to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And therefore St. Paul declareth, that this godhead of the Son, and his equality with the most high God, the Father, is not to be understood in respect of the Father himself, but in respect of the creatures; 1 Cor. 15: 27. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest, that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. v. 28. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may For although the Son acknow

be all in all. ledgeth that he, by the gift of the Father, was made equal to the Father, in might, glory and power, yet he would not abuse that gift of equality, and turn it to tyranny and rapine, according to St. Paul, Phil. 2: 8. He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. v. 9. Wherefore God also hath exalted him, and subjected to him all things in heaven, and in earth, and under the earth. The Almighty Father constituted a God and Lord to be worshipped by all creatures: in short he conferred on his most beloved Son, as much might, power, grace, blessing, glory and godhead as possible; and he bestowed as much

honor on the Son, both in his equality, and in his throne, as the Son could possibly desire; Acts 4: 12. For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. But in the name of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus. Christ, who is the true Lord, and our God, as Thomas; John 20: 28. and Paul and John have most truly confessed. To whom therefore with God the Father, the most high and most merciful God, be praise, honor, and glory, to everlasting ages. Amen.

SECTION IX.

Servetus burnt alive.

The last act of this tragedy was performed at Geneva, on the twenty-seventh of October, fifteen hundred and fifty-three. We have already seen that Calvin extracted a catalogue of supposed errors from Servetus' books, and drew up the process. The Syndics and council had pronounced sentence against him that he should be burnt alive: and on this day, with many brutal circumstances, the sentence was executed, to the encouragement of catholic cruelty, to the scandal of the reformation, to the offence of all just men, and to the everlasting disgrace

of those ecclesiastical tyrants, who were the chief instruments of such a wild and barbarous deed. Many have pretended to apologize for Calvin but who is John Calvin, and what are his nostrums, which end in tyranny and murder, that the great voice of nature should be drowned in the din of a vain babbling about him?'

Voltaire, who deplores the fate of Servetus, and attributes his death to Calvin, says,, The finishing stroke of this picture of Calvin may be found in a letter written with his own hand, which is still preserved in the castle of Bastic Roland, near Montelinar. It is directed to the Marquis de Poet, high chamberlain to to the king of Navarre, and dated September the thirtieth, fifteen hundred and Sixty-one, in which he says, 'Honor, glory, and riches shall be the reward of your pains: but above all do not fail to rid the country of those zealous scoundrels who stir up the people to revolt against us. Such monsters should be exterminated, as I have exterminated Michael Servetus the Spaniard.' What a pity that men, professing themselves reformers, should give such persons as Voltaire so just an occasi- . on of complaint, which they are ever ready to

turn into an argument against divine revela tion.

To be a little more particular. When Servetus understood that he was sentenced to be burnt alive, he (as Calvin tells us) earnestly desired, two hours before his execution to see him. Calvin, with two magistrates, who were sent to accompany him, gave him a visit in the prison. Servetus begged his pardon: (it must have been merely for any improper warmth, or harsh expressions he had used in opposing his notions; the asking pardon for these does Servetus credit.) Calvin replied, he never thought of revenging himself for any private injuries, which the prisoner had done him. He added that he had labored even to the hazard of his present life, for the space of sixteen years, to reclaim him from his errors. That he had conversed with him by private letters with great mildness, and continued to use him like a friend, till he found that Servetus bitterly inveighed against him, even to madness, because he had been so free in his friendly reproofs to him. He exhorted the prisoner to ask of the eternal God for. giveness, for having attempted to blot three hypostases out of his essence. When Calvin found that his admonitions made no impression

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upon him, (he says) that he told him that he did not presume to be wiser than his master, and according to St. Paul's command went away from that heretic, who was condemned by his own conscience. It is to be remembered that this is Calvin's own account.

He says further, that when Servetus beard that he was condemned to death, sometimes he appeared speechless, and without any motion; sometimes he fetched deep sighs, and sometimes made bitter lamentations, like a man in distraction; till at length he grew so weak, that he was only able to cry out after the Spanish way, mercy, mercy. Calvin would no doubt give a partial account of these circumstances: and whatever mercy he might desire, he received none at the hands of that celebrated reformer.

Farel attended the doctor to his funeral pile, and had much ado, according to Calvin's account, to make him say, he desired the people should pray for him. Calvin is pleased to

make some very illnatured remarks on this circumstance, as, 'how his conscience could permit him even to do that, I cannot conceive; for he wrote with his own hand, that the faith of devils reigned at Geneva; that we had no church, nor God there; because that by the