, one of the chief reformers of the church, was born at Noyon in Picardy,
, one of the chief reformers of the
church, was born at Noyon in Picardy, July 10, 1509. He
was instructed in grammar at Paris under Maturinus Corderius, to whom he afterwards dedicated his Commentary
on the first epistle of the Thessalonians, and studied philosophy in the college of Montaigu under a Spanish professor. His father, uho discovered many marks of hitf
early piety, particularly in his reprehensions of the vices of
his companions, designed him for the church, and got him
presented, May 21, 1521, to the chapel of Notre Dame
de la Gesine, in the church of Noyon. In 1527 he was
presented to the rectory of Marteville, which he exchanged
in 1529 fortlie rectory of Pont I‘Eveque near Noyon. His
father afterwards changed his resolution, and would have
him study law; to which Calvin, who, by reading the
scriptures, had conceived a dislike to the superstitions of
popery, readily consented, and resigned the chapel of Gesine and the rectory of Pont l’Eveque in 1534. He had
never, it must here be observed, been in priest’s orders, and
belonged to the church only by having received the tonsure.
He was sent to study the law first under Peter de l'Etoile
(Petrus Stella) at Orleans, and afterwards under Andrew
Alciat at Bourges, and while he made a great progress in
that science, he improved no less in the knowledge of divinity by his private studies. At Bourges he applied to the
Greek tongue, under the direction of professor Wolmar.
His father’s death having called him back to Noyon, he
staid there a short time, and then went to Paris, where he
wrote a commentary on Seneca’s treatise “De dementia,
”
being at this time about twenty- four years of age. Having
put his name in Latin to this piece, he laid aside his surname Cauvin, for that of Calvin, styling himself in the
title-page “Lucius Calvinus civis Romanus.
” He soon
made himself known at Paris to such as had privately embraced the reformation, and by frequent intercourse with
them became more confirmed in his principles. A speech
of Nicholas Cop, rector of the university of Paris, of which
Calvin furnished the materials, having greatly displeased
the Sorbonne and the parliament, gave rise to a persecu^
tion against the protestants; and Calvin, who narrowly escaped being taken in the college of Forteret, was forced to
retire to Xaintonge, after having had the honour to be introduced to the queen of Navarre, who allayed this first storm
raised against the protestants. Calvin returned to Paris in
1534. This year the reformed met with severe treatment,
which determined him to leave France, after publishing a
treatise against those who believe that departed souls are
in a kind of sleep. He retired to Basil, where he studied
Hebrew; at this time he published his “Institutions of the
Christian Religion,
” a work well adapted to spread his fame,
though he himself was desirous of living in obscurity. It
is dedicated to the French king, Francis I. This prince
being solicitous, according to Beza, to gain the friendship
of the Protestants in Germany, and knowing that they
were highly incensed by the cruel persecutions which their
brethren suffered in France, he, by advice of William de
Bellay, represented to them that he had only punished
certain enthusiasts, who substituted their own imaginations
in the place of God’s word, and despised the civil magistrate. Calvin, stung with indignation at this wicked evasion, wrote this work as an apology for the Protestants who
were burnt for their religion in France. The dedication to
Francis I. is one of the three that have been highly admired: that of Thuanus to his history, and Casaubon’s to
Polybius, are the two others. But this treatise, when first
published in 1555, was only a sketch of a larger work.
The complete editions, both in Latin and in French, with
the author’s last additions and corrections, did not appear
till 1558. After the publication of this work, Calvin went
to Italy to pay a visit to the duchess of Ferrara, a lady of
eminent piety, by whom he was very kindly received.
Prom Italy he came back to France, and having settled his
private affairs, he purposed to go to Strasbourg, or Basil,
in company with his sole surviving brother Antony Calvin;
but as the roads were not safe on account of the war, except through the duke of Savoy’s territories, he chose that
road. “This was a particular direction of Providence,
”
says Bayle; “it was his destiny that he should settle at
Geneva, and when he was wholly intent on going farther,
he found himself detained by an order from heaven, if I
may so speak.
” William Farel, a man of a warm enthusiastic temper, who had in vain used many entreaties to
prevail with Calvin to be his fellow-labourer in that part of
the Lord’s vineyard, at last 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 obliged to
comply with the choice which the consistory and magistrates of Geneva made of him, with the consent of the,
people, to be one of their ministers, and professor of divinity. It was his own wish to undertake only this last
office, but he was gbliged to take both upon him in August
1536. The year following he made all the people declare,
upon oath, their assent to a confession of faith, which contained a renunciation of Popery: and because this reformation in doctrine did not put an entire stop to the immoralities that prevailed at Geneva, nor banish that spirit of
faction which had set the principal families at variance,
Calvin, in concert with his colleagues, declared that they
could not celebrate the sacrament whilst they kept up their
animosities, and trampled on the discipline of the church.
He also intimated, that he could not submit to the regulation which the synod of the canton of Berne had lately
made *. On this, the syndics of Geneva summoned an assembly of the people; and it was ordered that Calvin,
Farel, and another minister, should leave the town in two
days, for refusing to administer the sacrament. Calvin'
retired to Strasbourg, and established a French church in
that city, of which he was the first minister; he was also
appointed to be professor of divinity there* During his
stay at Strasbourg, he continued to give many marks of
his affection for the church of Geneva; as appears, amongst
other things, by the answer which he wrote in 1539, to the
beautiful but artful letter of cardinal Sadolet, bishop of
Carpentras, inviting the people of Geneva to return into
the bosom of the Romish church. Two years after, the
divines of Strasbourg being very desirous that he should
assist at the diet which the emperor had appointed to be
held at Worms and at Ratisbon, for accommodating religious differences, he went thither with Bucer, and had a
conference with Melancthon. In the mean time the people
of Geneva (the syndics who promoted his banishment being now some of them executed, and others forced to fly their country for their crimes), entreated him so earnestly to
return to them, that at last he consented. He arrived at
Geneva, Sept. 13, 1541, to the great satisfaction both of
the people and the magistrates; and the first measure ha
adopted after his arrival, was to establish a form of church,
discipline, and a consistorial jurisdiction, invested with,
the power of inflicting censures and canonical punishments,