At his return, he set forth his commentaries on the epistle of St Paul to Titus, which he dedicated to Farel and Viret, in consideration of the strict friendship and unity between them.

.

In

Calvin remarked of Luther, that he often prayed he might not see the vials of wrath poured upon Germany; which immediately after his death came upon those places in a storm, and with the swiftness and execution of a whirlwind. Luther died in 1546: and all Germany was in arms, in 1547, on account of religion; which gave great trouble to Calvin, who was glad that Bucer, Martyr, and some other of his friends, were sheltered from the storm in England, where they were invited by archbishop Cranmer. The Calvinists said, that Bucer favoured episcopacy: But Calvin entertained a good opinion of him, and wrote to him in a very friendly manner, while he was assisting the Reformers in England. Calvin advised Bucer how to conduct himself before king Edward VI. He corresponded with the duke of Somerset; and gave him his opinion how the Reformation should be carried on. one of his letters to the lord protector, he expressed his dislike of praying for the dead; which was one of those things he termed tolerabiles ineptias, Englished by some, • tolerable fooleries; more mildly by others, tolerable unfitnesses. The protector seemed to threaten to abolish episcopal authority itself, both out of church and state: But this was an impracticable scheme, and archbishop Cranmer soon convinced him of his errors. The foreign professors, who had taken refuge, and were settled in England, were put upon combating the popish doctrine of the presence of Christ in the sacrament; and many disputes upon that head were held in the universities, as mentioned in the life of Peter Martyr. Calvin, in his epistolary correspondence with the protector, endeavoured to unite the Protestant churches: nay, (says Mr Strype,) there was so much joy abroad at the Reformation in England under Edward VI. that Calvin, Bullinger, and others, in a letter to the king, offered to make him their defender, and to have bishops in their churches, as there were in England; with a tender of their service to assist and unite together.' This good work was obstructed by the machinations of the council of Trent, and by the artifices of some popish bishops here at home. Calvin, however, renewed his endeavours upon the accession of queen Elizabeth, and, in a letter to archbishop Parker, desired him" to prevail with her majesty to summon a

"general

"general assembly of all the Protestant clergy, where"soever dispersed; and that a set form and method might "be established, not only in her dominions, but also "among all the reformed and evangelical churches abroad." While this important business was meditating, the design was frustrated by the death of Calvin; but how probably all parties might have been reconciled appears from Calvin's own opinion of a moderate episcopacy. Let them "give us, (says he,) such an hierarchy, in which bishops

may be so above the rest, as they refuse not to be under "Christ, and depend upon him as their only head; that "they maintain a brotherly society, &c. If there be any "that do not behave themselves with all reverence and "obedience towards them, there is no anathema, but I "confess them worthy of it." The truth is, Calvin and Parker were but of one mind; and so are all good men, in essentials: They both laboured and wished to promote the establishment of pure religion, and not their own gain. or glory. And so, in later times, if such men as archbishops Usher and Leighton, Mr Borrough, Mr Philip Henry, and some other excellent men, moderate in their tempers, and in their attachment to indifferent things, could have been assembled to determine the outward mode and form of the church, we should have had no dissenters

among us but very bad men; and the hearts and hands of all true Christians would have been much more strengthened and united. This is the true purpose of all outward forms amongst Christians; who, if they have indeed the grace of God in their souls, have no real differences between themselves, worth a moment's contention. But to proceed.

Francis Baudouin, who lodged with Calvin, gave out, that, in Bucer's judgment, Calvin kept no measure either in his love or hatred; or that he either raised people above the heavens, or sunk them down to hell. But Calvin solemnly protested, that Bucer had never censured him in that manner. "I call GOD and his angels to wit"ness, (says Calvin,) that what Baudouin recites of that "matter, is a wicked fiction of his own. May GOD "so prosper me, as I never heard any such thing from "Bucer: On the contrary, Bucer, whom I revere as a "father, cultivated a mutual brotherly friendship with "me, with so much affection, that it grieved him very "much when I left Strasburg. It is certain, he strove "to the utmost to retain me by any means whatsoever. "There is also a letter of his to our senate, wherein he " complains

"complains that I was recalled hither to the great loss of "the whole church; and in short goes so far, that he

says, I am inferior to none of the ministers of sound "doctrine, and have but few equals." Baudouin confesses, in his answer, that he had not seen what Bucer had wrote to Calvin; but he brags he had Calvin's answer to Bucer. Theodore Beza wrote to Baudouin, and made the following apology for Calvin; You say Calvin cursed himself if ever he heard any such thing from Bucer: But why do you omit what is most to the purpose ? For these are Calvin's words: "Baudouin says, that "Bucer once told me that I kept no measure in my hatred "or love; but was a man of that vehemence, that I "either extolled a man above the skies, or debased him to "hell." You see manifestly, though you are so blind with rage or hatred that you can see nothing, that what you wrote obscurely of Bucer's rebuke, Calvin understood as of some conversation; and, therefore, remembering the sweet and uninterrupted friendship that had been between him and Bucer, did not rashly break out ' into that expression; so that this is nothing at all to the ' letter, which you have corrupted too; for Bucer, whose ' letter I have in his own hand-writing, did not write, you judge as you love; but we judge as we love, whereby he comprehended himself in the number, and deplored a common fault of mankind.' Beza also remarks, that those two great men soon altered their style in writing to each other; and that there are letters of Bucer to Calvin of a later date, and full of mildness.

Calvin, (says a late excellent writer) has been taxed ' with fierceness and bigotry: But his meekness and benevolence were as eminent, as the malice of his traducers is shameless. I shall give one single instance of his modesty and gentleness. While he was a very young man, disputes ran high between Luther and some other Reformers, concerning the manner of Christ's presence in the holy sacrament. Luther, whose temper was naturally warm and rough, heaped many hard names on the divines who differed from him on the article of con• substantiation; and, among the rest, Calvin came in for his dividend of abuse. Being informed of the harsh appellations he received, he meekly replied, in a letter to Bullinger; "It is a frequent saying with me, that, "if Luther should even call me a devil, I hold him not"withstanding in such veneration, that I shall always "own him to be an illustrious servant of GOD; who, VOL. II. "though

*

C

"though he abounds in extraordinary virtues, is not with"out considerable imperfections."-Turretin's opinion of him also deserves attention. John Calvin, (says ‹ he,) was a man, whose memory will be blessed in every succeeding age. He instructed and enlightened, not only the church of Geneva, but also the whole Reformed world, by his immense labours. Insomuch, that all the Reformed churches are, in the gross, frequently called by his name.' Thus wrote this candid Arminian, and therefore an unsuspected evidence of all undue partiality, so late as the year 1734.' See Toplady's Historic

• Proof.'

In 1548, Calvin wrote his " Antidote against the seven "sessions of the council of Trent." He also wrote commentaries upon six of St Paul's Epistles: And he more fully confuted the Interim, which was published for the destruction of the German churches. He drew up a treatise against judicial astrology: And he sent letters to the Protestants at Roan, to detect the fraud of a Franciscan friar, who had spread among them the poisonous doctrines of the Libertines and Carpocratians. The latter were condemned in 208, for placing the image of Aristotle next to that of Jesus Christ; and for adoring him, through an extravagant zeal for his doctrine.

The next year, Calvin lost his wife, who was a valuable woman; and he bore his loss with such constancy, that it gave an excellent example to the whole church.

A great contention happened in the Saxon churches about things indifferent: Upon which they sent to Calvin for his judgment, who freely declared his opinion to them. He also admonished Melancthon of his duty, who was accused for too much softness in this point: But Calvin afterwards found it to be a false charge. He wrote consolatory letters to Brentius in his exile. He accompained Farel to Zurick, where, in a syond of all the Helvetian churches, he shewed his agreement with them; and indeed there was no great difficulty to bring good and wise men into an harmonious concord. This agreement made a stronger union between the churches of Zurick and Geneva; and increased the friendship between Calvin and Bullinger.

When Calvin returned to Geneva, the senate published a decree, empowering the ministers to require of every family an account of their faith: And they ordered, that no holy-day should be observed but the sabbath. This made the enemies of Calvin say, he had even abolished

the

the Sabbath; to which he gave his answer in his book "Of Scandals," dedicated to Laurence Normendius, who was his intimate friend.

Calvin, in his writings, every where declares, when he treats of the cause of sin, that the name of GOD ought not to be mentioned: Because the nature of GOD is

perfectly righteous and just. • How rank a calumny is it, then, to charge a man who hath so well deserved of the church of GOD, with making GOD the author of sin: He teaches, on all occasions, that nothing can be without the will of GOD. He says, the ⚫ wicked actions of men are so ruled by the secret judge'ment of GOD, as that he is no ways accessary to them. The sum of what he teaches is, that GOD, in a won⚫derful manner, and by ways unknown to us, directs all things to whatever end he pleases. But why GOD wills what seems to us not suitable to his nature, he acknowledges to be incomprehensible: And therefore denies that it should be over-curiously and boldly ⚫ searched into; because the judgments of GOD are a vast abyss, and mysteries beyond our reach, which ought to be adored with awful reverence. But still he keeps to this principle; that, though the reason of his ⚫ counsel be unknown to us, the praise of righteousness is ever to be given to GOD; because his will is the su· preme rule of equity.' Let Calvin himself be heard against the abuse which wicked men may make (for none but wicked men will attempt such an execrable business) of the doctrine of predestination. "In all our inquiries, "(says he in his Institutes,) into predestination; let us "never fail to begin with effectual calling." Again;

There are some who go on securely in sin, alledging, "that if they are of the number of the elect, their vices "will not hinder them from going to heaven. Such "abominable language as this is not the holy bleating of "Christ's sheep, but fœdus porcorum grunnitus, the im"pure grunting of swine. For we learn from St Paul, "that we are elected to this very end, even to holiness, "and blamelessness of life. Now, if sanctity of life is "the very end, scope, and drift of election itself; it will follow, that the doctrine of election should awaken and "spur us on to sanctification, instead of furnishing us "with a false plea for idleness."

In 1550, Galearius Caracciola, marquis of Vico, in the kingdom of Naples, left his estate and family, and withdrew to Geneva, on account of religion. Before his ar

C 2

rivaly