flourished as much under Beza, as it had done CENT. during the life of its founder [p].

XVI. SECT. III.

PART II.

XII. The plan and doctrine of discipline that had been formed by Zuingle, was altered and corrected by Calvin; and that more especially in The form three points, of which it will not be improper to and ecclegive a particular account.

of doctrine

siastical go

vernment

former.

1st, Zuingle, in his form of ecclesiastical go- drawn up vernment had given an absolute and unbounded by this Repower, in religious matters, to the civil magistrate, to whom he had placed the clergy in a degree of subjection that was displeasing to many. But at the same time he allowed of a certain subordination and difference of rank among the ministers of the church, and even thought it expedient to place at their head a perpetual president, or superintendent, with a certain degree of inspection and authority over the whole body. Calvin, on the contrary, reduced the power of the magistrate, in religious matters, within narrow bounds. He declared the church a separate and independent body, endowed with the power of legislation for itself. He maintained, that it was to be governed, like the primitive church, only by presbyteries and synods, that is, by assemblies of elders, composed both of the clergy and laity; and he left to the civil magistrate little else than the privilege of protecting and defending the church, and providing for what related to its external exigencies and concerns. Thus this eminent Reformer introduced

into

[P] The various projects and plans that were formed, conducted, and executed with equal prudence and resolution by Calvin, in behalf, both of the Republic and church of Geneva, are related by the learned person, who, in the year 1730, gave a new edition (enriched with interesting historical notes, and authentic documents) of Spon's Histoire de Geneve. The particular accounts of Calvin's transactions, given by this anonymous editor, in his notes, are drawn from several curious manuscripts of undoubted credit. See Spon, Histoire de Geneve, tom. ii. p. 87, 100, &c.

SECT. III.

PART II.

CENT. into the republic of Geneva, and endeavoured to XVI. introduce into all the reformed churches throughout Europe, that form of ecclesiastical government, which is called Presbyterian, from its neither admitting of the institution of bishops, nor of any subordination among the clergy; and which is founded on this principle, that all ministers of the gospel are, by the law of God, declared to be equal in rank and authority. In consequence of this principle, he established at Geneva a consistory composed of ruling elders, partly pastors, and partly laymen, and invested this ecclesiastical body with a high degree of power and authority. He also convened synods, composed of the ruling elders of different churches, and in these consistories and synods had laws enacted for the regulation of all matters of a religious nature; and, among other things, restored to its former vigour the ancient practice of excommunication. All these things were done with the consent of the greatest part of the senate of Geneva.

2dly, The system that Zuingle had adopted with respect to the eucharist, was by no means agreeable to Calvin, who, in order to facilitate the desired union with the Lutheran church, substituted in its place, another, which appeared more conformable to the doctrine of that church, and in reality, differed but little from it. For while the doctrine of Zuingle supposed only a symbolical, or figurative presence of the body and blood of Christ in the eucharist, and represented a pious remembrance of Christ's death, and of the benefits it procured to mankind, as the only fruits that arose from the celebration of the Lord's supper, Calvin explained this critical point in a quite different manner. He acknowledged a real, though spiritual presence of Christ in this sacrament; or, in other words, he maintained, that true Christians, who approached this holy ordi

nance

XVI. SECT. III.

nance with a lively faith, were, in a certain man- CENT. ner, united to the man Christ; and that from this union the spiritual life derived new vigour PART II. in the soul, and was still carried on, in a progressive motion, to greater degrees of purity and perfection. This kind of language had been used in the forms of doctrine drawn up by Luther and as Calvin observed, among other things, that the divine grace was conferred upon sinners, and sealed to them by the celebration of the Lord's supper, this induced many to suppose that he adopted the sentiment implied in the barbarous term impanation [q], and differed but little from the doctrine of the Lutheran church on this important

[q] The term Impanation, (which signifies here the pre-" sence of Christ's body in the eucharist, in, or with the bread that is there exhibited) amounts to what i called Consubstantiation. It was a modification of the monstrous doctrine of Transubstantiation, first invented by some of the disciples of Berenger, who had not a mind to break all measures with the church of Rome, and was afterwards adopted by Luther and his followers, who, in reality, made sad work of it. For, in order to give it some faint air of possibility, and to maintain it as well as they could, they fell into a wretched scholastic jargon about the nature of substances, subsistences, attributes, properties, and accidents, that did infinite mischief to the true and sublime science of gospel theology, whose beautiful simplicity it was adapted to destroy. The very same perplexity and darkness, the same quibbling, sophistical, and unintelligible logic that reigned in the attempts of the Roman catholics to defend the doctrine of Transubstantiation, were visible in the controversial writings of the Lutherans in behalf of Consubstantiation, or impanation. The latter had, indeed, one absurdity less to maintain; but being obliged to assert, in opposition to intuitive evidence and unchangeable truth, that the same body can be in many places at the same time, they were consequently obliged to have recourse to the darkest and most intricate jargon of the schools, to hide the nonsense of this unaccountable doctrine. The modern Lutherans are grown somewhat wiser in this respect; at least, they seem less zealous than their ancestors about the tenet in question.

PART II.

CENT. portant subject [r]. Be that as it may, his sentiXVI. ments differed considerably from those of Zuingle; SECT. III. for while the latter asserted, that all Christians, without distinction, whether regenerate or unregenerate, might be partakers of the body and blood of Christ; Calvin confined this privilege to the pious and regenerate believer alone.

These

changes

3dly, The absolute decree of God, with respect to the future and everlasting condition of the human race, which made no part of the theology of Zuingle, was an essential tenet in the creed of Calvin, who inculcated with zeal the following doctrine: "That God, in predestinating from all eternity, one part of mankind to everlasting happiness, and another to endless misery, was led to "make this distinction by no other motive than "his own good pleasure and free-will.”

66

XIII. The first of the three points now mentioned, was of such a nature, that great as the Calvin are credit and influence of Calvin were, he could

made by

not approv

ed of nor

received by all the reformed churches.

i.

not

[r] See Fueslini Centur I. Epistol. Theolog. Reformat. tom. p. 255, 256, 262, 263.-Letters de Calvin a Mons. Jac. de Falaise, p. 84, 85.-We learn in Fueslin, p. 263. that Calvin wrote to Bucer a letter, intimating, that he approved of his sentiments. It is possible, that he may have derived from Bucer the opinion he entertained with respect to the eucharist.

-See Bossuet, Histoire des Variations des Eglises Protestantes, tom. ii. p. 8, 14, 19.-Courayer, Examen des Defauts des Theologiens, tom. ii. p. 72. These two writers pretend that the sentiments of Calvin, with respect to the eucharist, were almost the same with those of the Roman Catholics *. The truth of the matter is, that the obscurity and inconsistency with which this great man expressed himself upon that subject, render it extremely difficult to give a clear and accurate account of his doctrine.

*How it could come into the heads of such men as Bossuet and Dr. Courayer to say, that "the sentiments of Calvin concerning the eucharist were almost the same with those of the Roman Catholics," is, indeed, strange enough. The doctrine of transubstantiation was to Calvin an invincible obstacle to any sort of conformity between him and Rome on that subject. For however obscure and figurative his expressions with respect to Christ's spiritual presence in the eucharist may have been, he never once dreamed of any thing like a corporal presence in that holy sacrament.

SECT. III.

PART II.

not procure a universal reception for it in the CENT. Reformed churches. The English and Germans XVI. rejected it, and even the Swiss refused to adopt it. It was, however, received by the Reformed churches in France, Holland, and Scotland. The Swiss remained firm in their opposition; they would not suffer the form of ecclesiastical government, that had once been established under the inspection of Zuingle, to be changed in any respect, nor the power of the civil magistrate, in religious matters, to receive the smallest prejudice. The other two points were long debated, even in Switzerland, with the greatest warmth. Several churches, more especially those of Zurich and Bern, maintained obstinately the doctrine of Zuingle in relation to the eucharist [s]; neither could they be easily persuaded to admit, as an article of faith the doctrine of predestination, as it had been taught by Calvin [t]. The prudence, however, of this great man, seconded by his resolute perseverance and his extraordinary credit, triumphed at length so far, as to bring about an union between the Swiss churches, and that of Geneva, first in relation to the doctrine of the eucharist [u], and afterwards also on the subject of predestination [w]. The followers of Calvin extended still farther the triumphs of their chief, and improved with such success the footing he had gained, that, in process of time, almost all the Reformed churches adopted his theological system,

[] See Fueslini Centur. Epistolar. p. 264.-Museum Helvet. tom. i. p. 490. tom. v. p. 479, 483, 490. tom. ii. p. 79. [t] Besides Ruchat and Hottinger, see Museum Helveticum, tom. ii. p. 105, 107, 117.-Gerdes, Miscellan Groningens Nova, tom. ii. p. 476, 477.

[u] The agreement between the churches of Switzerland and that of Geneva was concluded in 1549 and 1554.

[] See the Consensus Genev. et Tigurinor. in Calvini Opusculis, p. 754.