27. All the notions there are right, if you had not a perverse temper of mind.'

28. All there is true, if you would candidly understand it.'

29. All is here true likewise, except that the spirit of God is not said to be extinguished in itself, because when we are dead he departs.'

30. This is very true; and you, miserably deluded by Simon Magus, know nothing of the matter; making the judgment a slave, you turn us into stocks and stones. See the last quotation out of Clement and Peter.'

31. As for the most part, it is so commonly understood.'

52. So almost all things appeared to them in figure.'

33. What you put together here is false; there never was any creature, but from the instant of its creation.'

54. God is in all things by his essence, presence and power, and sustains all things in being.'

55. Take away the word out of his substance, and you will find the rest to be true, and that you yourself dote with Simon Magus.'

36. 'Tis true. Thus many things unite to make one, as bones, flesh, nerves, mind, form, spirit, unite to make the one substance of man.

'37. I wrote so, I confess; when you shall convince me of the contrary, I will not only receive it, but I will even kiss the ground you go on.'

38. That place which you quote against me, shows that you deal very deceitfully with me for there I say that the soul does as it were die, and is detained languishing in hell; therefore if it languishes, it yet lives. See what I wrote of the existence of the soul after death. The souls of the regenerate are said to be different from the souls of others, as any thing is said to be new, from the accession of new accidents.'

The reader may observe that Servetus' answer is very concise. Calvin made a reply to it consisting of above sixty pages in folio; which he, nevertheless, entitled, A short confutation of the Errors and Impieties of MICHAEL SERVETUS, as it was offered by the ministers of Geneva to the magnificent Senate in obedience to their command.'

The reply was written with a great deal of art and shows the great accomplishments of Calvin, among which, however, candor and moderation must not be reckoned. He concluded it with these words Whoever thinks

justly, will acknowledge, that the main end of Michael Servetus, was to undermine all religion, by extinguishing the light of sound doctrine.' As if the whole of religion depended on the dogmas of reputed orthodoxy! and as if every one who thinks justly must think as Calvin did! what presumption! The charge which he attempts to fix on Servetus, of seeking to undermine the whole of religion is absolutely false; for whoever seeks to overthrow all religion, can himself have no religion at all; but Servetus' works, and his whole conduct, are sufficient to convince any one that he was fully persuaded of the truth of divine revelation, and that, whatever were his mistakes, he had the cause of religion at heart. How could Calvin make so awful a conclusion, with such positivity, when he knew, if the magistrates of Geneva believed it, the massacre of Servetus would be the inevitable consequence?

Servetus made no answer to Calvin's reply. Probably he was convinced that it was useless for him to attempt any further explanation of his sentiments, or defence of what his adversary pronounced heretical. Of what use could whose influence was

it be to argue with a man,

all powerful at Geneva, and who had most peremptorily affirmed that the person he accused

aimed at the overthrow of the whole of religion? He contented himself with writing some notes in the margin, and inserting some offensive words between the lines.

In his marginal notes, Servetus accuses Calvin of misrepresenting his sense, and imposing such a meaning on his words as he never intended. In one of his notes, he says 'Who denies that the Son is really distinct from God the Father? I plainly taught that the

In

persons were distinguished by a propriety of action,' another of his notes, he says 'In a cause so just I am resolved to persevere; nor am I at all afraid of death.

Calvin's reply was signed by himself and fourteen other divines. Calvin subscribed first, and Nicolaus Colladonius last. Servetus wrote the following words next to their subscriptions. Thus far we have had noise enough indeed, and a crowd of subscribers to Calvin's dictates; but what places of scripture have they produced to prove what they assert concerning the Son, that he is an invisible and really distinct being. They do not show any, nor can they ever do it. This they should have done, had they acted up to the character of ministers of the gospel, especially since they pretend to value themselves to all the world, upon nothing

so much as this; That, it has always been their resolution to teach nothing but what is demonstrated from plain and solid quotations of scripture: but no such quotations can be found therein. My doctrine therefore is condemned by mere clamor and noise, without producing any reason or authority whatsoever. Subscribed by Michael Servetus, who here is alone, but who has Christ for his undoubted protector.'

At the same time Servetus sent a latin letter to Calvin, wherein he accuses him of being ignorant of the principles of things, and that he knew nothing of this great principle, all action is done by contact. Lastly, he says that Calvin maintains, without any reason, that the law of the Decalogue is still in force.

On the whole it is evident the object of Calvin and his associates was not to convince the prisoner of his mistakes, but to persuade the judges that he ought to be condemned for heresy. They used every means to entangle, irritate and ruin him. They collected together the worst things they could find in his writings, gave them the most unfavorable construction possible, and prejudiced his cause, by declaring them to be full of impious blasphemies against God, and of other mad and profane errors,