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-The character given of him, by the immortal Monsieur de Thou, is, Johannes Calvinus," acri vir ac vehementi ingenio, et admirabli facundiâ præditas; inter Protestantes magni nominis theologus: a person endued with a quick and lively genius, and of admirable eloquence; a divine highly accounted of among protestants (k)."

"Bishop Hooper so much valued Calvin, that he wrote to him, even when he [Hooper] was imprisoned; saluting him with the compellation of vir præstantissime, earnestly begging his church's prayers, and at last subscribing himself, Tuæ pietatis studiosissimus, Johannes Hooperus (1).”

"Whenever he was quoted, in the press, or in the pulpit, it was done with epithets of honour; as, the learned, the judicious, the pious Calvin. And I am more than confident, there cannot be produced one writer of credit, in the established church of England, that ever fell foul on Calvin, until about 60 or 70 years after his death, when the tares of Arminius began to be sown and cherished among us. -Dr. Featly styles him, that bright, burning taper, of Geneva, as warm in his devotions, as clear and lightsome in his disputes (Ep. Ded. to Dippers Dipt). How respectfully do Jewel, Abbot, Usher, &c. mention him (m) ?"

Calvin 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

(k) See Leigh's Relig. and Learned Men, p. 149.

(7) Hickman, u. pr. p. 149.

(m) Hist. of Popery, vol. ii. p. 349, 350.

on the divines who differed from him on the article of consubstantiation; 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, "Sæpe dicere solitus sum, etiamsi me diabolum vocaret, me tamen hoc illi honoris habiturum, ut insignem Dei servum agnoscam; qui tamen, ut pollet eximiis virtutibus, itá magnis vitiis laboret: i. e. It is a frequent saying with me, that, if Luther should even call me a devil, my veneration for him is, notwithstanding, so great, that I shall ever acknowledge him to be an illustrious servant of God; who though he abounds in extraor dinary virtues, is yet not without considerable imperfections (n).”

The same learned historian, who relates this, has an observation, concerning Calvin, which 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 (o).' Thus wrote this candid

Arminian, so lately as the year 1734.

I might here add some account of the consummate veneration, in which the name and doctrines of Calvin were held, by our bishops and universities, before the clergy of our establishment were debauched into Arminianism by Laud. But this shall, if providence permit, be the subject of some succeeding section.

In the mean while, I should be equally unjust to the church of England, and to the moderation of

(n) Turretini (Job. Alph.) Histor. Eccles. p. 352.

(o)" Vir benedictæ in omne ævum memoriæ, Johannes Calvinus; -immensisque laboribus, non Genevensem modò ecclesiam, sed et totum reformatum orbem, erudiit atque illustravit: adeò ut, de ejus nomine reformati, quanti quanti sunt, non rarò adpellentur." Joh. Turretin. u. s. p. 253.

Calvin, if I did not annex a passage or two, from Mr. Strype, relative to the remarkable candour with which Calvin expressed himself, concerning the ceremonies and discipline of our religious establish

ment.

"The mention of Calvin," says this excellent historian, "must bring in a very remarkable letter, which he wrote in the month of August this year [1561], concerning certain ecclesiastical rites, used in our office of private prayer [an evident mistake for common-prayer] newly [re-] established [on the accession of queen Elizabeth]: which were scrupled by some of the English exiles, upon their return; chiefly, because not used by the reformed church in Geneva: concerning which, they had sent to Calvin, for his resolution and judgment. Wherein he gave his opinion generally in favour and approbation of them (p);" i. e. in favour of the "ecclesiastical rites:" which the historian particularizes in several instances. And then adds:

"To this judgment of this great divine, concerning rites used in this church, I will briefly subjoin his approbation of the episcopal government of the church which is alleged out of his institutions, by Dr. Whitgift.

"That every province [saith Calvin] had among their bishops, an archbishop; and that the council of Nice did appoint patriarchs, who should be, in order and dignity, above archbishops; was for the preservation of discipline. Therefore for this cause especially were those degrees appointed, that if any thing should happen, in any particular church, which could not be decided, it might be removed to a provincial synod.This kind of government some called Hierarchia: an improper name. But if, omitting the name, we consider the thing itself, we shall find, that these old bishops did not frame

(p) Strype's Hist. Ref. under Qu. Elizabeth, chap. xxi. p. 246.

any other kind of government in the church, from that which the Lord hath prescribed in his word." And so much concerning Calvin's sense of our church's liturgy and government (g).”

Nor did Calvin's learned colleague and successor, the illustrious Beza, entertain a less respectful idea of our national establishment. Towards the decline of queen Elizabeth's reign, when puritanic opposition ran high against the outworks of the church, the opposers affected to give out, that their objections were authorized, and their measures countenanced, by the most learned foreign protestants: and, especially, by Beza. This being soon known at Geneva, that great man, thought it his duty to exculpate himself from a charge so ungenerous and unjust which he took care to do, in a letter to Whitgift, then archbishop of Canterbury. "While the archbishop," says Strype, "was endeavouring to suppress the male-contents against episcopacy and the church of England in its present establishment, he receiveth, March 8th, [1591], a letter from Theodore Beza, the chief minister of Geneva, wherein he, by owning, with all respect, the archbishop, and the rest of the English bishops and their government of this church, gave a notable check to these new reformers, who bore out themselves much with his authority. It seemed to have been written by him, in answer to one from the archbishop, blaming him for his (supposed) meddling with the church and state of England, without any lawful commission. In defence of himself, he (Beza) returned an answer; part whereof was as followeth: That whereas his lordship thought it meet, in his letters, to move them (i. e. to move the Geneva divines) to think well of this kingdom, and of the church here, and the government thereof: it indeed troubled both him and Sadeel (another of the ministers

(g) Strype, Ibid. p. 247, 248.

of Geneva), in some sort as being greatly afraid, lest some sinister rumours were brought to him (to the archbishop) concerning them; or lest what they had written, concerning church-government, properly against the antichristian tyranny [of the Roman church], as necessity required, might be taken, by some, in that sense, as though they ever meant to compel to their order those churches that thought otherwise. That such arrogancy was far from them: for [added Beza] who gave us authority over any church? And that they by no means thought, so substantial matters were kept, that there ought nothing to be granted to antiquity, nothing to custom, nothing to the circumstances of places, times, and persons." So wrote Beza: or, to use Mr. Strype's own words on the occasion, "Thus did Beza and Sadeel, in the name of their church, profess to the archbishop their respect, honour, and approbation of the church of England (r)."

About two years afterwards, Dr. Bancroft (who at length became archbishop of Canterbury), in a treatise, which he published against the obstinacy of some restless puritans, "produced divers letters of Zanchius, in approbation of episcopacy; and of Bullinger and Gualter, to several English bishops, in disallowance altogether of those innovators (s).

(r) Strype's Life of Whitgift, p. 378, 379.

(s) Ibid. p. 404.-In another work of Mr. Strype, that useful and laborious collector gives a large account of Zanchius's attachment to church-government by archbishops and bishops. "We do not disallow the fathers," said Zanchy, "in that, after a divers way of dispensing the word, and governing the church, they multiplied divers orders of ministers. It was lawful so to do: seeing they did it for honest causes, appertaining, at that time, to the order, decency, and edification of the church.-For this reason, viz. that the nurseries of dissensions and schisms might be taken away, we think that those things which were ordained before the council of Nice, concerning archbishops, nay, as touching the four patriarchs, may be excused and defended." Some others, of the reasons, assigned by Zanchy, for his approbation of the hierarchy, were, 1. The practice of the primitive church, presently after the

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