SECULAR CONTEST BETWEEN CONSCIENCE AND POWER. 133 



Luther had struck a blow for conscience, the effects of which 

 are still apparent. One hundred and fifty years later Bunyan, in 

 his immortal allegory, could depict Giant Pope in his cave, 

 surrounded by the bones of his former victims, but gnashing his 

 teeth because he could not touch the pilgrims of that day. 



VI. 



We now pass to a much smaller circle, the city of Geneva. In 

 the .middle years of the 16th century John Calvin, who shares 

 with Napoleon and Voltaire, men so utterly different from him, 

 the place of the three foremost Frenchmen of all time, had 

 moulded a theocratic state, which became the model of Presby- 

 terians in Scotland, this country and in America. But he had 

 to deal with republican institutions, and a democratic government 

 which necessarily regarded all citizens as equal in privilege. He 

 had taught the Genevans that the highest of all privileges was par- 

 ticipation in the rites of the Church, and when he appeared to 

 discriminate between those who desired to take the communion 

 he encountered the opposition of the party which was called by 

 the stricter sort the party of the Libertines. The question was 

 similar to that which w^as raised in the great scene between 

 Ambrose and Theodosius, namely, that of the Christian conscience 

 seeking to keep holy the most precious ordinance of its religion. 



The crisis arose through a proposal to transfer the power of 

 excommunication from the Consistory, which was composed of 

 the ministers of the City and twelve laymen, to the Senate, which 

 represented merely the civil power of the City. There was one 

 Berthelier, son of the martyr of 1521, who had for evil-living 

 been debarred by the Consistory from participation in the sacra- 

 ment. This man appeared before the Council of the City and 

 demanded the annulment of the sentence of the Spiritual Court 

 against him. In spite of Calvin's remonstrance the Council com- 

 plied with Berthelier 's request. 



It is significant to find that the Libertine or popular party was 

 supporting Serv^etus in his argumentative contest with Calvin 

 which was proceeding at the same time. As regards the Re- 

 former's responsibility for the ultimate fate of his opponent, I 

 will only quote Coleridge's comment : " If ever poor fanatic thrust 

 himself into the flames it was Servetus." 



Vv^ithin two days of Berthelier 's absolution by the Council, 

 Sacrament Sunday came. In the meanwhile the Council had dis- 

 regarded the protest of all the City pastors against its interference 

 in things spiritual. 



On Sunday, September 3rd, 1553, just a generation after 

 Luther's appearance before the Diet, Calvin had to stand against 

 those v/hn, would use the rights of civil citizenship to desecrate the 

 Communion Table. Calvin preached in the Cathedral as usual 



