Life Pidures of John Calvin 
 
 For Young and Old 
 
 BY 
 James I. Good, D.D., and Geo. W. Richards, D.D. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 
 PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION 
 
 1909 
 
 Copyright, 1909, by The Heidelberg Pres^ 
 
Calvin in His Study 
 
PREFACE 
 
 Four hundred years ago John Calvin was born. His birth (July 10, 
 1509) will be commemorated on two continents by churches, states, in- 
 stitutions of learning, and social and literary organizations. This fact 
 indicates the cosmopolitan character of the influence of his life and 
 work. He belongs to a small group of epoch-making men in the 
 world's history. He was primarily a religious reformer and a theol- 
 ogian, but his interpretation of Christianity modified also the civil 
 and social life of the nations of the West. Under his oversight Geneva 
 became a model city, which John Knox called "the most perfect school 
 of Christ that ever was in the earth since the days of the apostles. ' ' 
 Nearly fifty years after Calvin's death a Lutheran theologian, Dr. 
 Valentine Andrea?, came to Geneva and on his return to Germany said: 
 "There is in that place not only the perfect institute of a perfect re- 
 public, but as a special ornament, a moral discipline, which makes 
 weekly investigations into the conduct and even the smallest transgres- 
 sions of the citizens . . . All cursing and swearing, gambling, luxury, 
 strife, hatred, fraud, etc., are forbidden; while greater sins are hardly 
 heard of." 
 
 The reconstructed city was "a church, a school, and a fortress" — 
 a ' ' fertile seed-plot of reform ' ' for all Europe. The nations from Scot- 
 land to Hungary were taught by men trained in the doctrine and dis- 
 cipline of Geneva. Mr. Bancroft says: "He that will not honor the 
 memory of Calvin knows but little of the origin of American liberty." 
 The most powerful formative factor in the colonial and early national 
 periods of the United States doubtless was puritanism which is directly 
 traceable to the Genevan Eeformer. 
 
 He was by nature a teacher, his retreats were turned into schools; 
 even as a student he was more of a "doctor than a pupil." He was 
 in theory and practice an advocate of educational religion. His text- 
 book was the Bible, which he made the basis of all his works — cate- 
 chisms, church ordinances, commentaries, Institutes, and tracts. We 
 shall honor his memory and be true to the genius of the Eeformed 
 Churches, if, by word and deed, we shall advance the cause of efficient 
 religious education, of vital piety based upon a knowledge of the truth, 
 and of true freedom in the recognition of divine sovereignty. Calvin 
 has a message even for the twentieth century. He is not merely an 
 echo of a past age; the present generation may still sit with profit at 
 the feet of the distinguished man of God. 
 
 This tract, for use in home and school, is not intended to be a schol- 
 arly treatise but a popular presentation of Calvin's life and works. 
 It is put in the form of a compend containing a biography, a collection 
 of extracts from his writings or from the "Life of Calvin" by his col- 
 lea srue, Theodore Beza, and pictures of interesting places, buildings, and 
 articles relating to the Reformer. 
 
 3 
 
Calvin's House, Noyon 
 
The Life of Calvin for young people is an interesting sub- 
 ject. The first picture on the page opposite is the picture of 
 the house in which he was probably born, at Noyon, July 10, 
 1509, just four hundred years ago. There he was educated 
 with the sons of the noble family of Montmor. At the age 
 of twelve he was made chaplain of La Gesine. This cost him 
 a few locks of hair, for as he presented himself to the Cath- 
 olic Bishop the latter cut off five locks of hair ; but though he 
 lost these locks he gained a small yearly salary which greatly 
 aided him in his education. He was not required to preach, 
 only to serve in the Church. This tonsure was the only ordi- 
 nation he ever had. Thus, like Samuel of old, he was brought 
 up to minister in the temple. 
 
 At the age of fourteen he was sent to Paris to study. There 
 he so excelled in study as to be rapidly promoted to the higher 
 studies of Philosophy and Logic. As a lad he was quiet, 
 serious and ready to rebuke the faults of his companions, who, 
 unlike him, revelled in the vices of that gay city. They nick- 
 named him "The Accusative Case" because he so frequently 
 objected to their manner of living. He was ever deeply reli- 
 gious and true to the Latin motto of his life "Promptly and 
 Sincerely. ' ' He is a fine example to young people of a correct 
 and noble school life even when surrounded by companions of 
 lower moral tone. 
 
 Childhood. 
 
 "But as he (David) was taken from the sheepfold, and ele- 
 vated to the rank of supreme authority ; so God having taken 
 me from my originally obscure and humble condition, has 
 reckoned me worthy of being invested with the honorable of- 
 fice of a preacher of the gospel. AYhen I was yet a very little 
 boy, my father had destined me for the study of theology. 
 But afterwards, when he considered that the legal profession 
 commonly raised those who followed it to wealth, this pros- 
 pect induced him suddenly to change his purpose. Thus it 
 came to pass that I was withdrawn from the study of phil- 
 osophy, and was put to the study of law." — Commentary on 
 Psalms. Author's Pref., I. p. 40. 
 
 5 
 
The next year he went to Bourges, a memorial of his stay 
 being the stone seat in the picture opposite. 
 At Bourges he continued his studies in law, 
 and the bridge in the picture opposite still re- 
 ft tains his name ; perhaps because he frequently 
 walked over it while studying, for European 
 students frequently study while walking. He 
 ?= published his first book, a Commentary on 
 f& Seneca's Treatise on Clemency — that old 
 n. Stoic being especially attractive to so serious 
 
 Calvin's stone Seat a mm d as hi s - ^ e was becoming a Humanist, 
 that is, a classical scholar — which was often 
 the half-way step toward becoming a Protestant. His old 
 biographers claim he became a Protestant under Wolmar at 
 Orleans, but later biographers place his conversion at Paris, 
 whither he went from Bourges. He was so brilliant a scholar 
 in these universities that frequently in the absence of the 
 professor he would deliver the lecture in his place. The death 
 of his father while at Bourges led him to resume his studies 
 for the ministry. In his study he sets a fine example of dili- 
 gence and conscientiousness to young people. 
 
 Calvin's Bridge, Bourses 
 
 6 
 
EDUCATION. 
 
 " Having set out for Orleans to study law, Calvin in a 
 short time made such, astonishing progress, that he very often 
 officiated for the professors and was considered rather a 
 teacher than a pupil. On his departure he was presented with 
 a doctor's degree, free of expense and with the unanimous 
 consent of all the professors, as a return for the services 
 which he had rendered the academy." — Beza's "Life," p. 23. 
 
 "Meanwhile, however, he diligently cultivated the study of 
 sacred literature, and made such progress, that all in our 
 city, who had any desire to become acquainted with a purer 
 religion, often called to consult him and were greatly struck 
 both with his learning and zeal." — idem, p. 23. 
 
 "The Academy of Bourges had, at that time, acquired 
 great celebrity through Andrew Alciat who had been invited 
 to it from Italy. Calvin thought it right to study under him 
 also. He accordingly went thither and, on grounds both re- 
 ligious and literary, formed a friendship with Melchior Wol- 
 mar, a German from Kothweil and professor of Greek. On 
 his suggestion and with his assistance, Calvin learned Greek." 
 — idem, p. 24. 
 
 "While engaged in his studies, Calvin still diligently culti- 
 vated sacred literature and also occasionally preached in 
 Liniere, a village near Bourges, in the presence, and with the 
 approbation, of its proprietor." — idem, p. 24. 
 
The Palace and Sainte Chapulle, Paris 
 
 "When Calvin came to Paris he found the city full of dis- 
 cussions on religion. Many were inclining toward Protestant- 
 ism. These liberal Catholics were at that time protected by 
 Queen Margaret of Navarre, who lived in the palace (see the 
 picture), located on an island in the Seine River, on which 
 the chapel is still standing — The Sainte Chapelle, the most 
 beautiful building in Paris. Many influences led Calvin to- 
 wards Protestantism, — his father and brother had broken with 
 the Catholic Church, his cousin, Olivetan, was already a 
 Protestant, — his humanistic studies broadened his mind. Thus 
 Calvin was gradually prepared to become a Protestant, still 
 he says, that his conversion was sudden at the last. "I was 
 so obstinately addicted to the superstitions of the Papacy that 
 by a sudden conversion God subdued and reduced my heart 
 to docility." 
 
 In November, 1533, his friend Cop made an address as 
 rector of the university which was virtually Protestant. Cal- 
 vin was compelled to flee from Paris because he was supposed 
 to have written the address. 
 
 8 
 
"When he fled from Paris, he went to Noyon where he re- 
 signed his boy chaplaincy, May, 1534. The persecution at 
 Paris soon lifted and he returned there, but feeling still in- 
 secure he went to Angouleme, where in the library of a friend 
 he found rest and employment. By May he was at Noyon, 
 where he was imprisoned for a short time on account of faith. 
 After another brief visit to Paris he went to Poictiers and 
 gathered a band of prominent Reformed adherents. While 
 there they decided to secretly celebrate the Lord's Supper, 
 which they did in a cave outside of the city, still known as 
 Calvin's Cave. There at the Lord's Supper they bravely 
 vowed to save France from Catholicism. It was a noble vow — 
 a fine example of courage for Christ. However, he soon had 
 to flee from this country because of persecution of his faith 
 and finally found a refuge at Strassburg in Germany. 
 
John Calvin is the great theologian of the reformation. Re- 
 markable to say, his great work was published when he was 
 only 27 years of age — it was "The Great Theology of the 
 Reformation." While at Angouleme he had used his friend's 
 fine library and had applied his profound mind, his legal 
 training, and his humanistic scholarship, to the doctrines of 
 the Bible. Now he published the matured results of his study. 
 The Catholics had hitherto sneered at Protestantism, that it 
 was destructive, not constructive, — negative, not positive. 
 Calvin accepted this challenge and produced a book to show 
 that Protestantism was both constructive and positive. It 
 was wonderful for its deep insight and knowledge in the 
 Scriptures, its clear logic and its quiet comprehensiveness of 
 thought. While many to-day may not accept his views on 
 predestination, yet all concede his ability in this work. It 
 was an epoch-making book. This book, "The Institutes of 
 Theology, ' ' was published in the house of the publisher, Plat- 
 ter, seen on the opposite page. As a commentator, Calvin 
 was even greater, for he was the great commentator of the 
 reformation. 
 
 House of Platter, the Publisher, Basle 
 
 10 
 
The Institutes. 
 
 "This was the consideration which induced me to publish 
 my Institute of the Christian Religion. My objects were, 
 first, to prove that these reports were false and calumnious, 
 and thus to vindicate my brethren, whose death was precious 
 in the sight of the Lord ; and next, that as the same cruelties 
 might very soon be exercised against many unhappy indi- 
 viduals, foreign nations might be touched with at least some 
 compassion towards them and solicitude about them. "When 
 it was then published, it was not that copious and laboured 
 work that it now is, but only a small treatise containing a 
 summary of the principal truths of the Christian religion ; 
 and it was published with no other design than that men might 
 know what was the faith held by those whom I saw basely 
 and wickedly defamed by those flagitious and perfidious flat- 
 terers." — Com. on Psas., p. 42. 
 
 "But, on the contrary, if your ears are so preoccupied with 
 the whispers of the malevolent, as to leave no opportunity for 
 the accused to speak for themselves, and if those outrageous 
 furies with your connivance, continue to persecute with im- 
 prisonments, scourges, tortures, confiscations, and flames, we 
 shall indeed, like sheep destined to the slaughter, be reduced 
 to the greatest extremities. Yet shall we in patience possess 
 our souls, and wait for the mighty hand of the Lord, which 
 undoubtedly will in time appear, and show itself armed for 
 the deliverance of the poor from their affliction, and for the 
 punishment of their despisers, who now exult in such se- 
 curity." — Pref. of Institutes. 
 
 Calvin was called "the Aristotle of the Reformation" 
 (Kampschulte), and "the Thomas Aquinas of Protestantism" 
 (Martin); his Institutes, "The Koran and the Talmud of 
 heresy" (de Raemond). 
 
 11 
 
Calvin's Cross at Aosta 
 
Calvin was singularly bold for the truth, as young people 
 ought always to be. He bearded the lion in his den by going 
 from Basle to Italy — that is, he went almost into the hands 
 of the Pope by so doing. But he had heard that the French 
 Princess Renee of Ferrara was inclined to Protestantism. 
 But the Catholic Church was beginning to set the awful in- 
 quisition at work to crush out Protestantism in Italy, so Cal- 
 vin could not stay long. But his brief visit was not fruitless, 
 for it led later to a long correspondence between the Duchess 
 Renee and himself, in which he became her spiritual adviser. 
 He returned to France over the St. Bernard Pass, on whose 
 southern side, at Aosta, is a cross still called Calvin's Cross, 
 which stands as a reminder of his flight from Italy. Whether 
 he preached there or not we do not know. He left a few 
 Protestants in Italy soon to be crushed out by the inquisi- 
 tion. 
 
 Affliction. 
 
 "In his sufferings he often groaned like David, 'I was si- 
 lent, Lord, because thou didst it ; ' I have also heard him say, 
 1 Thou, Lord, bruisest me ; but it is enough for me that it is 
 thy hand.' "— Beza's "life." 
 
 "While oppressed with so many diseases, no man ever 
 heard him utter a word unbecoming a man of firmness far 
 less unbecoming a Christian. Only raising his eyes toward 
 heaven, he would say, '0 Lord, how long?' for even when he 
 was in health this was an expression which he often used in 
 reference to the calamities of his brethren, which night and 
 day affected him much more than his own sufferings." — idem. 
 
 "I can say as to myself, that I have been assailed on all 
 sides and have scarcely been able to enjoy repose for a single 
 moment, but have always had to sustain some conflict either 
 from enemies without or within the Church." — Com. on Psas., 
 p. 44. 
 
 13 
 
Here we come to one of the most dramatic scenes of Re- 
 formed Church history. Calvin, after a brief stay in France, 
 was on his way to Germany to study, and was compelled to 
 pass through Geneva. "William Farel, the great preacher of 
 the Reformation, had been preaching at Geneva and had been 
 praying the Lord to send him a helper. "When he heard Cal- 
 vin was in the city. July. 1536, he went to him and pled with 
 him to stay and aid him in making the city Protestant. Cal- 
 vin hesitated on account of his modesty and from a sense ot 
 his weakness. He objected that he was not equal to so great 
 a responsibility — and besides, he wanted to study. Farel 
 reminded him how God had punished Jonah for disobeying 
 a call of duty, but Calvin still held out. Then Farel, with 
 a voice of thunder, declared that God would curse him if he 
 refused. Calvin, trembling, asked for time to consider and 
 pray over the matter, and the next day he accepted Farel's 
 request and became the great reformer of Geneva. It was 
 the great decision of his life. Happy is the one who meets 
 the great decisive moments of his life "as Calvin did from a 
 high sense of duty and in the fear of God. 
 
 Geneva. 
 
 "Upon this Farel. who burned with an extraordinary zeal 
 to advance the gospel, immediately strained every nerve to 
 detain me. And after having learned that my heart was set 
 upon devoting myself to private studies, for which I wished 
 to keep myself free from other pursuits, and finding that he 
 gained nothing by entreaties, he proceeded to utter an impre- 
 cation that God would curse my retirement and the tranquil- 
 ity of the studies which I sought, if I should withdraw and 
 refuse to give assistance, when the necessity was so urgent. 
 By this imprecation I was so stricken with terror, that I de- 
 sisted from my journey which I had undertaken." — Com. on 
 Psas., pp. 42, 43. 
 
 Farel's call: "You are following only your own wishes, 
 and I declare in the name of God Almighty, that if you do not 
 assist us in this work of the Lord, the Lord will punish you 
 for seeking your own interest rather than His." Beza's 
 "Life," p. 29. 
 
 15 
 
The Madeline, Calvin's Church at Strassburg: 
 
 Strassburg. 
 
 While attending the Colloquy at Ratisbon, April, 1541, 
 where he was sent as a representative from Strassburg, he 
 wrote a letter of condolence to a father who mourned the death 
 of his son : 
 
 "When I first received the intelligence of the death of 
 Claude and of your son Louis, I was so utterly overpowered 
 that for many days I was fit for nothing but to weep ; and al- 
 though I was somehow upheld before the Lord by those aids 
 wherewith He sustains our souls in affliction, yet among men 
 I was almost a nonentity; so far at least as regards my dis- 
 
 16 
 
charge of duty, I appeared to myself quite as unfit for it as if I 
 had been half dead."— Schaff's Ch. Hist., VII., 421. 
 
 "I have conflicts (in Strassburg), severe conflicts, but they 
 are a good school for me. " 
 
 Two years after Calvin came to Geneva, both Farel and 
 himself were compelled to leave the city. Farel went to 
 Neuchatel, and Calvin to Strassburg, where he became pastor 
 of the French Church, and also delivered theological lectures 
 on several books of the New Testament. Here he found an 
 excellent wife in Idelette Van Buren. He also revealed abil- 
 ity as a statesman and a diplomat, for several conferences 
 were held at that time between the Protestants and Catholics 
 of Germany. In this he strengthened the hands of the Prot- 
 estants greatly by his sage advice and firm adherence to 
 Protestantism. He also formed a very warm, personal friend- 
 ship with Melancthon, the Lutheran Reformer, which con- 
 tinued until the death of the latter, in spite of their differ- 
 ences on predestination and cultus. For Calvin was a fine ex- 
 ample of friendship, true as steel, firm as a rock, and faithful 
 until death. 
 
 Calvin was recalled to Geneva in 1541. In going back he re- 
 vealed a beautiful spirit of forgiveness, although he had de- 
 clared that "he would rather endure a hundred other deaths 
 than the cross of going back. ' ' Yet he returned to Geneva be- 
 cause he felt it was the will of God. Calvin here sets young 
 people an example of devotion, of obedience to God's will. 
 He began to thoroughly reform the city, and remained there 
 until his death, twenty-three years later. In all, he gave 
 about twenty-five years of his valuable life to that beautiful 
 city. Its coat of arms is shown in the picture opposite where 
 a man in armor is carrying it. Each state of Switzerland has 
 its coat of arms, and Geneva 's is peculiar in containing a key. 
 The Pope might have the keys of Peter of Rome, but Calvin 
 made Geneva the key to Protestantism, and the capital of 
 Rome's great antagonist — the Reformed Church. 
 
 17 
 
>i C«<*t quattttfurenttes' 
 prutmcrs poitrtat^ fc ;• 
 bftfhmscnlan«3airh 
 
 t& 
 
 B 
 
 sJLi 
 
 .p 
 
 m ci 
 
 Coat of Arms of Geneva 
 
 18 
 
"This rather is the solace of the faithful in their adversity, 
 that every thing which they endure is by the ordination and 
 command of God, that they are under His hand." 
 
 "It is a plain matter, that we cannot come boldly before 
 the tribunal of God, unless we are certainly persuaded that 
 He is our Father; and this cannot be without our being re- 
 garded as righteous in His sight. Thus we are precluded from 
 all access to Him, until trusting in his paternal good will 
 we can without hesitation invoke Him as our Father/ ' — 
 Tracts III., p. 245. 
 
 The Church. 
 
 ' ' The Church into which none is admitted but those who by 
 the gift of adoption are sons of God and by the sanctifica- 
 tion of the Spirit true members of Christ. In this case it not 
 only comprehends the saints who dwell on the earth, but all 
 the elect who have existed from the beginning of the world. " 
 —Inst. Bk. IV. Ch. 1. 
 
 "The whole body of mankind scattered throughout the 
 world, who profess to worship one God and Christ, who by 
 baptism are initiated into the faith, by partaking of the Lord's 
 Supper profess unity in true doctrine and charity, agree in 
 holding the word of the Lord, and observe the ministry which 
 Christ has appointed for the preaching of it." — idem. 
 
 "As our present design is to treat of the visible church, we 
 may learn from the title of Mother, how useful and even neces- 
 sary it is for us to know her ; since there is no other way of en- 
 trance into life, unless we are conceived by her, born of her, 
 nourished at her breast, and continually preserved under her 
 care and government till we are divested of this mortal flesh 
 and become 'like the angels.' " — idem. 
 
 19 
 
Genevan Costumes in Time of Calvin 
 
 20 
 
Calvin was not merely a theologian, commentator, and 
 statesman, but a great moral reformer. He introduced laws 
 into Geneva by which its customs and fashions were regulated. 
 On the opposite page is a picture of some of the costumes of 
 the people. All kinds of evils, such as fortune-telling, danc- 
 ing, etc., were severely punished. Religion was highly honor- 
 ed ; for those making a noise during worship, or laughing dur- 
 ing preaching were punished. These severe reforms often 
 led to opposition and derision. He was nicknamed Cain; 
 dogs were named after him; ballads ridiculed him; and pla- 
 cards were posted against him. But like a true reformer he 
 went on boldly, even at the risk of his life at times. He 
 teaches the young people a fine lesson of moral courage. Under 
 him, Geneva became the model city of its day, exciting the 
 praise of even his enemies. 
 
 The Cathedral of Geneva, called St. Peters,- was the church 
 in which Calvin generally preached. It is a beautiful build- 
 ing of Romanesque architecture, although the addition at the 
 front is of Corinthian architecture. It was begun in the 10th 
 century. This church has become a sort of Westminster 
 Abbey to the Reformed ; here the great dead are buried. Here 
 is the tomb of the great Hugenot General, Duke Henry of 
 Rohan, a black marble sarcophagus with his statue in a sit- 
 ting position. In this church, too, is a tablet to another great 
 Hugenot leader, driven like the Duke of Rohan from France 
 for his faith. These tombs testified to the great influence of 
 the Reformed faith preached by Calvin in this church, which 
 led many of the noblest sons of France to become the follow- 
 ers of, and to sacrifice everything for, his doctrines. 
 
 21 
 
Cathedral of St. Peter, Geneva, in 1735 
 
 The interior of St. Peter's Cathedral is more impressive at 
 present than the exterior. It is exquisitely beautiful in its 
 architecture, the carving of its woodwork, and especially in 
 its chapel of Maccabees. In the church is the pulpit from 
 which Calvin preached, and they also show the chair in which 
 it is said he sat. That pulpit was his throne where he fear- 
 lessly proclaimed the truth of God. Beneath the pulpit was 
 placed the communion table, where on one occasion, when un- 
 worthy communicants pressed forward to the table, he placed 
 his hand over the sacred elements to prevent them from being 
 taken forcibly by the unworthy. 
 
 22 
 
Calvin's Pulpit, Geneva 
 
Calvin's Chair still at Geneva 
 
Minister. 
 
 "During the week lie preached every alternate, and lectured 
 every third, day; on Thursday he met with the Presbytery, 
 and on Friday attended the ordinary Scripture meeting called 
 'The Congregation.' where he had his full share of duty." — 
 Beza's "Life." p. 39. 
 
 "The Lord so blessed his ministry, that persons flocked from 
 all parts of the Christian world, some to take his advice in 
 matters of religion and others to hear him. ' ' — idem. 
 
 "I have endeavored, both in my sermons and also in my 
 writings and commentaries, to preach His TVord purely and 
 chastily. and faithfully to interpret His sacred Scriptures." 
 — idem. 
 
 Conversion. 
 
 "And first, since I was too obstinately devoted to the su- 
 perstitions of Popery to be easily extricated from so profound 
 an abyss of mire, God by a sudden conversion subdued and 
 brought my mind to a teachable frame, which was more har- 
 dened in such matters than might have been expected from 
 one at my early period of life." — Com. on Psas.. p. 40. 
 
 "About this time, Calvin renouncing all other studies, de- 
 voted himself to God. to the great delight of all the pious who 
 were then holding secret meetings in Paris." — Beza's "Life," 
 p. 24. 
 
 The Sacraments. 
 
 "The nature of a Sacrament is to exhibit an invisible truth 
 under a visible sign." 
 
 "The meaning is, not that we are to think an empty sym- 
 bol is offered to us, but that if we wish to receive Christ as 
 He is truly given to us, we must raise our hearts upwards." 
 
 "For they (children) do not become sons of God through 
 baptism ; but because, in virtue of the promise, they are heirs 
 to adoption, therefore the Church admits them to baptism." 
 
 "These children of believers dying unbaptized are not de- 
 prived of salvation on that account." 
 
 "The gift of adoption is prior to baptism. . .Baptism, how- 
 ever, is a confirmation of this gift and a help to our faith." — 
 Tracts, I., p. 74. 
 
 25 
 
28 
 
Calvin, like the reformers of the Reformed Church, was a 
 firm believer in education, especially of the ministry. For 
 a long time he greatly desired that Geneva should have a 
 school for this purpose. It was finally founded in 1558, with 
 the learned and cultured Beza, Calvin's successor as a re- 
 former, as its principal. At the time of Calvin's death it 
 had 1,500 students from all parts of Protestant Europe. It 
 became the mother of Reformed Theological Seminaries, es- 
 pecially of the French Church. Out of it grew the present 
 University at Geneva. The old building is still in existence, 
 having the motto over the doorway in Latin — Post Tenebras 
 Lux (after darkness light) — that is, after the darkness of sin 
 and of Romanism, comes the light of the gospel and of the 
 reformation. 
 
 Teacher. 
 
 " All who had any desire after purer doctrines were con- 
 tinually coming to me to learn, although I myself was as yet 
 
 but a mere novice and tyro All my retreats were like 
 
 public schools." — Com. on Psas., p. 41. 
 
 "But since one cannot profit by such studies (theological) 
 unless he be first instructed in languages and human sciences, 
 and since also there is need of preserving the seed for the 
 future in order that the Church may not be left naked to our 
 children, it will be necessary to organize a college for instruct- 
 ing the children in order to prepare them for both the ministry 
 and the civil government." — Ecclesiastical Ordinances of 
 1541. 
 
 "We advising and entreating him that while sick he should 
 desist from all fatigue of dictating, or at least of writing, — 
 'TVhat,' he would say, 'would you have the Lord to find me 
 idle.' "— Beza 's " Life," p. 34. 
 
 Labors. 
 
 "He also wrote most learned commentaries on the books 
 of Scripture, besides answering the enemies of religion, and 
 maintaining an extensive correspondence on matters of im- 
 portance. Any one who reads these attentively will be aston- 
 ished how one man could be fit for labors so numerous and 
 so great."— Beza 's "Life," p. 39. 
 
 29 
 
Calvin at Study 
 
Above all things Calvin was a student, and this beautiful 
 picture of Calvin in his study reveals an important phase of 
 his life. It was his studies that made him the great scholar, 
 theologian, commentator and statesman that he was. In his 
 boyhood he excelled in study. This, the pleasantest of por- 
 traits of Calvin, reveals him as studying his Bible. The study 
 of the Scriptures made him great. They will do this for any 
 young person, or for any old person, too. His studies resulted 
 in many books. Some of them as his commentaries still re- 
 tain a front rank, because of his fine scholarship and wise 
 judgment in the handling of the Scripture texts. 
 
 We come to the end of this great man's life. He died May 
 27, 1564, aged 55. Never very strong physically, two months 
 of severe illness made him cry out, "Oh, Lord, how long!" 
 He gathered the ministers of Geneva to his death-bed and 
 asked their pardon for his faults (for he had a high temper, 
 and, too, his peculiarly nervous build, and frequent ill health 
 often produced irritability). His request for their forgiveness 
 is a beautiful act in his life, and also added to it on his 
 death-bed a beautiful testimony to the truth of the Scriptures, 
 for he wrote to his twin-reformer, Farel, "It is enough that 
 I live and die unto Christ, who is gain to those who are His 
 in life and death." He fell asleep in Jesus on the eve of the 
 Sabbath and went to spend an eternal Sabbath with his Lord 
 in Heaven. 
 
 Death. 
 
 "I have no other defense or refuge for salvation than His 
 gratuitous adoption, on which alone my salvation depends. 
 With my whole soul I embrace the mercy which He has exer- 
 cised towards me through Jesus Christ, atoning for my sins 
 through the merits of His death and passion, that in this 
 way He might satisfy for all my crimes and faults, and blot 
 them from His remembrance." — From his "Last Will and 
 Testament," in Beza's "Life," p. 86. 
 
 "I wish that, after my departure out of this life, my body 
 be committed to the earth (after the form and manner which 
 is used in the city), till the day of a happy resurrection ar- 
 rive." — idem. 
 
 "That night and the following day there was a general 
 lamentation throughout the city — the whole State regretting 
 its wisest citizen — the Church deploring the departure of its 
 faithful pastor — the academy grieving at being deprived of 
 so great a teacher, and all lamenting the loss of one who was. 
 under God, a common parent and protector, n - — Beza's * -Life" 
 p. 96. 
 
 33 
 
Calvin, with his usual modesty, asked that no grave stone 
 should mark his resting place, but there is a grave stone in 
 the cemetery beside the river Rhone, at Geneva, marked "J 
 C," which, according to tradition, is said to mark the place 
 of his grave. But though he has no monument over his grave, 
 the city of Geneva is to-day his monument, for she owes her 
 present prosperity to the foundations that he laid. And the 
 Reformed and Presbyterian churches, that have sprung from 
 the work of Zwingli and himself, that are now found in every 
 part of the globe, and number about twenty -five million ad- 
 herents, are a far grander and more enduring monument to 
 his memory than any of bronze or marble. Calvin is the 
 founder of republics, as well as of churches. And this year 
 these churches and nations rise up to do honor to his memory. 
 The memory of the just is blest. 
 
 Burial. 
 
 "He was buried in the common cemetery at Plein Palais, 
 with no extraordinary pomp, and, as he had commanded, with- 
 out any grave-stone." 
 
 Beza closes his "Life of Calvin'' with the following testi- 
 mony: "Having been a spectator of his conduct for sixteen 
 years, I have given a faithful account both of his life and his 
 death, and I can now declare that in him all men may see a 
 most beautiful example of the Christian character, an example 
 which it is as easy to slander as it is difficult to imitate. ' ' 
 
 Church Union. 
 Calvin to Cranmer (Geneva, about April, 1552) : 
 
 "As far as I am concerned, if I can be of any service I 
 shall not shrink from crossing ten seas, if need be, for that 
 object. If the rendering a helping hand to the kingdom of 
 England were the only point at issue, that of itself would be 
 a sufficient motive for me. But now, when the object sought 
 after is an agreement of learned men, gravely considered and 
 well framed according to the standard of Scriptures, by which 
 churches that would otherwise be far separated from each 
 other may be made to unite ; I do not consider it right for me 
 to shrink from any labors or difficulties. ' ' — Original Letters, 
 1537-1558, II., p. 713, 
 
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