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"illum Johannis locum exponeret, ubi pronunciat Chris"tus ex Deo non esse, qui verba Dei non audiunt, "dixissetque, quotquot Spiritu Dei renati non sunt, "pervicaciter usque in finem Deo resistere; quia pe"culiare sit obedientiæ donum, quo Deus suos electos "dignatur; surrexit nebulo ille, ac dixit, falsam et im"piam opinionem, cujus auctor fuit Laurentius Valla, “nostro seculo exortam esse, quod Dei voluntas rerum " omnium sit causa. Hoc autem modo peccata et malorum "omnium culpam in Deum transcribi, et illi affingi ty"rannicam libidinem, qualem poetæ veteres in suo Jove "commenti sunt. Postea ad alterum caput descendit, non ❝ideo salutem consequi homines, quia electi sunt, sed ideo ❝eligi, quia credunt; nec reprobari quenquam nudo Dei "placito, sed eos tantum, qui se communi electione pri"vant. In hac quæstione agitanda, multis et atrocibus "convitiis in nos invectus est. Præfectus urbis, re au❝dita, eum duxit in carcerem, præsertim quia tumul"tuose plebem hortatus fuerat, ne se decipi a nobis "sineret." Inter Calvini Epistolas, p. 104. ed. 1575. Beza, in his life of Calvin, anno 1551, gives the exact dates of these transactions: "Palam ausus est in ipso "congregationis cœtu decimo sexto Octobris..... Ade"rat in ipso audientium cœtu Assessorum Prætoris

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unus, quorum in urbe jus prehensionis est. Is illum, "dimisso cœtu, tanquam seditiosum in custodiam tra"dit. Quid plura? Causa multis disputationibus agi"tata, senatus Helveticarum etiam Ecclesiarum sen"tentiam percontatus, illum, tum ut seditiosum, tum "ut mere Pelagianum, vicesimo secundo Decembris pub❝lice damnatum urbe expulit."

Calvin, in consequence of this dispute, immediately drew up his first tract upon Predestination, under the title of "De Eterna Dei Prædestinatione," which was published in January 1552. In the preface of this work, he thus speaks of Bolsec's tenets: "Asserit fidem

"ab electione non pendere, quia potius electionem esse in "fide sitam: nullos in cæcitate manere ob ingenitam na"ture corruptionem, quia rite omnes illuminentur a "Deo; nos Deo facere injuriam, quia deseri tradimus << quos Spiritus sui illuminatione non dignatur : trahi ge"neraliter et ex æquo omnes homines, nec discrimen nisi a "contumacia incipere: quum Deus se cx lapideis cordi"bus cornea facturum promittit, nihil aliud intelligi, 66 quam ut gratiæ Dei simus capaces, idque promiscue ad "totum genus humanum extendi, quod singulare Eccle"siæ privilegium esse Scriptura dilucide affirmet." Opuscula, p. 949. ed. 1576.

With respect to the opinions imputed to Bolsec, they seem to have differed but little, if at all, from those of the Lutherans. Indeed, he directly appealed to the authority of Melancthon; a circumstance, to which Calvin himself alludes in the following letter to that Reformer: "Referam, quid nobis, in hac Ecclesia, sum66 mo piorum hominum cruciatu acciderit. Ac jam "annus integer elapsus est, ex quo inter has pugnas "jactamur. Quidam nebulones, quum nobis de gra"tuita Dei electione, et misera humani arbitrii servi"tute, litem moverent, et publice tumultuarentur, ni"hil ad nos gravandos habuerunt magis plausibile nomi"nis tui prætextu. Quum experti essent, quam nobis "promptum esset, quæcunque ingerebant, commenta "refellere, hoc scilicet artificio nos obruere tentabant, "nisi vellemus palam abs te discedere. Et ea quidem ❝servata fuit a nobis moderatio, ut minime extorse"rint, quod astuti captabant. Professi ergo sumus ego "et collegæ omnes mei eundem, quo tendis, in doc"trina scopum nobis esse propositum. Nec verbum in "tota disceptatione excidit, vel in te minus honorifi66 cum, quam par erat, vel quod tibi fidem detraheret. "Nec tamen fieri potest, quin me interea vehementer ❝urat tacita ista cogitatio; improbis post mortem nos

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"tram vexandæ Ecclesiæ occasionem, quoties libuerit, દ "relinqui, dum pugnantes eorum sententias in certamen "committent, quos velut uno ore unum idemque loqui de"cuerat." Dated December 1552. Epist. Calv. p. 108.

The consequences of this attack upon Calvin's theory of Predestination are thus recorded by Beza: “Anno " vero deinceps secuto, (1552) magis apparuit quantam "flammam accendisset impurus ille, licet communi tot "Ecclesiarum judicio damnatus. Etenim tum ipsa "quæstionis nondum satis a plerisque veteribus explicatæ, "nec eodem semper exitu agitata, difficultas curiosa præ"sertim ingenia ad hoc ipsum disquirendum accende"bat, tum factiosi præclaram sibi oblatam occasionem "ad omnia, Calvino ejecto, subvertenda putabant. “Itaque dici non potest, quæ non in urbe tantum, verum "etiam ultro citroque, veluti si classicum ipse Satan “ cecinisset, contentiones sint consecutæ. Etsi enim pul"chre inter præcipuarum Ecclesiarum pastores conve"niebat, non deerant tamen, qui in vicinis Bernensis "ditionis Ecclesiis Calvino litem intenderent, quasi "Deum faceret peccati autorem, parum certe memo"res hoc ipsum pestilentissimum dogma fuisse a Cal "vino jam pridem ex professo adversus libertinos refu. Neque hac fuit paucorum annorum con

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"troversia." Vita Calvini, ann. 1552.

Beza likewise remarks, that S. Castellio, whom he ironically terms, "bonus ille et simplex homo," at that time began plainly to defend Pelagianism, and Melancthon to point out the Reformers of Geneva as the introducers of a Stoical fate; "Genevenses Stoi"cum fatum invehentes notare;" circumstances, he adds, which poignantly affected Calvin; "Pungebant "ista gravissime, sicuti par erat, illius animum, et eo "quidem acerbius, quod ea fuit interdum per id tempus "erroris efficacia, ut publica etiam auctoritate alicubi ob "structum os veritati videretur." It may be here ne

cessary to remark, that Beza was incorrect, when he stated, that Melancthon first began in the year 1552 obliquely to censure the Stoicism of Calvin, because these expressions in the Loci Theologici, "Studiosi "satis perspicue intelligent nequaquam Stoicas opi "niones in Ecclesiam invehendas esse," to which he seems to allude, certainly occur in an edition of the year 1545. Another inaccuracy in his account it is likewise proper to notice. He speaks of a complete concord among the ministers of the principal Helvetian Churches upon the point in dispute; "Etsi," are his words, "pulchre inter præcipuarum Ecclesiarum pa"stores conveniebat." Now it appears by a letter of Turretin, addressed to Archbishop Wake in the year 1727, and inserted in the Acta Eruditorum, Supp. t. vii. sect. 3. that this supposed agreement was by no means general. Turretin remarks, (and he consulted on the occasion the original documents preserved at Geneva,) that with the answer of Bullinger from Zurich Calvin was by no means satisfied; "Calvin ne fut pas content "de cette lettre; il s'en plaignit à Bullinger, qui tâcha "de se justifier; mais en se tenant toujours à des termes "fort généraux, et à des excuses fort vagues. Licet

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vero, dit-il, in causa Hieronymiana, non per omnia "potis tuis responderim, ideo tamen non odi." Biblio theque Germanique, (in which Turretin's letter is likewise published,) vol. xiii. p. 208. The answers of the ministers of Bern and Basle were equally moderate with those of Bullinger, and probably equally unsatisfactory to Calvin; at least we may conceive, that the following assertion of Universal Grace, as expressed in the answer from Basil, could not be very pleasing to him: "Verbum illud mittitur per mundum universum. "Vult enim Deus omnes homines salvos fieri, et ad agnitionem veritatis venire. Communis est Deus

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❝ omnium.

Ibid.

Communis et Christus Servator omnium."

So far indeed was Calvin's system at that period from obtaining universal approbation in Switzerland, that in the year 1555, a combination, or what Beza calls a faction, of some neighbouring ministers was formed against him: "Aliud denique Calvinum hujus anni (1555) so"lidum gaudium gaudere prohibuit, paucorum videlicet " vicinorum pastorum factio, qui sponte alioqui curren"tes, Bolseco præterea instigante, ut sibi nomen ali"quod ex tanti viri reprehensione quærerent, homines "alioqui multis jam notis aspersi, non aliter in eum "debacchabantur, quam si Deum idcirco faceret ma"lorum auctorem, quod ab æterna Dei providentia et "ordinatione nihil excluderet." But let us hear a less prejudiced Calvinist upon the same transaction: "Les "années suivantes il y eut diverses contestations dans le "canton de Berne, sur les matières de la Prédestina"tion. Plusieurs ministres" (Beza calls them a few) "s'y déclarerent contre le sentiment de Calvin, et "l'accuserent de faire Dieu auteur du péché. Cela "obligea Messieurs de Geneve de députer à Berne; et "Calvin fut un des députez. Mais Messieurs de Berne "ne voulurent prendre aucun parti sur ces disputes. "Ils' dirent simplement qu'ils exhorteroient leurs mi"nistres à parler avec retenuë de ces matières; et ils "exhorterent aussi les Genevois à parler peu et avec "beaucoup de circonspection de matières relevées, "comme la Prédestination, dont la connoissance n'est "point nécessaire au salut, et qui ne sont propres qu'à "engendrer des doutes: Que ce n'est point aux "hommes à pénétrer dans les secrets de Dieu : Que "plus on y veut creuser, plus on les trouve impénétra"bles: Qu'ils ne vouloient approuver ni condamner "les écrits et la doctrine de Calvin, mais qu'ils vou

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