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most innocent amusements, and even any
unguarded expressions in conversation,
were made heinous crimes, that fell under
the power of Calvin and his consistory of
priests, to punish with the utmost severity.
Thus the whole city was subjected to his
authority, and numerous were the victims
whose lives were sacrificed to appease his
malignity, for it can deserve no better
name. A strong party endeavoured to restrain
the power of Calvin and of the
clergy. They had opposed the admission
of the French refugees as citizens; this
party Calvin and the clergy called libertines
: they were defeated ; some were
taken prisoners and beheaded, the others
found a safe refuge in Berne.
Perhaps few of the acts of Calvin, not
even the burning of Servetus, were more
disgraceful than his persecution of Bolzec.
After the pastor had expounded some
doctrine or tex t of Scripture 'to the congregation,
any one was permitted to speak ;
it happened one day, that the pastor had
heen defending the justice of God in the
predestination of infants to everlasting
torments. J. Bolzec, a protestant physician,
from Paris, was present ; he rose and
expressed his abhorrence of the doctrine^
as being repugnant to all notions of divine
goodness, and contrary to Scripture, and the
opinions of the fathers. Calvin replied in
terms sufficiently abusive ; but not satisfied
with this, he instigated the magistrates to
imprison Bolzec, and was very urgent with
them to take away his life. They were
startled at the violence of the proposal, and
applied to the Swiss churches for advice.
Berne and Basle recommended moderation,
as their own opinions inclined to those of
Bolzec; he was therefore released from
prison, and banished from Geneva: — he
took refuge in Berne. Nothing can be
more revolting than this persecution o f a
respectable man, for refusing to believe
that the deity was cruel and u n ju s t; nor is
it possible to imagine a greater contrast
than between the character of Calvin and
that of the Master he professed to follow.
Happy is it for the world that the reformer
of Geneva could not call down fire from
heaven on the heads of all his opposers,
for those who were within the reach of his
earthly vengeance, he was never known to
spare. His conduct brought great disgrace
upon the reformation, and proved to the
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