh and painful parts of 

 the sentence. These observations are made, not to 

 exculpate Calvin, or to justify the use of fire and 

 faggot in defence of the gospel, but merely to do 

 justice to the memory of the great reformer, and to 

 moderate the hostility and lessen the confidence of 

 his enemies. 



After the year 1553, Calvin's life was comparatively 

 tranquil. He was occasionally distressed with intes- 

 tine divisions, respecting the exercise of discipline in 

 Geneva. He found it necessary to engage in con- 

 troversy with some heretics, particularly Valentine 

 Gentilis, who vented some crude absurdities on the 

 doctrine of the Trinity. Above all, he was deeply 

 afflicted by the cruel and bloody persecutions to 

 which the Protestants were exposed in Paris, where 

 no fewer than twenty-one of that proscribed clasa 

 were burned alive. Still, however, his troubles were 

 neither so severe, nor so numerous, as they had hi- 

 therto been ; and he had the unspeakable satisfac- 

 tion of seeing the reformation prosper, in spite of all 

 the power and artifice and malignity by which its 

 progress was opposed. And he even succeeded in 

 composing the disturbances which had reigned in the 

 city, in defeating those heretics who had attempted 

 to corrupt the gospel, and in putting a stop to the 

 persecutions which had raged so violently in France, 

 though they afterwards broke out with their wonted 

 fury. 



On the 2d of February 1564, Calvin preached his 

 last sermon, and delivered his last prelection in theo- 

 logy. He laboured under a vast complication of dis- 

 orders, which the skill of the best physicians was 

 unable to remove ; but under all of which he main- 

 tained the dignity and cherished the piety of a Chris- 

 tian. On the 10th of March, he was visited by Be- 

 za and other friends, to whom he spoke with the 

 greatest chearfulness and composure of his approach- 

 ing dissolution. Being carried to the council on the 

 27th, he thanked them for all the affection which 

 they had shewed him ; and having said, " I feel that 

 I shall not again have the honour of appearing in 

 this place," he took his leave of them weeping. 

 Though much reduced, he attended church, on the 

 2d of April, and received the sacrament from the 

 hands of Beza, listening also to the sermon, and 

 joining as well as he could in the psalmody. The 

 congregation, though they grieved at the prospect of 

 his departure, were yet delighted at seeing the calm 

 serenity and holy joy which beamed upon his counte- 

 nance. On the 25th, he made his will, in which, 

 besides bequeathing the little property, and it was 



but little that he had, to his relations, he gave a con- Calvin,, 

 cise statement of his experience and his sentiments, '""" V ** 

 and bore his emphatic testimony to the doctrine of 

 salvation by grace. Having thus made his will, he 

 was anxious once more to address the four syndics 

 in their assembly ; but on account of the state of his 

 health, they waited u MHI him, when he spoke to 

 them in the most earnest manner, expressing his gra- 

 titude for their kindness, giving them many whole- 

 some admonitions, suggesting to them topics of com- 

 fort, and supplicating for them the blessing of hea- 

 ven. He then shook hands with each of them, and 

 bade them farewell. They departed with tears and 

 sorrow. On the 28th of Apnl, all the ministers of 

 the town and neighbourhood being assembled in his 

 room, according to his desire, he delivered to them 

 a parting address, exhorting them to fidelity, chan- 

 ty, stedfastness and perseverance, and encouraging 

 them, by mentioning the success which had attended 

 his own labours. His ancient friend Farel, venerable 

 for his piety and his years, came from Neufchatel to 

 have a last interview, which was tender and affecting* 

 After this, he devoted his few remaining days to 

 prayer and meditation ; and, on the 24th of May, he 

 calmly and gently fell " asleep in Jesus." His death 

 plunged the city of Geneva into the deepest afflic- 

 tion ; for in him they lost their most illustrious citi- 

 zen, their ablest pastor, their most learned teacher, 

 and their most valuable friend. He was buried in a 

 common cemetery, without any extraordinary pa- 

 rade. His funeral was attended by almost the whole 

 inhabitants. In compliance with his own request, 

 there was no monument erected to his memory. But 

 his memory is embalmed in the hearts of all the 

 friends of learning, liberty, and religion, and will de- 

 scend, with unfading honour, to the latest genera- 

 tions. No man has perhaps ever received so many, 

 or such high encomiums, from writers of every age, 

 of every country, and of every denomination. Al- 

 though he had his failings, which were chiefly those 

 of a dogmatical and irritable temper, the general and 

 just opinion of him is, that he was " a man whose 

 extensive genius, flowing eloquence, immense learn- 

 ing, extraordinary penetration, indefatigable indus- 

 try, and fervent piety, placed him at the head of all 

 the reformers." Even the language of Scaliger, 

 usually so parsimonious in praise, is scarcely too 

 strong, when he says, that Calvin was the most ex- 

 alted character that had appeared since the days of 

 the apostles ; and that, at the age of twenty-two, he 

 was the most learned man in Europe. Such eulo- 

 giums from such men, should make those sciolists of 

 the present day ashamed, who never mention the 

 name of Calvin without a sneer, and who associate 

 with it no ideas, but those of bigotry, intolerance, 

 and fanaticism. 



The works of Calvin are extremely voluminous. 

 The most considerable part of them are his Com- 

 mentaries on Sacred Scripture. These, which extend 

 to the whole Bible, except the book of Revelation, 

 are distinguished by piety, sound sense, clear illustra- 

 tion, and uncommon impartiality. Of his great work, 

 onthe Institution of the Christian Religion, an account 

 has already been given. Most of his productions, 

 indeed, are worthy of perusal. For even where the 



