CHAPTER XIII.

Revival of the Predestinarian Controversy-Calvin's Treatment of Castellio-Italian Antitrinitarians-Gribaldo-Biandrata-Alciati-GentileSchools founded at Geneva-Dissensions in the Pays de Vaud-Viret and others banished-Farel's intemperate Zeal-Viret, Beza, and others, repair to Geneva-Farel's Marriage-Calvin's Illness-His Intercourse with England-Correspondence with Knox.

1

DURING this period Castellio was suspected of an attempt to renew the predestinarian controversy, by getting a treatise on the subject printed secretly at Paris. In a letter written in February, 1555, in which Calvin defends himself from the attacks of a certain M. de la Vau, at Basle, he mentions that whole quires of Castellio's books, attacking his doctrine of predestination, had been condemned, and Castellio himself, whom he styles a "fantastic person," forbidden to publish them, under pain of being beheaded." Hence, apparently, the reason why Castellio, if he was really the author of the treatise just mentioned —a charge which he constantly denied—had recourse to Paris to get it printed. The book was written in an insidious form, the author pretending to apply to Calvin for some explanations of his doctrine, in order that he might be able to defend it against the objections of opponents. Toward the conclusion, the author contrasted his own notions of the Supreme Being with those of Calvin. He described what he called Calvin's false God as slow to mercy, but quick to wrath; as having created a great portion of mankind merely for de

The title of this book was: "Traité du vieil et du nouvel Homme, Conseil à la France désolée, Recueil Latin de certains Articles et Arguments extraits des Livres de M. I. Calvin" (P. Henry, iii., 89, note).

2 "Il allègue pour ses complices ung fantastique nommé Sebastian Castellio, auquel il en conjoinct deux aultres, qu'il dict estre lecteurs publiques à Basle. S'il prétend donner crédit à ses challans soubs umbre de la Ville, quelle mocquerie est ce de ne tenir compte de tous les ministres et pasteurs, et pareillement des docteurs en Théologie lesquels il congnoist estre divincts avec nous? Mais cependant il ne dict mot, qu'en la ville de Basle, des cayers des livres de son Castellio, où il vouloit impugner nostre doctrine touchant la prédestination, ont esté condamnés, avec défense de les publier, sur peine de la teste."-See the letter in P. Henry, ii., Beil. 12.

3 See the preface, at the head of Calvin's answer (Opera, viii., 632, A.), where the tract is given with Calvin's answers seriatim. It consisted of propositions relating to predestination, selected from Calvin's work, with objections to them subjoined.

struction; as not only having predestinated numbers to perdition themselves, but to be the cause of the reprobation of others; as having appointed and willed, from all eternity, that they should sin of necessity, so that neither theft, nor adultery, nor murder, are committed but by His will and impulse: as having filled the heart of man with evil thoughts, not only permitting, but actually inspiring, them; so that, when men live unrighteously, it is the act of God rather than their own, seeing that they can not act otherwise; as having made Satan a liar; so that it is not so much Satan himself as Calvin's God who is the author of lies, while he often speaks quite differently from what he thinks. But the God whom nature, reason, and Scripture reveal to us, is quite opposite to this. He is inclined to mercy, and slow to anger; he created man after his own image, placed him in Paradise, and bestowed upon him eternal life. This God, who desires the happiness of all mankind, and that none be lost, whose righteousness overflows against the power of sin, the light of whose justice shines upon all men, calls to us, "Come to me, ye that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He inspires men with good and holy thoughts, frees them from the necessity of sinning into which their disobedience has cast them, and heals their troubles, so as never to refuse a blessing to those who ask for it. Now this God is come to destroy the works of the Calvinistic God, and to cast him out. Gods of such different natures produce sons that are totally dissimilar. On the one part these are pitiless, proud, wrathful, envious, bloodthirsty, calumnious, hypocritical, having one thing in their heart and another on their tongue, intolerant, full of malice, seditious, quarrelsome, ambitious, covetous, loving luxury more than God, in a word, full of all the low and wicked affections with which their father inspires them: the other God, on the contrary, produces sons who are merciful, modest, gentle, benevolent, charitable, open, hating the shedding of blood, who speak out of the fullness of their hearts, patient, good-tempered, peace-makers, hating strife and quarrels, honorable, liberal, loving God more than the world; in short, abounding with all the good dispositions with which their author fills them.

"The objectors to your doctrine," continued the author, "say that you, Calvin, and your disciples, bear the fruits of your God, and that most of you are quarrelsome, revengeful, unforgiving, and filled with the other vices which your God excites. When one answers that this is not the fault of the

PREDESTINARIAN CONTROVERSY REVIVED.

2

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doctrine, which is good, and produces not such men; they reply, that it must have that effect, since it is plain that many after adopting the doctrine, immediately become wicked, though not so bad before; while, on the other hand, through Christ's teaching, men become better. Moreover, though you affirm yours to be the true doctrine, they say that they can not believe you. For since your God very often says one thing, and thinks and wills another, it is to be feared that you may imitate him, and deceive men in like manner. I myself," continues the writer, "was once taken with your doctrine; and though I did not quite understand it, I defended it, because I so much esteemed your authority, that it seemed to me forbidden even to think differently from you. But now, when I hear the objections of your adversaries, I know not what to reply." And he concluded by requesting Calvin, if he had any good arguments, to let him know them.1 This book was answered by Calvin in 1557, and afterward by Beza. Both replies are distinguished by their bitterness. Beza entered into the argument more in detail than Calvin; who was himself dissatisfied with his performance, and whose chief aim it was to free himself from the reproach of being a blasphemer. Calvin, in a letter on the subject to an anonymous correspondent, justifies the anger he had displayed in a manner which shows how deeply he had been wounded. If I seem to you too severe," he says, "believe me that it is the result of necessity. Meanwhile you do not consider how much your own facility hurts the church, which is such that the wicked may do any thing with impunity, and which, confounding virtue and vice, makes no distinction between black and white. While that excellent map of yours tries to undermine the chief point of our salvation, he blushes not to utter the most detestable blasphemies, affirming that Calvin's God is a liar, a hypocrite, false-hearted, the author of all wickedness, the enemy of all that is right and proper, and worse than Satan himself. But why should I complain that you treat me unkindly? For I know that you mean nothing less than to approve of the foul and detestable barkings of that

3

See the tract, "De occultà Dei Providentia," Opera, viii., 645; also P. Henry, iii., Beil. 41, et seq., where an analysis of the book is given, with Beza's answers.

2 The title of Calvin's reply is: "Calumniæ Nebulonis cujusdam, quibus Odio gravare conatus est Doctrinam I. Calvini de occultá Dei Providentia, et I. Calvini ad easdem Responsio," Geneva, 1557. To this Calvin prefixed his former answer to Castellio's libel, by way of preface. Beza's answer (Th. Beza Vezelii Responsio ad Sycophontarum quorundam Calumnias, c) appeared the following year. 3 P. Henry, iii.. 92

obscene dog. May the earth swallow me a thousand times rather than that I should not obey what the Spirit of God prescribes and dictates to me by the mouth of his prophets ; that the opprobrium, namely, by which the majesty of God is wounded, should fall on my own head (Psalm lxix.). Yet you, while I am defending that cause which I can not desert without being a perfidious traitor, charge me with quarreling! I wish so thoughtless a word, for which I blush as being unworthy of a Christian, had never escaped from you. Surely if there is one drop of piety in us, such an indignity should excite our highest indignation; and, for my own part, I would in this case rather be furious than unmoved by anger.'

Jealousy for God's honor is highly just and laudable; but there are passages in Calvin's work which betray rather the rancorous virulence of personal animosity than the holy warmth of religious zeal. Among other things he brought a charge of theft against Castellio, without thinking it worth while to ascertain whether there was any foundation for it.2 Castellio's answer to this imputation is exceedingly touching. He pleads guilty to the charge of poverty, rendered all the more bitter by having a family of eight children to bring up; and states that being obliged to sit up of nights in order to complete his translation of the Scriptures, he had openly and in company with many others, repaired to the banks of a river that flows into the Rhine, in order to hook up some pieces of drift wood borne down by the stream, wherewith to make him a fire to warm his chamber. Such was the action which Calvin magnified into a theft! In allusion to such charges, Castellio, in the Defense which he published in answer to Calvin and Beza's books, reproaches them with snatching at all sorts of reports against their enemies, and putting them into the first work they published; a practice which they would not fail to repent of at last. He attributes Beza's illwill toward him, to his having censured a book published by that writer under the name of "Passavantius." Calvin had

also been mean enough to say that he had kept Castellio in his house at Strasburgh; but from the latter's answer it ap pears that he had lodged with him but for a week, when he

1 Ep. 393.

2 แ I demand of you when a year or two ago you had a hook in your hand for carrying off some wood to warm your house, whether it was not your own will that drove you to the theft? If this alone suffices to your just damnation, that you knowingly and willingly sought a base and wicked gain by the loss of others, you are not at all absolved by exclaiming against necessity."-De occulta Dei Providentia, Opera, viii., 644, B.

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gave up his apartment to the valet of a Madame de Verger, who had come with her son to lodge with Calvin; and that he had afterward paid him for his board. Subsequently he had lived in Calvin's house gratuitously for a week, to attend upon the valet when he was sick. On the other hand he

states that he had been serviceable to Calvin's family when he was at Ratisbon. The tone of Castellio's Defense forms a striking contrast to that of Calvin's book. Bayle remarks of the Appendix to it: "The sequel of this appendix contains some excellent admonitions; and it must be acknowledged that Castellio, call him heretic as long as you will, gave better examples of moderation in his writings than the orthodox persons who attacked him.' Indeed Calvin had poured out such foul and unchristian-like abuse, that Castellio tells us he had heard it doubted whether he could have written it. Among the choice epithets showered upon him were those of blasphemer, slanderer, foul-mouthed dog, full of ignorance, bestiality, and impudence, impostor, impure corrupter of Scripture, vagabond, scurvy knave, &c. After recounting all these vituperations, Castellio observes: Nothing is so hidden that will not be discovered Christ will not always hang between thieves: crucified truth will rise again at last. But you ought you not again and again to ponder what account you will be able to render to God for the many reproaches you have heaped on one for whom Christ died? Even were I as truly all these things as I really am not, yet it ill becomes so learned a man as yourself, the teacher of so many others, to degrade so excellent an intellect by so foul and sordid abuse." A noble reproof! and which must have been infinitely more cutting than any attempt at the same fashion of retaliation.

About the same time that this controversy with Castellio was going on, Geneva began to be troubled by Antitrinitarian doctrines, which had spread to a great extent among the Italians settled there. It has been already said that these exiles had been very busy in publishing libels and attacks upon Calvin after the affair of Servetus, of whom many of them were disciples. This tendency to Antitrinitarianism seemed in some degree natural to the speculative and subtle nature of the Italian mind, and appears to have been fostered among the small community settled at Geneva by their having a separate place of worship assigned to them, on account of their language. The first Italian congregation seems to have been 1 See his Dictionary, art. Castalion, rem. G., sub fin.