Life of John Calvin

IV PREFACE.

th^nii^as a companion to his Commentary. With regard to his Commentary, it should in justice be observed, that his brevity and comparative silence on some points now much disputed, are explained by the fact, that those doctrines which were called in question, and most discussed at tlie time he wrote, naturally claimed his special attention, and loudly called for a more particular exposition and elaborate defence. This remark will apply with justice to all his tiieological writings.

The author of the life now presented to the public, was . Calvin's cotemporary, and colleague at Geneva. According to his own statement, he relates what came under his own observation. He doubtiess gathered much from Calvin him- self, and from his immediate family and friends. This cir- cumstance^ ii| adai^te^l po inspire, the reader with confidence in his &yt9th9«n1%9* ^^^JP, tmpfirl {o their perusal additional pleasure. .^ . . . ..

It was judgefl:th4tl]|t&p n&trs now am>ended to the work, would add490i9Awhat/)f joierest, if not value, to the present edition. A*|Sd].il^f8*&^)^^2tfa2ft it will find an appropriate place in the libraries of such Sunday Schoolsi at least, as are connected with Presbyterian churches, and in the library of every Presbyterian family.

The Translator's notes are designated by the contraction Tr. The American £ditCH: found it impracticable to place all his notes in the body of the work, and has, therefore, pat a tew of them, in consequence of their length, at the end of the life ; and deferred tp them by letters of the alphabet, as they occur.

The work and the reader are commended to the favour and blessing of that God, whom Calvin ddighted to serve on earth, and to whMe praise and glory he now sings the ilew smig of redeeming love.

J

THE LIFE

OF

JOHN CALVIN.

r

John Calvin, Cauvin, or Chauvin, was bom at Noyon, a celebrated city in Picardy, or the country adjoining, on the 10th of July, 1509.* His father, Gerard Calvin, and his mother, Jeanne Franc, were in respectable circumstances , and of virtuous unblemished character.! His father possess- ed a considerable share of judgment, and of skill in giving advice, and was therefore beloved by many of the nobility in - - * The Romanists cast many reflections on Calvin, for changing bis name from Cauvin, as it is in the dialect of Picardy, his native province, or Chauvin, as it is in French. Calvin, foreseeing the dissentions that would arise on the spread of the Reformed doctrines, with the provident spirit of a great genius, prepared his learned and elaborate Commentary on Seneca's Epistle de dementia, in order to impress on the mind of Francis, the king, the mild and moderatmg principles of clemency. As this work was written in Latin, the author, of course, latinized his name, by writing it Calvinus^ instead of Chauvin. And in this he did no more than was done by Erasmus, Luther, Melancthon, and by almost every author of any distinction at that period. Calvin, having become thus known by his Latin name, very prudently re- tained it through life, in order that there might be no mistake as to the authorship of his other works, t According to the Encyclopcedia Britannica, Calvin's &tfaer

was a cooper by trade.

LIFE OF CALVIN.

that part of the country; on which account his son, though at the expense of the father, received a very liberal educa- tion with the children of the Mommors, a family of the first rank in that place. He afterwards accompanied them to Paris for the purpose of prosecuting his studies, where he had for his tutor, in the College de la Marche, Mathunn Cordier, distinguished for learning and strict integrity. He had always been esteemed in a great number of the schools of France as an excellent teacher of youth, ^nd died at Ge- neva, September 8th, 1564, (the same year with Calvin,)

. aged 85, in the discharge of his professional duties as in-

' structor of the youth of that city. (I.)

Calvin was removed from the College de la Marche to that of Montaigu, and had for his tutor a Spaniard of no small attainments in learning, who cultivated with so much success the talents of his pupil, naturally very acute, as ,to advance him from the grammar class, in consequence of sur- passing his Sft^hoolfellows in this branch of education, to the study of logic, and of other, as they are termed, liberal arts.' His father had from the beginning destined Calvin for the study of divinity, which he considered to be congenial with the bent of his son's inclination, because even in his tender years he was in a surprising manner devoted to religion, and a stem reprover of all the vices of his companions. Some Catholics, whose testimony cannot be doubted, acquainted me with this fact many years after Calvin had attained great celebrity. / His father, therefore, as he had destined his son for divi- nity, obtaine4 from the Bishop of Noyon a benefice in the* Cathedral church, as it is termed, of that city, and afterwaods the parochial cure of the village Pont I'Eveque, the birth- place of Gerard Calvin the father, from whence he had sub- sequently removed to the neighbouring city of Noyon. It is certain that John Calvin delivered some sermons at Pont I'Eveque to the people before he left France, or received under the papal hierarchy orders in any other way than by

LIFE OF CALYIN. 6

ton9ure.* This plan was interrupted by a change in the mind of both, for the father thought the law opened a surer road to riches and h(mour8,t and the son, being instructed in

"'The Tonsure in the Romish Church maybe received after the age of seven yeara It is the first part of the ceremony of ordina^ tioQ. The candidate presents himself in a black cassock before the Bishop, with a surplice on his right arm, and a lighted taper in his hand. He kneels, and the Bishop, standing covered with his mitre, repeats a prayer and several verses from the Scripture. Tlie Bishop then sitting, cuts Ave different parcels of hair from the head of the candidate, who repeats these words — The Lord is my ifiheritaTice. Putting off his mitre, the Bishop then says a prayer over the person tonsured — an anthem is sung by the choir; then a prayer, in the middle of which the Bishop puts the surplice on the, candidate for orders, and says, may the Lord clothe thee with thy new name. The ceremony is closed by the candidate's pre- senting the wax taper to the Bishop, who gives him his blessing. Dr. Kurd's Rites and C6rem. p. 262.