Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-11-08

Nature Opposed tOAsceticism.
The Ntl0 Jerusalem Messenger of late date
has the following: .r-. ....r
Calvin stands out as a very marked con-
trast to the great German reformer. Luz
TIERS soul was full Of music and gladness, as
he gaZed upon the beauties Of nature. lie
believed that the earth was the Lords, and
the fullness thereof and did not think that
be honored Gods Heaven by despisng Gods
earth He could see God in the light of the
morning, in the beauty of noon aud the still
ness of night. One day, walking on the
Leipsic-road, he observed beautiful field of
wheat, when he exclaimed, 30, God of good
ness this fruitful year is thy gift. With
thee all is miracle. Thy voice brings out
of the earth, and even out of the arid sand,
those plants and beautiful ears OF wheat
which gladden. the sight. o, my Father
give all thy children their daily bread"
Now, we continually meet with reflections
of this sort in reading Luther, but never in
reading Calvin. Luther was great in un-
dress. We do not lose him in little things.
! See him going to the fsh-monger's to buy
! oysters for his favorite cat, being afraid lest
the servants should take dislike to it from
having continually to supply its wants; look
at him, with smiling face, talking to it, and
! patting the bead Of his old dog, which he
has had for sixteen years; go into his study,
and see him laugh body and soul, as he ex-
| amines the caricatures of the Pope which
| hung upon his study wallis follow him from
| his study into the skittle-alley at the bottom
of his garden, with Melancthon; see him
tuck up his doctors gown, and say to his
| friend, '"Melancthon, you can beat me at
| Greek, but can beat you at skittles" see
him sit down TO supper with Philip, DIR.
! Jonas and few choice friends---how he sets
the table on roar with his broad humor
and good-tempered miTtb; listen to the sweet
music coming from his German flute, with
which he is said to have oftentimes drove
away the devil; see him sit down to his desk
to write tales for his little johnny, and then
cracking joke with Lord Cate, as he play
fully called his wife; and above all, see him
sitting by the sick-bed of his girl Madeleine,
weeping, and sighing and groaning at her
death: and as we see all this we clasp him to
our heart; he is as great here as when burn
ing the Pope's Bull, or standing before the
Diet at Worms.
"He was open as the sky, merry as the
sunshine, bold and fearless as the storm
We not only respect and admire him, but We
love him, and should have been delighted tC
have sat down at his table, and heard hin
laugh and sing, pray and preach, and do al
to the glory of God. ...-. ..
But il was far, very far otherwise with
John Calvin. His heart never swelled with
joy, as he gazed upon the snow-cappet
uOuUIhlDs, lLO SNOlldolillB hlils, buC uiiEulO
, forests, the beautiful flowers and outstretcheC
ocean. His soul was never filled with music
| as he listened to the song of the birds, to tn,
i rusting wheat, or the light tiukle of brook
/ chanting its quiet tune. He had no eye fo
: this beauty, no ear for this music. Thi
/ world was a waste-howling wilderness
3 Gods curse was upon it. He had no favorit
cats, no faithful dogs, no flutes, no pictures
! no skittles. He seldom smiled and rarel,
laughed; and when he did laugh it was
very weak, thin, staggering. husky affair."
not at all like the clear, loud ringing tone 0
Luther's laugh.
= Calvin's sympathies were narrow and one
sided; .Luther's were strong and many
sided: Luther bad all Calvin's godlnes:
, without one bit ofhis grimness. Any ignO
$ rant man could disturb Calvin's life and irri
b tate his temper by questioning or diSpulin
| any of his peculiar views.
But Luther was not to be so moved. On
day man visited him from the Low Coun
, tries, to dispute about various things. Lu
d ther received him kindly, and afterward re
q marked: "When | saw what poor, igno
e rant creature he was said to him: 'Hadn'
Q we better dispute overa can or two of beerP
e CALVIN would have been sending the poo
s fellow to prison. Then, on manifold ground
we prefer the German to the FrenchmaI
: and would far rather have lived at Witter
a burg than at Geneva.