folly. Besides, it was not unlikely, (says Hooker) but that his credit in the world might many ways stand the poor town in great stead: As the truth is, their minister's foreign estimation hath been the best stake in their hedge. But whatever secret respects were likely to move them, ⚫ for contenting of their minds, Calvin returned, as it had been another Tully, to his own home.'

He re-entered Geneva, (leaving Brulius to succeed him in the French court at Strasburgh) on the thirteenth of September, 1541, to the infinite satisfaction of the people and magistracy; and the first thing he did, was to establish a form of discipline, and a consistorial jurisdiction, with power to exercise canonical censures and punishments, even to excommunication exclusive. This displeased many, who urged, that it was restoring the Roman tyranny: However, the thing was executed, and this new canon passed into a law, in a general assembly of the people, on the twentieth of November, 1541.

He rightly considered how gross a thing it was for men of his quality, wise and grave men, to live with such a multitude, and to be tenants at will under them, as their ministers, both himself and others, had been. For the remedy of this inconvenience, he gave them plainly to understand, that if he became their teacher again, they must be content to admit a complete form of discipline, which both they, and also their pastors, should be solemnly sworn to observe for ever after. Of which dis cipline the principal parts were these: A standing ecclesiastical court to be established; perpetual judges in that court to be their ministers, others of the people annually chosen, twice so many in number as they, to be judges together with them in the same court: These two sorts to have the care of all men's manners, power of determining all kind of ecclesiastical causes, and authority to convent, controul, and punish, as far as with excommunication, whoever they should think worthy; none, either small or great, excepted. This device, (says Hooker) I see not how the wisest, at that time living, could have bettered, if we duly consider what the state of Geneva did then require. For their bishop and his clergy being departed from them, to choose in his room any other bishop had been a thing altogether impossible. And for their ministers to seek that themselves alone might have coercive power over the whole church, would perhaps have been hardly construed at that time. But when so frank an offer was made, that for every one minister,

there

there should be two of the people to sit and give voice ⚫ in the ecclesiastical consistory, what inconvenience could they easily find, which themselves might not be able always to remedy? They were brought to so streight an issue, that of two things they must choose one; namely, whether they would, to their endless disgrace, ⚫ with ridiculous lightness, dismiss him, whose restitu• tion they had in so impotent a manner desired; or else condescend into that demand, wherein he was resolute either to have it, or to leave them? They thought it <better to be somewhat hardly yoked at home, than discredited for ever abroad: Wherefore these orders were on all sides assented to; with no less alacrity of mind, than cities unable to hold out longer, are wont to shew when they take conditions, such as it liketh him to offer them, which hath them in the narrow streights of • advantage.'

The city of Geneva is situated on the river Rhone, at the west end of the lake Lemain, seventy miles south-west of Bern, and sixty miles north-east of Lyons in France. It is about two miles in circumference, and contains about thirty thousand inhabitants. The Republic of Geneva, exclusive of the city, is but of small extent, not containing above eleven parishes. The city of Geneva is considerable for its situation, as well as its commerce; it being the key, and the most flourishing city of Switzerland. Doctor Burnet says, It is surprising to see the learning that is here, not only among the professors of it, but the very magistrates and trading citizens are well versed in the Latin-tongue, mighty well acquainted with history, and generally men of good sense.' They have an university; but the language of the common people is the Savoyard, or a very bad dialect of the French tongue : Though people of condition speak French in greater purity. Their bishop was formerly their sovereign: But when they became a Republic, the legislative authority was placed in a council of two hundred, and a senate of twenty-five, who have the executive power, or administration of the government. The territories of France and Savoy come up to the very walls of Geneva; and they must have been reduced under the dominion of one or the other, if they had not been protected by their allies, the cantons of Friburg, Bern, and Zurick, against the attacks of both.

Both the clergy and laity of Geneva engaged themselves to a perpetual observance of the new institution made by

Calvin,

Calvin, whose inflexible severity, in maintaining the rights of his consistory, raised him a great many enemies, and occasioned some disorders in the city. However, he surmounted all opposition, and also governed the Protestants in France, who almost all held the doctrine of Calvin, and received ministers from Geneva, who presided in their congregations.

An eminent Calvinist was against popular government; because the universal kingdom hath one king, and the government of the world is monarchial. There is nothing more clear and certain, than that the ultimate end puts the due estimate on all the means of government: But, that is the best form of government, which most powerfully conduces to the spiritual and everlasting welfare of the people, their holiness, obedience, and pleasing of God. If government be no means to this end, it is 'not good, desirable, nor of God: For if it be not to, and for God, it is not from him. The nearest end of go'vernment is order; the next is the maintenance and pro⚫ motion of the prosperity and security of the people 'together with the honour of the governor. The more principal end is our present pleasing and honouring of • God: The ultimate end is our more perfect everlasting pleasing him in our fruition of him in glory. The good of the world, and the whole body of the faithful 'subjects of God require more attention than the wel'fare of a particular commonwealth. The same principles that prove it sordid and impious to value our private personal prosperity before that of the common'wealth, prove it as bad to value the benefit of one com'monwealth before the universal kingdom of God on earth. If a people could live most prosperously to themselves in the state of some petty republics and free cities; but are hereby incapable of doing much for the safety or welfare of their brethren abroad, it is not the 'most desirable government. Civil order is the nearest end of civil polity: But church order, for holy com'munion in God's worship, is the nearest end of church polity.' Yet he says, That though variety of outward states, and the neglects of either magistrates or 'pastors, may be an exception, as to inward qualifications, the same persons are generally fit to be members ⚫ of church and commonwealth.'

Dupin says, The doctrine of Calvin concerning the sacrament, is not fundamentally different from that of the Zuinglians; though he uses very positive words to " express

express the presence of the body and blood of Jesus Christ. He affirms, that we are not only partakers of the Spirit of Jesus Christ in the eucharist, but also of his flesh which is distributed to us: That he nourishes us there with the proper substance of his body and blood: That it is not to be doubted but we receive his very body: And that this communion of the body and blood of Christ is given under the symbols of bread and wine to all that celebrate his supper, according to its lawful institution; so that we truly receive what is signified by the symbols, that the body which is received is ⚫ not a symbolical body, as it was not a symbolical spirit, which appeared in the baptism of our Lord; but the Holy Spirit itself was really and substantially under the symbol, or outward form cf a dove: That Jesus Christ is united to us in this sacrament, not by fancy and imagination, nor by thought, or a bare apprehension of the mind, but really and verily by a true and substantial union: That the manner of our receiving the body of Christ, is very different from the other manner of receiving him by faith: That this mystery is incomprehensible, and contains a miracle, which exceeds the limits and capacity of the mind of man, and is the work of God, much above the course of nature: That there is a divine and supernatural change in it, which surpasses our sensible knowledge: That the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ are truly given to the unworthy, as well as to the faithful and elect; though they are not received with benefit, unless by the faithful only. These sort of expressions, and several others, which are in Calvin's institutions, and his other writings, might make us believe, that he did not deny the real and substantial presence of the body and blood of Christ in the eucharist: Yet, in other places, he clearly rejects not only transubstantiation, but also his real presence; by asserting, that the body of Jesus Christ is really and substantially present only in heaven; and that it is united to us only by faith, after a spiritual manner, by the incomprehensible working of the Holy Spirit, which joins things together that are separated by distance of place. These words, this is my body, ought to be understood after a figurative manner, according to his notion; and the sign is there put for the thing signified, as when it is said, The rock is Christ; the Lamb is the passover; and circumcision is the covenant.' The body and blood of Jesus Christ are united to us only by virtue and efficacy; and his flesh, remaining in heaven, infuses life into us

· from

from his substance: Lastly, though the substance of the body and blood of Jesus Christ are communicated to us by the sacrament of the eucharist, they are not really and substantially present there: And though the body and blood of Christ are there presented, and offered to all Christians, they are not really received, except by the truly faithful, and not by the unworthy.

Calvin differed not much from Luther in other points. of doctrine. He held the same principles as to imputed righteousness, and the certainty of our justification, which` he extended to an assurance of eternal salvation. He also added an impossibility of falling finally from grace; and he asserted the salvation of the children of believers, who die before they have been baptized. He likewise condemned, with more severity than the Lutherans, the invocation of saints; the worship and use of images; vows; celibacy of priests; fasting; holy-days; sacrifice of the mass; adoration of the eucharist; indulgences; the sacraments, except the eucharist and baptism; and, in general, all the rites and ceremonies of the church, which the Lutherans had not entirely abolished.

The manner in which Emanuel Maignan, one of the greatest philosophers of the seventeenth century, explained the retaining of accidents, without a subject, in the mystery of the eucharist, is more ingenious than that of Des Cartes. He was a divine of the order of the Minims, and says, there is nothing so easy, as to explain the 'manner how the accidents of bread and wine subsist without the bread and wine; for we need only say, that 'the bread and wine being taken away, GOD continues still to make the same impressions upon our senses, as they did, before they were changed.' Rohault, who was a Cartesian, blames this hypothesis; because it admits two miracles, where only one is wanting. Though it be true, (says he,) that GOD can produce in our sens s the impressions of bread and wine, after they have been changed by transubstantiation; yet there is no necessity, after this, to have recourse to a new miracle: Because it follows, from the very essence of the mystery, which is, that the bread is really changed into the body of Jesus <Christ, that we must continue to perceive all the same appearances as we perceived before; that is, the ac'cidents of bread and wine must subsist.' This Cartesian pretends, that the body of Jesus Christ takes up the place of the bread in such a manner, that the same spaces exactly, which served for a place for the bread, are those VOL. II. wherein

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