had refused, but also appointed professor of divinity, which office he accepted in the month of August, 1536.

This year is also distinguished by a closer alliance between Geneva and Berne, and by the accession of Lausanne to Christ, where a free disputation was held against the Catholics, which Calvin also attended. Calvin then published a certain formulary of doctrine suited to the state of the church of Geneva, which was only just emerging from the corruptions of popery. He added also a catechism, not, as it is now, distinguished into questions and answers, but much shorter, comprising the chief articles of religion. Afterwards he endeavoured, in conjunction with Farel and Couraut, to settle the state of the church in Geneva, the greater part of his colleagues, from timidity, avoiding all disturbance, while some even secretly opposed the work of the Lord, which Calvin beheld with deep concern. He induced the citizens to convene an assembly of the whole people, for the purpose of openly abjuring popery, and of swearing to the Christian doctrine and discipline included in a few articles.

Many refused to do this in a city not yet completely liberated from the artifices of the Duke of Savoy, and from the yoke of Antichrist, and where various factions still continued to rage. On the 20th July, however, in the year 1537, the Lord granted that the senate and people of Geneva, openly preceded by a public scribe, should swear to the articles both of the doctrine and discipline of the Christian religion. But Satan, exasperated by such proceedings, and expecting that he should be able, under the pretext of religion, to accomplish what he had in an infinite variety of ways attempted, by means of foreign enemies, without effect, excited the Anabaptists in the first place to oppose them, and afterwards Peter Caroli, whose character and conduct will be examined in the sequel, were not only prepared to disturb, but also entirely to destroy, and to subvert the work of the Lord, either because what had now been effected very much displeased Satan, or else he anticipated the results which followed. But as

the event itself proved, the Lord had prevented his schemes for Calvin and his colleagues summoned the Anabaptists to public and free disputation, and confuted them on the 18th o March, in the year 1537, from the word of God alone, in s forcible a manner, and with such uncommon success, tha from this time they almost entirely disappeared in the church of Geneva. Peter Caroli, the other disturber of the church excited greater and more long-continued disturbances, the principal of which I will here merely state, since the whole history of the controversy may be fully collected from one of Calvin's letters to Grinée. The Sorbonne, which had nurtured this excessively impudent person, afterwards expelled him as an heretic, though his conduct had not merited such treatment at her hands. He first came to Geneva, then to Lausanne, and afterwards to Neuchatel, the spirit of Satan always so accompanying him that in every place he left the impressions of certain marks of his mean and base conduct.

On finding himself convicted by the Protestants, he passed over to the Catholics, and afterwards deserting them, again joined the reformers, as Farel clearly describes his arts in a long letter written to Calvin. At last he openly began to accuse every one distinguished for excellence of character, but particularly charged Farel, Calvin, and Viret, as if they entertained false notions concerning the sacred Trinity. A very full synod was held at Berne to consider the truth of the accusation, by which Peter Caroli was proved guilty of calumny; he afterwards gradually deserted the Protestants, and went to Metz, having been suborned for the purpose of impeding the work of the Lord begun with so much success in that city by Farrel. After this he wrote a letter, in which he openly attacked the reformed, that the hungry dog, having excited undoubted hopes of his apostacy, might gain a living. He was however sent back to Rome to make a public confession of his conduct to the beast itself, where, being treated with contempt, and suffering both from poverty, and a loathsome disease, he was received with difficulty into a hospital,

and the wages of sin-death, was paid him even by the son of sin. Such was the end of this unhappy person.

In the mean time Calvin published two very elegant letters in the year 1537, because he observed many in France to be well acquainted indeed with divine truth in their minds, who still indulged their own corrupt feelings, under the pretence of its being sufficient to worship Christ in the heart while they attended mass; one was directed to Nicholas Cheminus, of Orleans, concerning the necessity of avoiding idolatry, whose friendship and hospitality he had very much enjoyed at Orleans, and who was afterwards appointed to a civil office in the Province of la Maine. Another related to the popish priesthood, written to Gerard Rousel, already mentioned, who, after the tumult at Paris, was first presented with an abbacy, and then a bishopric, and afterwards, so far from pursuing the even tenour of his Christian course, gradually undermined, as domestic chaplain, the faith of the Queen of Navarre.

But violent domestic seditions were raised against Calvin whilst engaged in these labours. The gospel, as we have already stated, had been received into the city, and popery abjured. But many disgraceful crimes still continued to reign among various persons in a city, which had been for so many years under the power of monks, and of a profligate clergy; and ancient quarrels, which commenced during the wars with the Duke of Savoy, were still fostered among some of the principal families. He first endeavoured, without effecting any thing, to remove these disorders by gentle admonition, afterwards by severely reproving the stubborn and refractory. The evil increased so much that the city was divided by the seditious conduct of private individuals into various factions, and a considerable number altogether refused to join that body of the people who had abjured popery. At last affairs came to such a height, that Farel, Calvin, and Couraut, (who, as we have already stated, after boldly defending the truth at Paris, was brought by Calvin first to

Basle and afterwards to Geneva, when he himself was settled there), openly testified that they could not properly administe the Lord's Supper to citizens who lived in such a state o discord, and were so utterly averse to all church discipline To this also was added another evil, the disagreement of the church of Geneva with that of Berne in certain rites. The churches of Geneva not only used common bread, but had removed all baptismal fonts, as they are called, considering them unnecessary for performing the office of baptism, and had abolished all festivals except Sunday. The synod of Lausanne, compelled by the people of Berne, had decided that Geneva should be requested to restore the use of unleavened bread, the baptismal fonts, and the festivals. The college of the ministers of Geneva considered it right that an audience should be afforded, and on this account another synod was convened at Zurich. Those who had been elected syndics at that time, for this highest office in Geneva is appointed annually, embracing this as a favourable opportunity, became the leaders of the seditious and factious part of the city, and assembled the people. They brought affairs to such a state, that while Calvin and the rest of his colleagues, who held the same views, offered in vain to assign a reason for their conduct, these three faithful servants of God, in consequence of the more virtuous party being outvoted, were ordered to leave the city within two days for refusing to administer the Lord's Supper. When Calvin was informed of the decree of banishment, he said, "Certainly, had I been in the service of men, this would have been a bad reward; but it is well that I have served Him, who never fails to repay his servants whatever he has once promised." *

Who would not have thought that such measures were calculated to bring certain destruction to the church at Geneva ? The event, however, on the other hand, showed that it was

* Calvin, according to Spon, had borne his own expenses without receiving any salary.

done by Divine Providence, partly with a view to qualify Calvin, by the various experience he acquired as a faithful servant in other scenes of usefulness, for engaging in still e nobler labours, and partly to purge the church of Geneva from much of its corruption, while the leaders in the sedition ewere overthrown by their own violence. So wonderful does the Lord manifest himself in all his works, but especially in the government of his church. The truth of these remarks was proved by the final result of this transaction. But these f three servants of Christ, obeying at that time the edict, while all good men mourned on account of their banishment, proceeded first to Zurich, where a synod being convened of some fof the Swiss churches, means were used according to its de

cree, by the intercession of the government of Berne, to try to 5 influence the minds of the governors and people of Geneva. This attempt was of no avail, and Calvin went first to Basle, and next to Strasburg, where with the sanction of the senate of that city he was appointed professor of divinity, with a liberal stipend, by Bucer, Capito, Hedio, Niger, and the rest of their colleagues, men of the highest eminence, who then illuminated, as so many shining gems, the established church of that place. He not only taught divinity there with the greatest applause of all good men, but with the consent of the senate planted also a French church, and introduced such discipline as he approved. Satan, thus disappointed in his expectation, beheld Calvin welcomed by another city, on his expulsion from the church of Geneva, where in a short time a new church was formed. In the mean while Satan, using every exertion to subvert entirely the church erected at Geneva, which had been shaken to its very foundation, found in a short time some idle characters, who, for the purpose of concealing the great iniquity of the decree under the pretext of religion, determined that unleavened bread should be substituted for common, formerly used at the Lord's table, with a view to afford an opportunity for fomenting new dissensions. And the great enemy of the church would have succeeded in