ped of its specious forms of deception," it will not mislead such as believe in the scriptures."

"You, it seems, have "ascertained the fact," that God, by a sovereign act, distinguishes some from others eternally, by making some the subjects of his grace and not others, as plainly as you have, that some are afflicted more in this world than others. How did you come by your knowledge? Have you been into the eternal world, and seen one distinguished from another, when both were "alike deserving" of chastisement as plainly as you see one afflicted more than another in this life? I presume not, and therefore what you have said of seeing "plainly" that God has made such a distinction among mankind as the doctrine of election and reprobation supposes, is a mistake to say the least. You certainly did not get your knowledge from the Bible; for that says nothing about God's saving some and not others," "distinguishing one from another," "taking one and not another." I shall not do as you have done, make bold assertions, without scripture proof to support me. I say then the word of God in opposition to what you have written, declares, "God is no respecter of persons" That "he is good to ALL, and his tender mercies are over all his works:" That Christ "by the grace of God tasted death for every man." If this text is true, what you have said is false; for you say, some are made the subjects of grace and not others. The text says every man is a subject of grace, inasmuch as Christ died for every man, by the grace God. Paul says, "The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." You talk of God's taking one and not another. I hope you will see the striking contrast between what you have written and the Bible. As certain as the Bible is true, you are mistaken in what you have written upon the subject of election."

of

The foregoing quotations, with the few remarks which we offer on Elder Putnam's life, are undoubtedly sufficient to give our readers some general ideas

of both the biography of Elder Putnam and the strictures of Br. Palmer. As the Christian Repository contains but very little with reference to the common doctrine of the trinity, we have had some thoughts of noticing in a future No. Elder P.'s sentiments on the person of Christ. But as this labor must be deferred for the present, we shall endeavor to do in relation to this subject what we shall then consider the most expedient.

From the (London) Universal Theo. Magasine.

SKETCH OF THE MEMOIRS OF

JOHN CALVIN.

We are now about to present the reader with the biography of John Calvin, a reformer of eminence, and whose name is well known in the religious world. His history affords a variety of various particulars, and many valuable lessons may be learnt from the events by which his life was distinguished. His opinions need no explanation; they are adopted by a large portion of the Christian community. This indeed makes it the more necessary to inquire into his character; and we shall endeavor to delineate its principal features with fidelity.

JOHN CALVIN (whose original name was Cauvin) was born at Noyon, Picardy, July, 1509. Having passed through the usual stages of education, particularly his grammar learning, and his philosophy at Paris, he was presented to the Church in 1521, but received no living till 1527, when he entered on the rectory of Marteville, which he exchanged soon after for the rectory of Pont l'Eveque near Noyon. It is said that reading the scriptures, he conceived a dislike to the superstitions of popery, and accordingly quitted the church for the study of the law. In this branch of knowledge he made considerable progress, not however utterly relinquishing the study of divinity. The pursuits of theology occupied his leisure hours. Upon his father's death he returned to Noyon, but soon

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went back to Paris, where he, in the 24th year of his age, wrote a commentary upon Seneca's Treatise on Clemency. Soon after this period he made himself known to such persons as had privately embraced the reformation. This disclosure therefore laid the foundation for that distinction among the reformers to which he afterwards attained.

It happened at this time that the rector of the university of Paris delivered a speech of which Calvin had furnished the materials; this speech greatly displeased the Sorbonne and parliament, and gave rise to persecution against the protestants, to avoid which, our reformer retired into the country. In 1534 he however returned to Paris again, tho the renewal of further troubles, in which the protestants were involved, induced him soon to quit Paris altogether for Basil, where he studied the Hebrew language. About this period he published his Institutions of the Chris tian Religion, a work of considerable reputation. Its style has been admired for its elegance, and when we recollect the wide circle of topics which are there discussed, it may be termed a body of divinity. The dedication of it to Francis the 1st, King of France, contains manly sentiments, and is indeed marked by strong features of integrity. It must also be remembered that this work at its first appearance in 1535, was only the outlines of a targer publication in 1558, which was given to the public with the author's last corrections and augmentations. Its size in Latin and in French is that of a small folio; whether there has been a translation of it into the English language, we cannot say with certainty.

Having laid his Institutions before the world, with the view of assisting the cause of protestantism, Calvin paid a visit to Italy, in order to see the Duchess of Ferrara, a lady of eminent piety, by whom he was kindly received. On his return from Italy, he came back to France, whence he meant to proceed to Strasburg, but on account of the war then raging, it was necessary, for his safety, that he should pass through the

Duke of Savoy's territories. This circumstance led him to Geneva, where the entreaties of a friend seem to have been the principal inducement to his settlement there. Indeed his friend, being of a warm and enthusiastic temper, solemnly declared to him, in the name of God, that if he would not stay, the curse of God would attend him, wherever he went, as seeking himself and not Christ. Calvin, therefore, was at length prevailed on to comply with the choice which the magistrates of Geneva had made of him, to be one of their ministers and professor of divinity.

In 1537, the year after his settlement at Geneva, he made the people declare their assent upon oath, to a confession of faith, containing a renunciation of popery. This magisterial step, however, did not prove sufficient for the extirpation of immorality. Calvin then refused the administration of the sacrament to them, which was the occasion of his and of his associates' banishment from the place. He betook himself to Strasburg, where he raised a church, of which he was the first minister, and in this city also he was appointed professor of divinity.

The next business in which this active reformer was engaged, is that of his being present at the diets of Worms and Ratisbon, where it was intended that religious differences should be brought to some kind of accommodation. Thither he went, accompanied by Bucer, and had a conference with Melancthon, of meek and quiet memory. The result of these diets, held at various times with the view of benefiting the church, is well known to the readers of ecclesiastical history. What a pity, that the right of private judgement and the exercise of liberality did not prevent these fierce altercations, which, at best, were nothing more than the defence of human opinions, and, oftentimes terminated in deeds disgraceful to humanity!

The magistrates who were the cause of Calvin's banishment from Geneva being removed, he returned thither and settled there, in the year 1541. The first thing our reformer did, after his settlement, was the

establishment of a consistorial jurisdiction with vast powers of censure and excommunication. This step was justly exclaimed against by many, as the revival of spiritual tyranny. "Agreeably to the spirit of this consistorial chamber, which some considered as a kind of inquisition, Calvin" (says one of his biographers) "proceeded to most unwarrantable lengths, to which he was but too easily impelled by a natural warmth and unrelenting hardness of temper." Of the truth of this assertion, the persecution of Servetus, a Spanish physician of great learning and piety, forms a memorable proof. He had written letters to Calvin on the Trinity, which the latter made the ground work of a prosecution, which ended only with the consignment of its victim to the flames!! Servetus had written several theological books, in which he had expressed himself with freedom on many of the topics of orthodoxy. All this raised the holy indignation of our reformer, and seems to have extinguished every spark of humanity within him. Varillas affirms, that a letter had been seen at Paris, written by Calvin to Farel, his intimate friend, wherein is the following passage "Servetus has sent me a large book, stuffed with idle fancies, and full of arrogance. He says, I shall find admirable things in it, and such as have not hitherto been heard of. He offers to come hither if I like it but I will not engage my word; for if he comes, and if any regard be paid to my authority, I shall not suffer him to escape with life!" Sorbiere

mentions this letter, and says that Grotius saw it at Paris, with words in it to this effect. When Servetus, therefore, arrived at Geneva, Calvin instantly informed the magistrates of his arrival; he was thrown into prison, and a prosecution commenced against him for heresy and blasphemy. The same biographer we have already quoted observes, that Calvin pursued him with a malevolence and fury which was manifestly personal, tho no doubt that reformer easily persuaded himself it was all pure zeal for the cause of God and the glory of the church. The unhappy man was burnt alive,