A Black Spot from Rome's Fires

S a black spot upon a clean face is more unseemly,

and naturally more repugnant to one’s feelings than

the soot which covers the whole body of a sweep, 80

the condemnation .and martrydom of one Servetus

by a Protestant nation has called forth more astonishment

and repugnance in some quarters against Calvin, as a

leading Protestant, than all the hundreds of thousands of martyrdoms of the saints of God by the Papacy.

The attempts, however, that are made to magnify this black spot upon the Reformation, do but prove the purity of the whole system. It is to Protestantism we turn with gratitude for extinguishing Rome’s fires, which in that century consumed thousands of Europe’s most noble sons. The blood of the saints quenched the flames, and the great Reformers broke down the stakes, scattered the faggots, exposed the priestly blood-hounds, and rendered it impossible for man to drag his fellow man alive toa martyr’s stake with impunity. But for the glorious Reformation it would even zow be as common to see men, women, and children, of all ranks of society, bound alive in the flames, as it was when the Romish priesthood possessed the power to trample upon the rights of men to sustain their superstitious dignity.

Viewing the death of Servetus from the 16th century, the reformed nations and churches considered it a necessity; viewing it from the 19th century, we condemn the act as a mistake—alike unprotestant and unchristian. It was one of the blacks from Rome’s furnace that settled upon the fair face of the Reformation.. Thanks eternal to the God of all grace, that the religion of Jesus is not a persecuting system. The.Great Founder and Foundation of religion showed the very spirit and nature of Christianity by Ais own act of laying down His life for His enemies. ‘‘ While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” All His works and words prove that He came not to set one class of men in arrogance above another.

Servetus was executed on October 27th, 1553, prior to which Calvin, in company with two of the Council, visited him, At this meeting Calvin laboured to bring him to repentance, but finding him still hardened, “he obeyed,” he says, ‘the command of Paul, and withdrew from the heretic, and left him to Farel.”

TRUTH REVEALED AND.TRUTH SEALED,

Some persons blame the Reformer for not speaking words of sympathy to the condemned. But what could he, as an honest man, say, seeing that the heart of Servetus was closed against all that Calvin had to administer? Other weighty matters, too, were pressing upon him. This was not the only martyrdom taking

lace. At the very time of the trial and martyrdom of Servetus, Calvin was every day receiving the news of the apprehension or martyrdom of some of those gracious men, who, under his direction, had gone out to preach the Word. These were his soldiers and his brethren, they therefore demanded a share of his attention and sympathy.

“God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness’? was shining into the hearts of men over all Europe, ‘‘ to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Rome’s devoted sons and daughters, thus brought to see the fallacy of the Papacy, were rising from their mock devotions and casting away the yoke of bondage. The ‘‘ Mother of harlots,” drunk with the blood of the saints, was busy in those days preparing fires to consume all who dared to question her infallibility. She killed their bodies—it was all she could do. Their victorious spirits ascended to glory to unite in the God-inspired cry, ‘‘ How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that

128 CALVIN | HIS LIFE AND TIMES,

dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled ” (Rev. vi. 10, 11).

CALVIN’S LETTERS TO THE MARTYRS,.

Calvin was busy administering consolation, by means of numerous letters, to the valiant soldiers of Christ as they passed through Rome’s flaming martyr piles to glory. “The collection of Calvin’s letters,” says Bungener, ‘‘ contains one addressed, a fortnight before the death of Servetus, ‘to the faithful of the isles,’ that is, ‘those of the coast of Saintonge,’ and the bearer of the letter is Philibert Hamelin, the first preacher of the Reformed faith in those parts. Arrested at Saintes, and condemned to death, he had succeeded in escaping to Geneva, where he became a printer. But he could not long endure to be inactive whilst bis brethren were suffering elsewhere. He set out, furnished with this precious letter. He reached his destination, where he assembled audiences to whom he preached, and whom he encouraged and organized. After a four years’ apostolate he was taken anew, and burned alive at Bordeaux.

‘‘ Others, nearer Geneva, had perished while the trial of Servetus was proceeding, and they also were comforted and strengthened by the Reformer’s voice. A letter of August 22nd is addressed to two men who expected death in the prisons of Lyons, and who were burned, the month after, with two others. Already, on July 7th, on the news of their imprisonment, he wrote to them, ‘ Though it has been a sad message according to the flesh,—even according to the just love we bear to you in God,—yet must we submit to that good Father and Lord. As He has fortified you with His strength to sustain the first assault, it remains that ye pray Him to fortify you more and more, according as you have to combat. When He does His people the honour to employ them to maintain His truth, and leads them to martyrdom as by the hand, He never leaves them destitute of the arms which are requisite,. Be assured, therefore, that this good God, who appears in time of need, will not forsake you till you have wherewith mightily to magnify His name....,

A VIEW IN GENEVA.

‘i | ne

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“Meditate on the glory and heavenly immortality to which we are invited, and are certain to attain, by the cross, and shame, and death. ,».. It isa strange thing to human sense, that the slaves of Satan should keep us with their feet upon our throats; but we have wherewith to comfort us in all our tribulation, awaiting the happy issue which is promised us,—that God Himself shall wipe away all tears from our eyes.’ And after many other words, which we regret not to transcribe, he adds, ‘If you can communicate with the other brethren, I pray you to salute them also. as from me.’ Do you know how they held communication one with another?; ‘‘ Louis de Marsac, who was one of them, wrote to Calvin: ‘Icould not tell you, sir and brother, the great comfort I have réceivéd from the letters which you sent to my brother, Denis Peloquin, who found means of passing them to one of our brethren who was in an underground cell above me, and read them to me because I could not read them, inasmuch as J can see nothing in my dungeon. I pray you, therefore, to persevere in aiding us always with like consolation, which invites us to weep and pray.’ ‘“‘This is that Louis de Marsac,'who was offended, when they led him to the stake, because they did not put a halter round his neck, as they did the rest, on account of his noble birth. He asked why he was refused the coilar of that ‘excellent order’ of martyrs. A Genevese, Peter Berger, had shortly before had that honour, and when the flames reached him, he had said, like Stephen, ‘I see the heavens opened.’ ”