The Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1852-1853, 1853-04-27

SerYetus Again.

T AhhI 80
some weight with smal minds: but those
who are able TO think for themselves will
weigh arguments, and not be influenced by
sophistry or ridieule.
| had intended to say not another word
more upon this subject, and hence the de-
lay Of this article, but have rather been
forced to speak again in defence Of the illus
trious Reformer. 1t is not victory for which
| contend but for the truth.
In your second article you say, There is
no question but Calvin labored 10 have Ser
vetus convicted for heresy before the court
of Rome, before he came to Geneva; and that
by sending that merciful inquisiIion his
private correspondence" Now this is al
toge her g%ratutous, a mere assertion without
The shadow Of proof, and yet you argue it
as though it was a fact. But 10 show there
is no truth il it | quote Calvin's own words,
"Nothing was less becoming, says he, than
that | should expose Servetus to the profess
Sed enemies of Christ-as TO huge BEASTS
Fer they affirm, that it was by my means.
that he was taken at Vienna in the province
of Lyonnois. But whence this my so sudden
familiarity with the inquisitors OF the Pope?
Whence this great influence with them? Is
it credible, that letters should pass freely to
and from those, who are as much at yarl-
ance as Christ and Belial? II is useless to
spend words IN rcluting this c~alumny, which
is broken to pieces and falls by a simple de-
NAL" Tractaius Theo. Calv. page 5l7.
You say that on the 2lth Of August Ger
yelus as he was a foreigner. u~nacquainted
with the customs OF the country, and the
practice of the courts of law requested TO be
allowed All advocate to conduct his cause
On the 28th August. when the court next
met in reply to Servetus' petition it is insist
ed that he should not have a counsel" and
then ask, Don't you think Mr.. I'D" that
this conduct in CALVIN manifested a DISPOSE
ZION more ike "a Jesuit than a great reform
err" Well lll tell you what | do think; |
think that this mode Of reasoning manifests
more Of the Jesuit than that Of the candid
rcasoner. You say Servetus requested an
advocate, and the court meta and decided that
he should not have a counsel, then ask If tbs
conduct in Calvin was not Jesuitical, where
AS it WIS not, according to your own state
men;, Calyin's, but the decision OF the Court.
But ~supposjng that was true, that he was
denied an advocate, he was permitted to de-
fend his w cause, and was perhaps better
qualified than any other to do 1t. | quote
Calvin. By the same decree Of the Senate
he was permitted to retract any thing which
he should perceive he had u~njustly written;
and if he found any thing unfairly perverted
by me, he might refute 1t. And besides all
this, as he expected that it would make his
cause more plausible. ii he made the closing
defence, he again, requested in wiring, that
it might be granted him, and he Obtained
this privilege also;" IractatUs Theo. Ca!v.
page 522.
You say, Servetus presented memorial
to the Council, in which he begged that his
case be referred to the council OF two hun
dred. This last demand could not be en-
tertained as Perrin, who, it was suspected,
wished to make SeryetuS an instrument for
overlhrowing Calvin" Now, alt is believ-
ed, says the Cautious Chaufpie in his life Of
Ser7etus, 'that this request was suggested
to HIM by Calvin's enemies, who contributed
as much, or even more than he to Seryetus'
destruction"
Mckenzie, in his life of Calvin, says,
f'The enemies Of Calvin exulted in this at
fair, and for once, with the appearance OF
reason; but their efforts injured the cause OF
Servetus; they cnleavored TO bring him be-
fore the council Of Two hundred, in which,
however, they did not succeed"
Again, you say, CATER Servetus had
been burnt, Calvin explicitly sanctioned the
capital punishment Of hereIics," then ask
triumpbantly. "Did ever the council OF
Trent more explicitly sanction the extirpa-
ton Of heletics by the sword. If SO let the
decree or canon be produced"
But l ask, did none but Calvin and the
Council of Trentsanction the capital punish
ment of heretics? Was it not the prevailing
opinion of that age? Have we not no ed
examples of heretlcs being punished in diff
ferent protestant States? Did not the Ro
manists sanction it when this unhappy mar
was condemned to be burnt alive, by theil
infallible church? Did not the Socinians toe
sanction it when Faustus Soc,nus apprchen'
ded Francis Davides, Superintendent Of the
Unitarian Churches in Pennsylvania, ant
cast him into prison where he died, simply
because he differed from him In regard t
the invocation OF Christ?
Did not Arminians also sanction the CAPT
, tai punishment Of h~eretics. Look at thu
. history of the Church of England, and yoi
have an answer strong enough; and withou
reverling back to the burning of Lambert
f and Askcw in the reign of Henry VIII, t.
Van Pare and Joan of Kent. in that of Ed
= ward VI, or Of the two Anabaptists in tina
+ OF EIizabeth,-you may read as late as 1911:
. under James | OF the burning of Legatc ant
Wightman for the Ariah heresy. Aud
, we follow down the details Of their history
. during the reign of Charles | and Archbis
hop Land, and read the petition of Alexan
. der Leighton, or his sentence and punish
+ ment, you will find causes enough for tn,
chilIs Of grief, and tears of sympathy from
prosecutions not only for heresy but for non
conformity to the common prayer book of th
Episcopal Church.
But what ground is there for throwing III
odium of oeryetUs' death upon Calvi
alone? l answer. 1t is the deep roote
enmity to that Theological system callc
Calvmism. This is the true source of til
unjust invective against the Reformer's con
duct in this affair. If not why are the sim
liar and even worse offences of other grcs
7 men altogether omitted, or if not omitted
mentioned with every phrase of extenua
ton? @
It is Caivinism, it is the doctrine Of spe