baptizing of infants we did disown Christ. So rooted was his enmity that the dreadful sufferings of his opponent could not abate it.

Servetus ended his days, amidst the most excruciating sufferings, with firmness and composure, without speaking, or giving the least sign that he repented publishing the book for which he suffered, or that he retracted the opinions he had avowed.

The author of the Bibliotheque Anglaise says, Champel, or Champéy, a small eminence, about a musket shot from Geneva, was then the common place of execution; I had the curiosity to visit the spot, hardly known to any traveller, and to see the very ground on which Servetus expired in the flames.' He might have added, ground rendered sacred by receiving the blood of a martyr to the cause of truth and liberty.

Lubienjecius makes the following remarks on this bloody execution; This was indeed a cruel act; and in the opinion of all good men, directly regugnant to the gentle and humble spirit of Christ, but perfectly agreeable to the temper of such who are for drawing down Bonargean fire from heaven, in imitation of Elias, who did it for the destruction of some inhospi

table Samaritans: (only they punished the guilty, but Calvin, the innocent.') Servetus perished in the flames, but he shall rise again to immortality and glory.

CHAPTER IV.

PERSECUTION INDEFENSIBLE.

Sect. 1. Whether it be right for the civil magistrates, or any power on earth, to put men to death for their opinions. Sect. 2. On the same principle as the persecutors of Sercetus attempted to defend their conduct, if admitted, every species of persecution might be defended.— Sect. 3. The reformers guilty of manifest in-. consistency. Sect. 4. Persecution is irrational. Sect. 5. Persecution is altogether antichristian. Sect. 6. For christians to persecute each other is highly injurious to the church, and baneful to christianity. Sect. 7. Wise and moderate men, in all ages, have disapproved of persecution. Sect. 8. Persecutors are the real heretics and schismatics.

INSTEAD of relenting at the recollection of the part he had acted against Servetus, Calvin, undertook to defend the cruel proceedings of the

magistrates of Geneva against him, and to prove that heretics ought to be put to death. After the execution of Servetus he published a book entitled 'A faithful account of the errors of Michael Servetus, with a brief confutation of them, in which is shown that heretics are to be restrained by the sword.' It is said Sebastian Castellio, or Lælius Socinus, confuted this book. Beza answered, and justified the practice of putting heretics to death. His piece was entitled, Of punishing heretics by the civil magistrates,' Each of these reformers

(says Lubienjecius) taking a dart out of the quiver of the church of Rome, and her adherents, to thrust it with a greater fury into the sides of heretics of their own making.'

The persecutors of Servetus (says Mr. Robinson) were attacked from all parts; by the polite and mild remonstrances of the inimitable Dudith, by the rough and uncourtly reproaches of the honest Castellio, and by many others: but what stung the sanguinary Beza most was what he called a fairago, which some, mistaking it for other treatises on the same subject, attribute to Castellio, others, to Lælius Socinus, but which probably was, like the famous Smectymthe joint work of several wise and well inBeza was offended because

nus,

formed persons.

the authors said he had published a book to justify the murder of heretics, whereas he had only written one to prove they ought to be put to death.'

Christians, in the present day, may be sur prised to hear that the reformers wrote in defence of persecution, that they ascribed to the civil magistrates the power of putting heretics to death, and justified the murdering men for their opinions; but it was impossible for them on any other principle to vindicate their own conduct. They had delivered the man they deemed a heretic into the hands of the civil power, they had prosecuted him for heresy as a capital crime, they had instigated the magistrates to condemn him to death, and he had been burnt alive among them. The eyes of the world were upon them; many thoughtful and humane persons disapproved of their rash and cruel proceedings; the burning a man alive for his opinions was likely to prove a foul stain on their character, and the reformation they had effected; they set a high value on their reputation, were anxious to obtain the good opinions of men, wished to be thought to act consistently in all things. What was to be done?. They could not bring themselves to acknowledge