The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-30


develop. For q time, hOwsvsr. Calvin and
FaTel found the GsnSvan authorities In
tractAbbs, and IN April. 1859. tho General
Assembly ordered. them 20 leavs the city
within three days. Calvin's UOrk At Geneva
was now wholly. and - FAR a thea could
be seen permanently, at an end. Various
j~udsmsnts have been passed upOa' it. and
the present biosrapber would not afirm that
Il was always wise or skilful. A slower
and more educative attempt 70 secure the
reforms which Calvin desired. but for
which Geneva was far from ready, would
probably have bean moro effective. We
must bear in mind that even nOw Calvin
was but - years old and stNl evinced too
much Of. the impetuosity Of youth and In
experience. Whatever may DO thought OF
his methods, o ever, the ends which he
had IN view were not uncertain or lgnoble.
He would have Geneva an orderly, diSd-
plined, Christian city, and he would make
its Church, to a degree yet unknown In
Protestant communities, self-Governing.
Apparently he had failed. but II was q
failure that carried no disRraCs In the
retrospect.
In October, $40, the Genevan authorities
invited Calvin to return, but it was not
until nearly q year later that he accepted
the invitation. The intervening period
had been spent in Strassburg, where his Ot
had been a peaceful and q pleasant one.
There he enjoyed the oompanionship OF
Bucer and others with whom he had much
IN common. a pastorate from which he
could exercise some influence over France.
q professorship through which he touched
students from many lands. acquaintance
with the leaders OF the Reformation in Ger
many, and a growing fame. Geneva meant
for Calvin the renewal Of weary struggles,
and at best doubtful successes, but it
meant, too, an opportunity Of exerting
much greater influence on III evangelical
aus in France than S~trassburg Afforded;
and above all an opportunity TO put In
practice his programme for the organisa-
ton Of q well disciplined Church, and
therefore an ideal common wealth, which
he had indeed realized in his congregation
at Strassburg, but which he could never
hope to apply to hat city as q whole.
We must pass over the struggles and con-
nicts in which for many years Calvin was
involved In Geneva, and confine ourselves
TO pointing out tina he eventually gained
a complete victory. Before he died he was
to be known as the Pope Of Geneva. He had
made the city an example Of a Christian COM
munity, a refuge for oppressed Professionals
and a centre of tremendous influence for
the spread Of the evangelical AUS His
own Interpretation Of his duties was broad,
and be was keen to see that material we'll
being and education were essential to the
realization Of his ideals. A well ordered
population, he thought, should be no less
industrious than religious. With this aim
in view, as early as December. 1874, Calvin
urged the municipal authorities TO develop
the weaving industry as an aid to the pros
perity Of the city. His efforts in this direc-
ton had considerable success. and there 10
no doubt that under his influence Geneva
~prospered in a material way. For his time
Calvin held liberal views on questions of
trade. Thus, although he did not approve
Of money lending as an exclusive profession,
he believed the receipt Of a fair interest
on the use OF money not only unforbidden
by Scripture, but wise and Just.
Prof. Walker recognizes that the growth
Of Genev In popular wellbeing is a factor
to be taken into account in explaining the
increasing favor with which Calvin's system
came to be regarded by the Inhabitants
Of the city. OF course, however. Cslvin's
concern for Geneva had far more 70 do with
spiritual and intellectual than with material
things. From his point Of view. religion and
education were closely associated. A true
faith. he held, must be intelligent. The school
and the Church were. in his opinion, neces-
sary and mutually supplementary agen-
ciee; or, rather. the school was an essential
part Of any effective Church organization.
1t was this conception Of the relations OF
education to religion that led Calvin to
found the Genevan Academy; nor was any
other conception characteristic Of him
more deeply impressed on the churches
which came under his spiritual influence.
France, Holland, Scotland, Puritan Eng
land and New England were all to feel its
power, and to draw from it lasting benefit.
VI.
Even in the briefest account OF Calvin's
asceudency at Geneva the tragedy Of Ser
vetus cannot be wholly overlooked. 1t il
well known that the Spaniard. Miguel
Serveto CServetus) taught that Christ was
truly the Son OF God, that all the Godhead
was corporeally manifested in Him, but
that His personality was not preexistent,
save in the mind OF God, and really began
with His earthly conception and birth. To
the mind OF Servetus the Nioene doctrine OF
the Trinity-"a sort OF t~hree-headed Ger
berus'-was one OF h chief sources OF
churchly corruption. Nothing could be
more Just and discriminating than the COM
ments Of Prof. Walker on the burning Of
Servetus. ITO one whose fortune 1t Is to
live under the greater freedom Of the TWEEN
tieth century, such a scene and the bitter
prosecution OF which it was the crown is
utterly ~repulsive. His ~sympathies, what
ever his estimate OF the theological questions
involved or however keenly he may rccog-
nize the many weaknesses OF the sufferer.
10 out toward the victim OF the tragedy
Our author Acknowledges as frankly hat
Calvin's eagerness to secure the conviction
OF the hereto is not pleasant TO contemplate.
Those who erected a monument TO Servetus
near the place OF his m~artyrdom, on its sSOth
anniversary in 1908. did well. That fagot
heap was a milestone from which the worlds
progress along the pathway toward Tree
dom OF utterance may be reckoned."
1t is further pointed out that the burning
OF servetus did not pass altogether uncon-
demned, even in his own time. At Basel.
where greater freedom Of opinion existed
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